In "Efuru", Flora Nwapa put a lot of emphasis in marriage and procreation. Both of these aspects are indispensable in creating new family units and in increasing the population of the family or lineage. Nwapa is reflecting, in "Efuru", the situation, as it exists in her society. Children are greatly valued in "Efuru". Each marriage is expected to produce many siblings, both male and female (with preference for a male).In Igbo culture, the most important reason for marriage is procreation. Even in marriages where love is the main attraction that brings couples together, the desire to have children is always the ultimate goal. This is the reason why most marriages, including those that are built on affection, crumble or are seriously threatened when they are not blessed with children. Why do everyday Igbo woman, whether married or unmarried, have a strong desire to have a child?The concern with procreation is not limited to the marriage couple. It is their relatives, friends, and neighbors who first express these concerns when the woman has not become pregnant. A year after their first marriage, Efuru and Adizua (in her first marriage)-and she and Eneberi (in her second marriage)-are still enjoying new and fresh marital life when gossip spreads about Efuru's barrenness, among her female neighbors, as anxious gossips are made over the fact that she has not had any children:'Seeing them together is not the important thing,'another said. 'The important thing is that nothinghas happened since the happy marriage. We are not going to eat happy marriage. Marriage must be fruit-ful. Of what use is it if it is not fruitful. Of what useis it if your husband licks your body, worships youand buys everything in the market for you and you are not productive?'(137)An important role that women play in the family is the upbringing and nurturing of children. This role limits, confines, and domesticates women. It also distracts women from achieving higher...
