Nervous Conditions

Discuss how in Nyasha's identity in Nervous Conditions has been shaped.

Discuss how in Nyasha's identity in Nervous Conditions has been shaped by the Colonial experience, significant incidents from novel.

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Nyasha's indentity has been shaped by exposure to the Western world. She is educated in England, free from the gender constraints of her homeland, and thus, has been afforded a freedom Tambu cannot understand. When she returns to Rhodesia, Nyasha is like a fish out of water. She doesn't speak the language, dresses differently, and acts condescendingly. Nyasha has been raised as a free spirit.... traditions are antiquated. Friends are nonexistent, as her new classmates isolate because in their eyes, "she thinks she is white." Ultimately, Nyasha's separation leads to her "nervous condition" and bout with anorexia. She cannot handle the changes, something that is blamed on her "Englishness".

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Nervous Conditions