Literary Representation of the Effects of Betrayal in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Zikora: A Short Story”

Abstract

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Zikora: A Short Story” (2020) has been studied from many perspectives; single motherhood, maternal mortality, femininity, polygamy, sexism, etc, but little or no research has been done on the impact of betrayal on the protagonist, Zikora, mother. This study, therefore, is on the effects of betrayal, occasioned by discriminating against African values, on the emotions and psyche of Zikora’s mother. Employing the method of close reading of the studied text, the study aims to highlight instances where injustice is done to Zikora's mother due to the dictates of her culture. The study draws on betrayal trauma theory to provide the basis for interrogating emotional hurts caused by trusted persons or institutions. The theory helps to identify and explore how she navigates the emotional spaces of intimacy and betrayal in which her culture occludes her voice and experience. The study concludes that Zikora's mother is made to live through hurt and betrayal and still maintain her relationship with those who betrayed her because her culture expects so from her.