4.1: "A Feminist Approach to Reclaiming Sex, Sexuality, and Sensuality" By Brittany Blagburn

A Feminist Approach to Reclaiming Sex, Sexuality, and Sensuality

By Brittany Blagburn

As a public figure and well-recognized feminist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s writing during the course of her career has addressed feminist issues, if not always directly or explicitly, in both Euro-American and Nigerian societies. She touches on topics such as employment, education, and family structures. One theme that is present throughout Adichie’s body of work is sex. Her stories and novels feature characters, both male and female, interacting sexually. In her civil war novel Half of a Yellow Sun, set during the Biafran revolution, Adichie manages to reclaim sex, sexuality, and sensuality for her female characters by destigmatizing their enjoyment of those kinds of experiences. Moreover, her feminist rhetoric, articulated in her nonfiction manifestos, Dear Ijeawele, or, A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions and We Should All Be Feminists, solidifies her reclaiming of sex, sexuality, and sensuality for real women as well.

Sex is a natural and biological human action. As such, the inclusion of sex in Adichie’s writing is also a natural action. Adichie works to create authenticity in her books through her portrayal of realistic characters acting in ordinary and everyday ways: “I was determined to make my novel[s] about what I like to think of as the grittiness of being human—[...] book[s] about relationships, about people who have sex and eat food and laugh, about people who are fierce consumers of life” (“African” 50-1). At its very core, Adichie’s writing is about the human experience — of which sex is one primary, and ever-present factor. She does not stray from portraying all aspects of human life, even those that may be deemed indecent by certain audiences. By fully understanding and addressing sex and sexuality as being inherent parts of humanity, Adichie begins to break down the shame and stigma that surround these topics for cisgender and heterosexual women. One way that Adichie challenges these stigmas is through her feminist linguistics and rhetoric.

In order to create an environment free of the traditional shame and stigma attached to women’s sexuality, all parties involved must reevaluate the language used to address these topics. Adichie recognizes that she must be very intentional in the language she elects to use in her writing due to the way that language is foundational to shaping how people think about particular topics. She must actively make the decision to carefully curate the rhetoric she uses in her writing. Adiche notes that: “Language is the repository of our prejudices, our beliefs, our assumptions” (Dear Ijeawele 26). Language is essential in breaking down barriers related to sexual stigmas and creating a space for Adichie to elaborate on the ways in which sex and sexuality are interconnected with feminism. It is a key component in shaping minds and opinions. As such, Adichie intentionally works to choose language in her writing that will push back against antifeminist “prejudices,” “beliefs,” and “assumptions.” Many of the antifeminist “prejudices,” “belief,” and “assumptions” that Adichie challenges through her writing have to do with what society teaches young children about sexuality.

Society establishes stark differences in the way it expects children to learn how to view sex and their own sexuality in relation to their gender. Girls are taught modesty and restraint while their male counterparts are not. Their sexual education is not equal, which creates a collection of differences of how they are expected to conduct themselves as potentially sexually active adults. These differences result in young women having a vastly different understanding of their sexuality and how it is meant to play out in the wider world: “We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the ways boys are” (We Should All Be Feminists 32). Adichie brings attention to the way that children are educated differently about sex and sexuality in order to point out the flaws in doing so. By teaching girls differently than young boys, they are forced into societal conventions that center on them being pure and virtuous. Pushing young women into this thought process about themselves and their bodies results in the internalization of sexual shame and stigma instead of sexual empowerment and autonomy. Young women must actively seek to challenge the sexual expectations placed upon them by society in order to take charge of their own sexuality.

To challenge the idea that men and women are meant to experience their sexuality in two separate ways, Adichie introduces her readers to the twins Olanna and Kainene in Half of a Yellow Sun. They are both full owners of their sexuality from the first moment that they are introduced to readers. For the sisters, sex is much more than a procreative expectation. Even when Olanna and Odenigbo, her eventual husband, make the decision to attempt to conceive a child together, their sexuality is not pushed aside for the sole purpose of completing a task: “Afterward, she felt happy knowing that some of the sweat on her body was his and some of the sweat on his body was hers'' (Half of a Yellow Sun 136). Olanna’s pleasure is still paramount in the encounter because she chooses to actively prioritize it. She refuses to allow either herself or Odenigbo to trade sex for pleasure with sex for a biological function. In having her do this, Adichie allows Olanna to claim full ownership of sex and make her an active participant in her own sexuality regardless of the fact that she is a woman who has been taught otherwise by the society in which she lives.

Much like her sister, Kainene also exerts her own sexuality without regard for societal conventions regarding women and sex. She views it as something intrinsic and as such sees no reason to find it shameful. The approach that Kainene takes to sex and sexuality, in which she views both as being completely normal and natural, challenges existing views on the same topics as a result of her status as a woman. As a woman, she is expected to conform to societal conventions that aim to take sexual autonomy away from women and limit their own sexuality. However, Kainene asserts the right to her own sexuality and fights against the notion that as a woman her sex life is the concern of anyone other than herself, especially a man: “‘My choice of lovers is none of your business, Udodi’” (Half of a Yellow Sun 101). She chooses to combat the idea that the sexuality of a woman must be expressed in a manner that is different from that of her male counterparts. Her belief is that both men and women are entitled to be as sexually active as they wish without any interference or judgment from uninvolved outside parties. By asserting this belief in a simple and utterly convincing manner, Adichie, through Kainene, stresses the importance of this idea as well as its unrevolutionary nature. She views this as something that should be a basic sexual right for all. Kainene refuses to allow her sexuality to be something that can be defined for her by accepting all parts of it.

In claiming all aspects of their sexuality, the twins also manage to claim all aspects of sex. For Olanna, it is more than just a biological function or a source of pleasure. She utilizes it as a way to understand her emotions as well. After the death of her extended family in Kano as a result of anti-Igbo violence, Olanna turns to sex with her husband in order to process the horrific things she has seen: “She caressed his neck, buried her fingers in his dense hair, and when he slid into her, she thought about Arize’s pregnant belly, how easily it must have broken, skin stretched that taut. She started to cry'' (Half of a Yellow Sun 201). Adichie’s sexual liberation of Olanna and other female characters offers them the chance to utilize sex in a variety of ways. By claiming sex and all its facets as a woman’s inherent right, Olanna is able to use it as a moment of catharsis while in emotional crisis. Olanna can claim sex as something that belongs entirely to herself regardless of her status as a woman because Adichie’s characterization of her female characters sees them as fully realized human beings who take charge of their sexuality despite the patriarchal society in which they live. The assertion of sex and sexuality as two multifaceted parts of the lives of Adichie’s female characters is dependent on the way they link them to other parts of their life and psyche.

As seen throughout Olanna’s relationship with Odenigbo, sex can be emotionally driven and almost therapeutic when the parties take a direct and intentional role in the experience. Olanna makes the decision to link her sexuality with her mental healing process while trying to return to her life after the violent death of her extended family. She claims her sexuality in all parts of her life and does not shy away from it in her more intensely emotional moments. In her article “Sex as Synecdoche: Intimate Languages of Violence in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun and Aminatta Forna's The Memory of Love,” Zoë Norridge argues that “sexuality and awareness of suffering are intricately interlinked” (Norridge 22) and that sex “opens up a language of intimacy, a language of the body, a way of speaking about close physical and emotional contact” (Norridge 30). The sexual experiences of both twins speak to sex being utilized as a language of intimacy even in the most painful instances. They actively choose to claim it as such in order to lay claim to what belongs to them alone, not the society in which they live. In doing so, they assert their right to their own sexuality, and sexual relationships, on their own terms. Adichie gives her female characters the opportunity to process both themselves and the world around them through sex even when the greater society in which they live would frown upon such actions as a result of their status as women.

The communicative nature of sex is also something that the twins claim as their own. At the beginning of Kainene’s relationship with Richard, their attempts at physical intimacy are plagued by difficulties. The couple, despite their cultural and racial differences, builds their relationship on a foundation of physical and sexual attraction. While Richard experiences erectile dysfunction in multiple instances and is anxious as a result, Kainene remains calm and collective: “The next afternoon, Richard sat up in bed naked, looking down at Kainene. He had just failed her again. [...] ‘We’ll give it time,’ she said. ‘And there are other ways’” (Half of a Yellow Sun 85). Even though the couple’s inability to be sexually active could mark a level of nervousness or even disinterest, Kainene is comfortable enough in her sexuality and her own experiences that she simply accepts the situation that she is presented with, knowing that they will find a way to move forward together. Kainene views this sexual encounter as something that is meant to satisfy her physical needs and understands that there are other ways for Richard to please her. Her flexibility in the situation demonstrates her ability to lay claim to all her sexual experiences, even those that may stumble across problems on occasion. She realizes that in order to recognize her sexuality as something belonging to herself, she must recognize all facets of it.

Through Kainene and Richard’s sexaul encounters, the two are able to combine the elements of verbal and bodily communication that are foundational in establishing sexual equality in the relationship. While being sexually active the two are able to communicate with each other without the need for words. They are able to use sex as a common language where words fail them. In her article “The Language of Bodies: Violence and the Refusal of Judgment in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun, Susanne Hillman expands on the concept of sex as a language previously introduced by Norridge, adding that it can be used as a primary form of communication between individual: “it enables [characters] to articulate feelings that must remain unspoken” (Hillman 100). In the case of Kainene and Richard, the couple’s multiple failed attempts at being sexually intimate are able to communicate information that both parties felt could not be uttered. For Kainene, this information is the fact that she is an active participant in her sexual experiences. She does not simply allow things to happen. Instead, she takes charge of the situation and lays out a foundation for how they will proceed in the future. Even though Kainene actively attempts to lay claim to both sex and her own sexuality as a woman, she does still face a series of challenges as a result of her status as a woman in a male-dominated society.

While Adichie highlights many positive aspects of reclaiming female sexuality, she does not fail to draw attention to elements that can be considered as highlighting the fact that sexual power is unevenly experienced within the greater patriarchal society. From the very beginning of the novel, Olanna and Kainene’s elevated socioeconomic status along with the power and privilege afforded to them as a result of it is ever-present. The two women are afforded opportunities that other women are not because of their societal influence. However, even their high standing in society cannot protect them from the expectations of the world in which they live as a result of their status as young, unmarried women: “‘The benefit of being the ugly daughter is that nobody uses you as sex bait’” (Half of a Yellow Sun 44). As women, Olanna and Kainene are meant to be utilized. Their sexuality becomes something that can potentially help their family advance its interests. Whether the twins wish it or not, their bodies are not their own so long as the implication of sex is a viable opportunity for any man around them. At times, the actions of the twins demonstrate their internalization of the societal belief that as women their relationships and interactions with men are centered on sex.

Of the twins, Olanna highlights the internalization of these societal beliefs related to a woman’s sexuality in her actions. After arguing intensely with Odenigbo about his infidelity, which resulted in the conception of a child, Olanna seeks out a sexual outlet to work through her emotions regarding the situation. In what Chigbo Arthur Anyaduba describes in his article “Genocide and Hubristic Masculinity in Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun” as “an awkward act of retaliation” (Anyaduba 90), Olanna utilizes Richard to feel better about herself. When Kainene learns of the sexual interaction between her twin and her lover, she demands to know what made Olanna believe such an action would be viewed by anyone as okay: “‘Why did you do it?’ [...] ‘I don’t know Kainene, it wasn’t something I planned. I am so sorry. It was unforgivable’” (Half of a Yellow Sun 319). As a result of the teachings she received from society about the sexuality of women, Olanna formed a belief that her value was intrinsically linked to her sexual appeal. As such, when her romantic relationship was Odenigbo was in a state of uncertainty, she turned to sex with another man she had a relationship with. Her views regarding the purpose of a woman’s sexuality are tainted by the sexual expectations that were placed on her by the patriarchal society that she grew up in and is still surrounded by. Through the trials that Olanna and Kainene experience at the hands of the expectations of society, Adichie encourages her readers to acknowledge the lack of firm embodiment and theft of sexuality for women of all social classes.

Olanna and Kainene are not the only examples of the lack of bodily autonomy and limited acceptable avenues to express sexuality for women that Adichie creates in Half of a Yellow Sun. Several of Adichie’s other female characters suffer as women because of their sexuality. Even girls such as Eberechi are not free of the implications of sex and their sexuality. Eberechi is given to an army officer by her parents for sexual favors in order to secure the safety of their family (Half of a Yellow Sun 369). In Uwakwe Uchenna David’s article, “Satirized Feminism in Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah,” he discusses how through tragic sexual events such as this as well as other instances of sexual and gendered inequality, “Adichie’s themes convey the deprecation of cultural ideals as well as the morality they emphasize” (David 355). Adichie’s highlighting of the struggles that women face as a result of their status as women emphasizes her authorial desire to challenge established societal and cultural values surrounding sex and sexuality for women. These struggles that women face are not centralized to one socioeconomic group. Instead, it affects all women regardless of their station in life. However, it should be noted that less privileged, more vulnerable women are disproportionately affected by this sexual and gendered inequality when compared with women like Olanna and Kainene, who come from a wealthy background. Adichie demonstrates this imbalance not only through named female characters in whom readers have developed understanding and emotional investment, but also in unnamed female characters whose stories remain unfinished.

Through an unnamed bargirl that Olanna and Odenigbo’s houseboy Ugwu sexually assaults, female sexual suffering and exploitation are examined by Adichie. The bargirl is offered no protection from the assertion of power by Ugwu and the other boys in his unit when they are in her bar. Her vulnerable state results in the boys raping the unnamed girl regardless of any factors such as her ethnicity or status as a non-combatant. She has nothing to prevent the violent violation, nor could she do anything other than be physically present: “On the floor, the girl was still. [...] She stared back at him with a calm hate” (Half of a Yellow Sun 458).

The mere fact that the bargirl is a vulnerable female body in their presence is enough for these boys to steal her autonomy and force themselves on her. She is sexualized even though she does nothing to overtly express her sexuality other than simply existing as a woman. While Ugwu does not initiate the rape of the unnamed bargirl, Adichie’s decision to have him participate in the sexual assault demonstrates the bodily insecurity women are forced to as a result of their sexuality on a daily basis. While the unnamed girl has a story entirely her own, the sexual assault that she experiences as a result of her sexuality is something that Adichie wants readers to understand that she shares with other women, particularly the countless other women who were sexually assualted during the very war in which the novel is set, who do not have the protection and privilege awarded to members of higher socioeconomic statuses.

Ever present in Half of a Yellow Sun is the underlying theme of the sexual suffering of women, specifically women with less socioeconomic privilege. Age, race, ethnicity, and social class provide a woman little to no protection from the actions of views of men. With no assurance of being able to avoid harassment as a result of their sexuality, women, especially poor and working class women, find themselves subjected to unwanted sexual objectification and exploitation. In Augustine H. Assah’s article, “Images of Rape in African Fiction: Between the Assumed Fatality of Violence and the Cry for Justice” the reality of the suffering women face at the expense of their sexuality is explored: “Already agonized by generalized suffering and deprivation, female subjects systematically become objects of various forms of sexploitation” (Asaah 347). Women are forced to face a world where they are already disadvantaged in terms of general suffering, their suffering increases, even more, when their sexuality is added into the mix. They are trapped in male-dominated societies that will objectify and sexually exploit them whenever the opportunity arises. Adichie’s inclusion of both ends of the sexual empowerment spectrum women experience, even troubling examples of objectification, suffering, exploitation, and violence, demonstrate just how essential it is for inclusive discussions about sex and sexuality to occur. She works to begin the process of opening a feminist dialogue related to sexuality in order to encourage change in both the real world and the fictional ones she crafts.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s commitment to feminism is perceptible both in her everyday life as well as in her fiction. In her novel Half of a Yellow Sun, Adichie attempts to reclaim sex, sexuality, and sensuality for her female characters. She does this through her use of destigmatization, feminist rhetoric, as well as her own published feminist beliefs. Adichie points her readers towards the intricately woven connections between sex, power, and privilege with her twin characters, Olanna and Kainene. In highlighting these points of connection, she also accounts for the disempowerment and sexual violence that women of limited power, privilege, and social status often face by way of Eberechi and the unnamed bargirl. Olanna and Kainenen demonstrate Adichie’s attempts to reclaim sex and sexuality. Both women are sexually liberated and claim all aspects of their sexuality. As Adichie is trying to establish through her reclaiming, sexuality is something that they alone control and have ownership over. However, while the twins may be a prime example of Adichie’s attempts to reclaim sex and sexuality for women, as an author she would be remiss to end there. As such, Adichie is sure to also shine a light on the ways that sex can be weaponized against women, which is exactly what her reclaiming is meant to challenge.

Works Cited

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “African ‘Authenticity’ and the Biafran Experience.” Transition, no. 99, 2008, pp. 42–53. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20204260.

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Dear Ijeawele, or, A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions. Anchor Books, 2018.

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Half of a Yellow Sun. Anchor Books, 2007.

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. We Should All Be Feminists. Anchor Books, 2015.

Anyaduba, Chigbo Arthur. “Genocide and Hubristic Masculinity in Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun.” Research in African Literatures, vol. 50, no. 2, 2019, pp. 86–104. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2979/reseafrilite.50.2.07.

Asaah, Augustine H. “Images of Rape in AFfrican Fiction: Between the Assumed Fatality of Violence and the Cry for Justice.” Annales Aequatoria, vol. 28, 2007, pp. 333–355. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25836912.

David, Uwakwe Uchenna. "Satirized Feminism in Chimamanda Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah." Journal of Pan African Studies, vol. 12, no. 1, 2018, p. 354+. Gale Literature Resource Center.

Hillman, Susanne. “The Language of Bodies: Violence and the Refusal of Judgment in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun.” Research in African Literatures, vol. 50, no. 1, 2019, pp. 95–110. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2979/reseafrilite.50.1.06.

Norridge, Zoë. “Sex as Synecdoche: Intimate Languages of Violence in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun and Aminatta Forna's The Memory of Love.” Research in African Literatures, vol. 43, no. 2, 2012, pp. 18–39. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/reseafrilite.43.2.18.