The ending of Nervous Conditions was very interesting. One topic that I found to be particularly of note was the presence of the westerners. It is clear from Nyasha's state at the end of the book that the presence of western thought has not necessarily been kind to her. I wonder if that in the long run Tambu will regret the western influence on her or be proud of being a combination of Africa and the west. It seems like for the most part she was unhappy when she was subordinate to men, which was the case early in the book, but is that better than the anorexia and mental unstableness of Nyasha?
I was also wondering about the character of Babamukuru. Is he a good, noble character or is a sort of antagonist? He displays many interesting qualities, and seems to be a combination of a hard working, more native man and a christianity influenced character. I wonder what his presence may be for Tambu, as it has evidently been somewhat alienating towards Maiguru and Nyasha. I also find Chido's role in the novel very interesting. As a man in the family I thought it funny that he would leave with Miaguru. I also thought it was interesting when Babamukuru said that "there can only be one man in this house" it was to Nayasha instead of Chido. The perspective of the novel has been extraordinarily female, without much emphasis on characters like Chido.
I wonder whether or not Tambu will be happy in life or end uplike Maiaguru. At this point Tambu is a well educated woman from Africa, much like Tambu. I am left wondering if it is socially acceptable to be this way where she is. In the west, Tambu may feel alienated from her culture, family, and history. In Africa, she may be repressed to traditional roles of a woman and be unable to use her education. I wonder which one she prefers. Based on her reaction to her parents christian wedding, I would be surprised if she prefers the western life
"But about my escape and Lucia's: about my mother's and Maiguru's entrapment: and about Nyasha's rebellion - Nyasha, fair-minded and isolated, my uncle's daughter, whose rebellion may not in the end have been successful."
Who then is central? Why is there a lack of male perspective? Is this a purely female novel? Who isn't dealing with entrapment?
Is TFA purely a male novel because the main characters are men? (This question logically follows your question about NC. Students tend to read far more books over the years by and about men. Perhaps books by and about both men and women could/should be read by all in order to study human experience.)
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