AFRICAN PROSE
ASARE KONADU: A Woman In Her Prime
How would you describe the relationship between Kwadwo and Pokuwaa?
Kwadwo and Pokuwaa are the two major characters in the novel. They are husband and wife. Kwadwo and Pokuwaa really love each other. Theirs is a relationship based on mutual love, and the discrimination and male chauvinism which characterizes men's relationship with their female counterparts is noticeably absent. The novel presents a problem-dogged marriage in a positive way.
The plot of the novel revolves around Pokuwaa's failure to conceive. Normally, one would have expected Kwadwo to have focused attention on his child-bearing wife. Under normal circumstances, Kwadwo given what traditional society has come to accept as. the "normal" behaviour of a man to his wife, would have complained endlessly or even proceeded to break up with Pokuwaa. This, however, is not the case. Rather, Kwadwo stands by Pokuwaa in her hour of distress, encouraging her to keep hoping that one day she will be able to bear children.
Kwadwo demonstrates his love for Pokuwaa on many occasions. He is waiting to accompany Pokuwaa to the shrine of Tano after she has chased and recovered her sacrificial hen. He even offers, to her surprise, to spend the whole week with her while she is performing her purification rites. This indicates his dedication to her and his wish to see her living a fulfilled life. He is even prepared to lie to her about his wife's reaction to his intention to spend a whole week with Pokuwaa in order to put her mind at rest.
When Pokuwaa suffers a miscarriage Kwadwo does not fret as one might have expected. Rather, he comforts her, trying to keep her mind focused on the possibility that she will have another pregnancy. He always keeps at the back of his mind that Pokuwaa's two earlier marriages have been dissolved owing to her failure to bear children. Because of his love for her, he is determined that their marriage will last. He takes good care of Pokuwaa. He tends her farm and helps carry out her daily chores without complaining. Kwadwo's love for Pokuwaa is reciprocated. She wishes to spend all her time with him. She wants to bear a child to make both of them happy. She appreciates his every effort and through all her pain allows herself to be consoled by Kwadwo. In the end, their love sees them through their days of anguish. Pokuwaa is able to conceive and husband and wife look forward to a life of fulfilled hopes and dreams.
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