Proposal

 Bounded Women

 Ama Ata Aidoo’s No Sweetness Here consists of a multitude of short stories that illuminate the set boundaries on a woman’s potential. Due to the patriarchal society in these stories, it is very difficult for a woman to seek a success of her own. Therefore, a woman has to rely on the success of her husband and sons in order to attain some form of status in her community. In “ Something to Talk About on the Way to the Funeral”  Auntie Araba leads a life of character and hard work ,however,  society does not give any validity to the success of women and judges her solely on the actions of her troubled son.  In “Two Sisters”, Mercy is so disillusioned with the opportunities a woman can attain on her own that she does not seek out her own success but instead engages in relationships with powerful men. Lastly, in “No Sweetness Here” Maami Ama works hard for everything that she is given, however, society deems it unlikely that her hard work is what produces her lifestyle and constantly sides with her abusive husband.

In my paper I show the symbiotic relationship between woman and man and demonstrate how that relationship bounds a woman’s potential. Women become enslaved to men as they never seek out their own success but live vicariously through that of their men . By seeking success through that of their sons or husbands they never learn to be self-sufficient and become second class citizens. Therefore, until women are allowed to attain a form of success of their own they will never be equal with men and will be unable to break through the boundaries set on them.