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This discussion of the representation of child deprivation in contemporary African fiction involves the following three novels (in alphabetical order): Paradise (Abdulrazak Gurnah, Tanzania 1994), Purple Hibiscus (Chimamanda Adichie, Nigeria 2006), and The Rock Alphabet (Henrietta Rose-Innes, South Africa 2004). l As the countries of origin of the selected writers indicate, I have sought to reflect the diversity of African cultures as far as possible. For the purpose of discussion the texts are distinguished in terms of relevant parental factors as follows:
No parents: The Rock Alphabet
Foster parents: Paradise
Abusive parent (the father in this case): The Purple Hibiscus.2
Madeline Hron, in her article on Purple Hibiscus, "The Figure of the Child in Third-Generation Nigerian Novels," refers to the tendency towards "reductionism and infantilization" (28) in reviews of such novels: texts with child protagonists like Purple Hibiscus are often dismissed by reviewers as "children's novels" or "high school fiction." Such a tendency could not be further from my purpose here, since I wish to invite serious adult attention to the plight of children as represented in the selected novels.
Underlying my discussion of each text are a number of relevant concerns. To begin with, the kinds of deprivation suffered by the fictional child characters are clarified and gender is taken into account. Ways in which the child's self-concept changes in relation to the stages of deprivation are considered, together with tendencies towards self-esteem or self-loathing. On the one hand, I ask how far negative feelings impair identity formation. On the other, I note the children's resilience and quest for survival, and ways in which their self-concept is involved in this process. Questions inevitably arise regarding the child's relationship with the person who caused the deprivation, or is associated with it, and how such relationships affect identity. From another perspective, I consider the extent to which these children are able to experience sympathy for others in the midst of deprivation, and to what extent such experience might become an enabling factor in their development. Attention is also given to the children's chosen forms of comfort or compensation for their deprivation, together with possible instances of violence, betrayal, and vengefulness on their part. Finally, I draw attention to the achievements and degree of freedom that the...