THE REPRESENTATION OF WOMAN AND WOMANHOOD IN CHINELO OKPARANTA'S UNDER THE UDALA TREES

In African society, patriarchal norms continue to define women’s roles, limit their agency, and shape their lived realities. Existing studies on Okparanta’s Under the Udala Trees focused on gender identities, post-colonialism, lesbianism, Christianity, homophobia, desire, and tradition; little attention has been given to the representation of woman and womanhood in the novel. This study was designed to fill this gap with the aim of examining how womanhood is portrayed in the novel; analysing its complexities, exploring the role of community in shaping women’s identity, and evaluating women’s resistance to patriarchy. This study adopts Womanism as its theoretical framework because it centres on Black women’s unique struggles within patriarchal societies. A qualitative research method was used to explore thematic representations in Chinelo Okparanta’s Under the Udala Trees the text was subjected to literary analysis. The study reveals that the novel portrays the complexities of womanhood by showing how women navigate patriarchal constraints through resilience and agency. Societal expectations tied to marriage, motherhood, and economic survival limit women’s choices, yet they assert individuality. The novel shows women valued for their ability to bear children, especially sons, and confined to roles of silence and service. Familial relationships emerge as both nurturing and repressive, where mothers transmit love but also reinforce rigid norms. The community provides support but simultaneously sustains oppressive structures. Despite these challenges, women employ strategies of resistance emotional bonds, courageous choices, and quiet defiance to reclaim their voices. The study concludes that the novel portrays womanhood as a dynamic struggle against patriarchy. Keywords: Woman, Womanhood, Under the Udala Trees, Patriarchy, Womanism. Word Count: 252 words.