The novel, Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga, portrayed the struggles of the everyday life of a young girl named Tambudzai, or Tambu as she was known more commonly. The book was set in a period where women were hardly considered for anything other than household servants for their husbands or personal maids. Tambu tells how all the women in the story are trapped in one way or the other, including the seemingly enviable Maiguru, whose level of education was equivalent with her husband’s. Maiguru, a female, is trapped by marriage and society. Although she has an education, no one knows and she prefers to keep it that way to keep the community happy. But, Tambu is not afraid to speak up. Tambu, at a young age, knew she was going a different route throughout life than her brother because he was being educated and she was not. Yet, that did not stop her from speaking up and demanding an education from her father even though she was a women in society. The title of Dangarembga's novel, Nervous Conditions, refers to the influence of development it has on the minds of Tambu, Nyasha and Maiguru as they struggle to re-define themselves in a white man’s world.
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For one thing, the first sentence in novel set the tone for the rest of the story. “I was not sorry when my brother died” (Dangarembga, 1). This was a strong statement made by Tambu at the beginning of the book. From this one statement one can see her anger that has been building up inside. Tambu was not upset about her brother dying only because she thought more opportunities would come to her. Opportunities like school, which is what she really wanted, an education. In addition, Tambu did not apologize for her callousness. For she believed she was not being unfair because of how her brother had treated her and because of that how the rest of her family did too, especially her father, Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a big believer of women being a “slave”, as some might say, towards the males in their family. So, that is how he chose to raise his daughter. “Can you cook books and feed them to your husband? Stay at home with your mother. Learn to cook and clean. Grow vegetables”(Dangarembga, 15). This quotation shows how Tambu’s father responds when she complains that the family is raising funds to send her brother, Nhamo, to school and not her. This is an example of Jeremiah’s traditional Shona belief peeking through that women do not need education. It represents the patrichiary that Tambu faces on her quest towards empowerment. Meanwhile, her aunt, Maiguru, is educated and has no use for her degree because of the colonial society she lives in expects her to be devoted as a wife or mother. This is a rising issue in the book creating more sexism that Tambu does not agree with.
As said before, Maiguru has an education that is actually at level with her husbands degree. When Tambu found out she was not to fond with her parents for not allowing her at the chance of an education. As a matter of fact, she threw disrespect at her family for holding her back but little did she know because of the culture of where they lived it did not get Maiguru anywhere in life.
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“When I was in England I glimpsed for a little while the things I could have been, the things I could have done if – if – if things were – different – But there was Babawa Chido and the children and the family. And does anyone realise, does anyone appreciate, what sacrifices were made? As for me, no one even thinks about the things I gave up”(Dangarembga,103). This is Maiguru's uncharacteristically bitter response to Tambu when she is surprised to learn that her aunt holds a Master's Degree. As a woman, Maiguru has had to sacrifice the opportunities she earned after receiving an education. No one in Tambu's village knows or cares about Maiguru's education, but they show all due respect to her husband, Babamukuru, who has the same amount of education as his wife. This divide demonstrates the deep-rooted gender inequality in both Shona and colonial society in Rhodesia during this time. In addition to Jeremiah telling Tambu how to live her life Tambu’s mother, Ma’Shingayi, does also. Ma’Shingayi sides with Jeremiah since he is her husband and is also the eldest male. Ma’Shingayi says, “This buisness of womanhood is a heavy burden” (Dangarembga, 16). Tambu’s mother explains to her that when there are sacrifices to be made, she is the one who has to make them. This point of view demonstrates the “gender jobs” between men and women. Ma’shingayi has accepted her fate as a servant to the men in her life and so should Tambu, but Tambu wants more. Tambu thinks she is worth much more than just being a bearer of a burden, and this drives a wedge between her mother and her’s relationship.
Speaking about an education to Tambu's mother and father brought more tension into the relationship. Not to mention the fact Tambu kept bringing Maiguru into the conversation which did not help her argument any. All Tambu wanted was respect from the male figure in her own life and the choice to make her own decisions from her father. “I complained to my mother.
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'Baba says I do not need to be educated,' I told her scornfully. 'He says I must learn to be a good wife. Look at Maiguru,' I continued, … 'she is a better wife than you'…” (Dangarembga, 16). Tambu’s quest for education was perhaps borne out of Maiguru’s behavior which may have been why she led to the accusation her mother was worse as a wife to her husband than Maiguru is to Babamukuru. Tambu most likely believes this because Maiguru has an education and Tambu’s mother does not. Thus, implying Tambu wants an education so she can prove herself to the men in her life that with a degree she could treat her future husband better than most. Although, this did not get her very far to achieve her goal, rather pushing her back because of the disrespect thrown at her mother. Moving forward, Tambu was finally presented an opportunity from her father to go and live with her cousin, Nyasha, and uncle, Babamukuru, while learning. When Tambu arrived she immediately felt in a different environment. Everything was very different, but the culture wasn't. She showed the same respect to her uncle as she did her father, maybe even more. Tambu did not want this moment of freedom to end. “Babamukuru was God, therefore I had arrived in heaven” (Dangarembga, 70). As said in this quote, “Babamukuru was God”, he was the man of the house who deserved the most respect out of all who lived there. When Tambu arrived she said and did nothing to harm him for he could immediately take away her only chance at an education; that education was her way of making more out of her life than the expected stay-at-home wife.
Sooner rather than later Tambu lost respect for Babamukuru. Tambu felt she was being treated much worse here than with her father. But, Tambu was not the only women in the house being treated poorly, Nyasha was also. “You can't go on all the time being whatever's necessary. You've got to have some conviction, and I'm convinced I don't want to be anyone's underdog. It's
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not right for anyone to be that. But once you get used to it, well, it just seems natural and you just carry on. And that's the end of you. You're trapped. They control everything you need
do” (Dangarembga, 119). Nyasha says this to Tambu out of anger after Babamukuru calls Nyasha a whore for lingering at the end of the driveway with Andy after the Christmas dance. Nyasha seems to be referring to patriarchy as "they". Nyasha's fight with her father creates a major rupture in their relationship as he cannot accept her disrespect. Following the argument, it creates a butterfly effect leading to Nyasha’s disappointment towards her mother, Maiguru, for being her husband’s underdog. With regards to everything going on throughout Babamukuru’s household there is no surprise that there is strains between each bond with Babamukuru. Hence, why Nyasha and Tambu in particular are being rebellious. Both girls are feeling defeated by all the control and lack of freedom they are receiving from Babamukuru. Consequently, causing Nyasha to create an eating disorder upon herself. “You will eat that food. Your mother and I are not killing ourselves working just for you to waste your time playing with boys and then come back and turn up your nose at what we offer. Sit and eat that food. I am telling you. Eat
it” (Dangarembga, 192). This is Babamukuru's threat to Nyasha when she refuses to eat dinner after returning home from school forty-five minutes late. In response to his threat, Nyasha devours all the food on her plate maniacally, then goes to the bathroom and vomits. It is the beginning of her bulimia. This quote marks Babamukuru's attempt to control his daughter; her eating disorder represents a way to try to gain control over her life. She feels her father won't let her control her decisions because he is the Godly figure of Nyasha’s life and with that comes respect for his choices as the patriarch of the family.
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Overall, the gender inequality in this novel was immense. But, Tambu was not afraid to speak up causing major eruptions of tension throughout characters and their beliefs. Tambu deeply explains how each women has their own struggles to live through throughout life. The book was placed in a time era where women were hardly considered for anything other than household servants for their husbands or personal maids. Yet, Tambu did not take it. She demanded an education from her parents to better herself as a women. Each woman went through a rollercoaster of emotions from happy to angry to determined. In one way or another all these women rebelled against societies expectations. Some ended well such as Maiguru, whose opinions started to be heard and Tambu who was getting an education. Whereas Nyasha had difficulty merging two cultures into one.