Oppression Of Women In Bessie Heads The Collector Of...

Despite the seemingly absolute oppression of women by men in the Botswana culture depicted in Bessie Head’s â€Å"The Collector of Treasures,† Kenalepe, a female character, exposes the inadequacy of the oppression mechanism as a means to completely oppress women when she circumvents this complex when she attempts to lend her husband, Paul, to her friend Dikeledi for sexual favors. However, the text argues that this maneuvering around the system in order to achieve a level of power can only be achieved when women emulate male societal roles. This loophole to attain agency, which contradicts the societal norms, undermines the success of the overall mechanism of oppression of women since Kenalepe is able to take on a role that mirrors that of a†¦show more content†¦Therefore, the shock of the situation hinges on the fact that Kenalepe is the one doing this loaning, emulating a male pimp offering off his prostitutes. By offering her husband, it can be inferred that she controls some ownership over Paul because she is able to make the offer without consulting him. In this supposed ownership of her husband, Kenalepe uses a similar tool that men use in order to oppress women when she reduces him to a form of property. Here, she takes on a role that would traditionally be taken on by a man in order to assume a degree of power to help out her friend’s sexual needs. Although one may argue that it will ultimately be Paul’s decision to agree to the proposal, just the fact that Kenalepe takes the step to make the proposal in the first place reveals a strive on her part to take on power, especially since she does so by acting as a male would in the situation. In this example, the text lays the groundwork for arguing that the only way for Kenalepe to gain a form of power is by taking on a male role when she assumes ownership of her husband. After Kenalepe makes the offer, her demanding tone and relentless speaking silences Dikeledi’ s own feelings on the proposal in a similar fashion to how a male would impose his opinion over a woman’s opinion. As she tells her friend about the offer, Kenalepe does not give Dikeledi a chance to