In her feminist novel So Long a Letter, Mariama Ba uses the protagonist of Ramatoulaye and her close friend Aissatou, in order to convey her messages of criticism of culture and religion and, therefore, its implications on society and on women in particular. While Ramatoulaye is portrayed as a conservative feminist, the recipient of her letter, Aissatou, is presented as a radical feminist and this is evident in the way she responds to the situations in which she finds herself. As a conservative feminist, the expectation would be not to question decisions in depth, but rather to take a less hands-on approach and not act against the boundaries that have been set for them . On the other hand, a radical feminist is one who steps out of their "comfort zone" and approaches situations in a strict manner, not tolerating any form of injustice towards them and is often characterized as people who act thoughtlessly or those who act “according to their emotions”. Faced with similar challenges, we see Aissatou react by making the opposite choice in a more independent way by undertaking the unexpected for a woman in this society during the postcolonial period while Ramatoulaye, in a more orthodox way, remains content, content and does compromises, against the desires of his heart, in the name of respect for culture and maintaining union with religion as it is presented to him. This essay aims to examine the effectiveness of Ba's use of juxtaposition and parallelism, to discover the extent to which her message that feminism is an enriching method of escaping the chains of culture and religion imposed on women , and that feminism is the way forward for African women in the novel were successfully presented to its audience to achieve its intention: to say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Ba introduces Ramatoulaye's nature in the early stages of the novel, in order to introduce the conservative feminist. From the beginning, she tells us of Ramatoulaye's docile and submissive character, where faced with her emotions, she refuses to react due to her anger, where she is visibly uncomfortable and does not appreciate the presence of her co-wife in his home and in his life as a whole. When we see Ba ​​writes “The presence of my co-wife irritates me. It was installed at my home for the funeral, in accordance with tradition. This quote shows the strong repercussions that culture has brought to the women of Senegal through the writer's choice of words. The word "installed" refers to an object that has been forcefully placed or fixed somewhere, thereby dehumanizing Binetou and implicitly questioning Modou's reasons for marrying her, while informing the audience of Ramatoulaye's contempt for his co- wife – Binetou. However, although she expressed her dismay, she does nothing to protest, but instead endures, familiarizing the audience with the true nature of the conservative feminist. The actions of her friend Aissatou, which constitute a significant statement of the character, are used to convey Aissatou's radical feminist nature. When Aissatou, against all odds, defies the cultural expectations of women in a society where – as Seynabou says – “…a woman does not need much education…” and continues her studies after leaving her marriage, to eventually earning a job at school. embassy. We note her persistent nature in advancing radical feminism in this society, going against the cultural expectation to remain docile and submit tomen. The unexpected nature of this decision is reflected in Ramatoulaye's reaction. “You had the surprising courage to take life into your own hands. » The use of the word “surprising” shows the unknown nature of the decision. “They made you improve. Which company turned you down. This shows the troublesome characteristics of the Senegalese culture and the detrimental effect it has had on the lives of women in this society. Through the quote “the first quality of a woman is docility”, we see society's lack of respect for the social progression of women. So, it was out of the ordinary for Aïssatou to succeed, let alone do it the way she did. Once again, Aissatou buys a Fiat 125 for her best friend Ramatoulaye when she mentions her difficulties with public transport. These exploits show her persistent and independent character, traits often characterized by radical feminists. Criticism from many people, including Mawdo and Modou's mother, who thought that "...a goldsmith's daughter had no heart." only pushed Aïssatou to change the norm. Ba's vivid descriptions and focus on Aissatou's actions as persistent, thorough and determined, portray her as a role model for Ramatoulaye, a feminist in her own right, as a metaphor for representing feminism and the reward it can bring to women by allowing them to emancipate themselves. the servitudes of culture. The two sides of feminism and their respective "representatives" are juxtaposed and examined to depict the most fruitful when their two husbands, Mawdo and Modou, remarry in these relationships, and the exercise of the traditional practice of polygamy provokes by the following emotions. of anger in the two women as it is sufficiently represented to the public. Ramatoulaye perseveres and manages to overcome his tattered marriage despite his dislike for his married co-wife and the disoriented contact between Ramatoulaye and Modou. Ramatoulaye's discomfort was no secret and she "...cried every day..." in despair and despite her children's calls to divorce Modou and "do what Aunt Aissatou did", she remains in the marriage where her love for her husband has not faded, however. , his for her, has disappeared. Aissatou, during Mawdo's marriage to the young Nabou, even in despair, decided to leave this marriage which she considered not beneficial to her well-being because it brought sadness, even if Mawdo "still loved her". These scenarios depict the burden that polygamous relationships – an important aspect of Senegalese culture and Islamic religion – placed on women, to the point of linking Ramatoulaye to this “toxic” marriage. Aïssatou's reaction, however, was that of a strong and empowered woman, in that she found solace in books and immersed herself fully in them to deepen her knowledge, ultimately overcoming her despair, much more quickly than Ramatoulaye. This statement from Aïssatou challenges the aforementioned idea that “…a woman does not need much education.” The storyline shows the difference between the two types of feminism, showing that feminism was an enriching method of dealing with the issues women face and that although radical feminism yielded faster results than conservative feminism, ultimately Ultimately, both women are finally freed from the injury they suffer from and are able to move forward and overcome challenges. This is effective in showing the collaboration of women in feminism as a whole to achieve a common goal, and in showing that feminism is the path to an egalitarian society where men are no longer placed above women..