Nervous Conditions

Dangarembgas use of narrative point of view

how does Dangarembgas use of narrative point of view highlights Tambudzai's changing attitudes towards her family, traditional stead of life and her western education as well as her homestead?

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The book is written in first person, largely limited to Tambu's point of view. The limited view is not really a hindrance in this case because the story is actually about Tambu's life, observations and thoughts. There seem to be some minor exceptions. For example, she talks of Lucia's relationship with her father, saying that her father had not had sex with Lucia until after Lucia was pregnant and that Lucia had declared that her unborn child had been fathered by Jeremiah because she knew her lover, Takesure, couldn't afford to support the two wives he already had, let alone another. There's really no way that Tambu could have known these things, but she presents them as fact, not speculation on her part.

The fact that she decides what to write about gives the story a somewhat disjointed feel in some sections. For example, she talks of Nhamo's reluctance to return to the homestead after he had gone away to school. She says that he seldom returned, even for school holidays and that he was lazy and did few chores when he did come home. However, she doesn't say anything about her usual practice in this regard. It's noted that she does go back at least sometimes because she mentions that her mother gave her rags for her menstrual cycle along with instructions about that event. There is also a description of Christmas spent at the homestead, but not of any visits by Tambu on her own. There's no indication how often she goes home, whether she takes the bus (which Nahmo had hated) or what her relationship and duties were once she arrived.