Wealth And Tradition In Woman From America

Wealth and Tradition in “Woman from America”

In Bessie Head’s short story “Woman from America,” the speaker acts merely as a voice for the community to which she belongs in, both sharply contrasting the aforementioned woman in socio-economic class and obedience to authority. With no description of the narrator and an explanation of the community setting only in relation to the woman, Head emphasizes the woman from America as the focal point of this narrative. Rather than serving a significant meaning as perhaps a foil, the speaker’s only purpose lies in voicing the community’s collective thoughts. Indeed the speaker’s unnamed status also affirms the speaker as purely another member of the larger community. In addition, throughout the