Jeff Tibbetts
The Ideal Woman: Beatrice’s Agency Examined
When Chinua Achebe set out to write Anthills of the Savannah, he must have had the criticism of Juliana Nfah-Abbenyi and Florence Stratton in mind. He does attempt to address certain gender issues in the novel, and he is arguably successful up to a point in refuting some of the criticism directed at his earlier work. Achebe’s vision gets blurry on a few points, however, and he falls back into traps that reduce the impact of his semi-feminist message: among other things he limits the agency of female characters, often relegates women to their prescribed roles, and applies a formula that places women in the “last resort savior” role. . For the purpose of brevity and focus I will concentrate on the issue of female agency in the novel, as illustrated by Beatrice.
Beatrice’s complicated relationship with Chris is, on the surface, a fairly egalitarian bond that is mediated by respect by both parties. Upon examination this conclusion does not hold up, Beatrice acts in a manner that is sanctioned by Chris’s beliefs about what he wants in a relationship. Chris, in describing Beatrice’s somewhat reserved sex drive, says “she had a style and above all a pace that I decided from the very beginning to respect” (57). Chris’s attitude regarding her sexuality reveals that, while Beatrice seems progressive and a free-thinking woman, Chris chooses to let her act that way because it pleases him to feel that he is with someone so modern. He describes her as very, very strong on one hand, but then he reminds the reader that he considers her incredible because “her demands were never such as to break a man’s back” (62). Chris enjoys being with a strong woman, as long as she is willing to consider his needs and refrain from doing things that she believes he will not like. This is not a very open relationship in the sense that there is a lot of give and take between the two of them. Beatrice seems quite satisfied to do what Chris likes and this includes using her strength that he admires so much when he feels it is appropriate. Beatrice, while seeming to exhibit some agency in regards to her control of her own sexuality, is actually acting in a manner that is very much in line with what is expected of her.
An important moment to examine through the lens of a search for agency is the party scene at Sam’s palace. Ikem says early in the novel: “they are their own worst enemy, women are” (34). Ikem’s prophecy regarding women is referenced when Beatrice meets the American journalist at Sam’s party. Beatrice’s agency is compromised by Sam, who places her in a position that propels her into competition with another woman for the attentions of “the sacred symbol of [her] nation’s pride” (74). While she appears to show some agency by ultimately not sleeping with Sam, this is compromised by the fact that Sam actually walks away from her. Beatrice comes through without giving up her moral high ground, but in the reader’s eyes her dignity is certainly cast into question because she seriously entertains the idea of sleeping with Sam. Because Sam engineered this situation by inviting Beatrice to the party and encouraging her to compete with the journalist, it would seem that men are women’s worst enemies, and women are still being acted upon far more often then they are given the opportunity to act.
Beatrice appears to show some real intellectual agency when she has an epiphanic moment regarding her servant girl, Agatha. Upon closer reading, her thoughts are revealed as being inspired and informed by Ikem. She makes this clear by saying “Ikem! He was, had to be, at the root of these unusual musings!” (169). Beatrice’s turning point in the novel is not even credited to her own rationality, logic, or reasoning ability. Ikem’s ethereal voice even comes into Beatrice’s mind, reminding her that “it is now up to [women] to tell us what has to be done” (169), and the irony of this statement is that the women rarely do get a chance to say what is to be done in this story. By establishing Ikem’s stance that the future depends on calling upon women’s agency, Achebe opens his work up to close scrutiny on this point, and the work appears to be lacking authenticity and confidence in its own message.
Chinua Achebe made a solid attempt to create a novel that addressed the disapproval leveled against his earlier work by feminist critics when he wrote Anthills of the Savannah. Unfortunately, his hand proved to be too heavy, opening this story to even further criticism. The treatment of Beatrice’s character is too flawed to be regarded as a victory for the feminist ideology because she lacks real agency. All too often, Beatrice is filling a role that is circumscribed by men. There is little indication that she could break out of this situation and truly carve out her own path. Beatrice’s most important thoughts are also shown to be inspired by men, reducing her own intellectual powers to the level of a disciple of more brilliant pioneers. As hard as Achebe tried to create a strong female character, he still fell into the trap of making her too dependent upon important and powerful men.
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