The Nation, its Struggle and Perceptions of the Ethnic Novel in Helon Habila
Abstract
Literature continues to retain the gaze of its spectators with regard to its social value, as not just creation but as representation, in its mimetic quality. It is under this aegis that it addresses the problem of this paper. A treatise on the state of the nation in most parts of the globe would be incomplete without mention of the postcolonial discourse as the effects of decisions from colonial times are continuously perpetuated. Nations have proceeded to polemicize continuously, the notion of nationhood and its sustenance. The question of how best to cohere this unity and develop as a nation has continued to plague many societies. This paper will thus expound on the challenges faced in the quest for sustenance of nationhood by the societies in the novels of Helon Habila. In this course, an explication of the causes, nature and effects which the lack or achievement of this nationhood has on the societies will be made. The features of the texts which indicate their uniqueness as ethnic novels will also be highlighted. Consequently, the paper will take as its objects of study: Waiting for an Angel, Measuring Time and Oil on Water.References
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