1.2. Monologues
The word monologue comes from the Greek `monologos' which
means `speaking alone'. The Collins English Dictionary (fifth edition,
2000) as for it defines the monologue as:
«A literary attempt to present the mental processes
of a character before they are formed into regular patterns of speech, or
logical sequence».
In other terms, it is a speech made by one individual
expressing aloud his thoughts alone. A monologue can be expressed by the speech
during which a character speaks about a real or imagined audience, and
unconsciously reveals his or her character at the same time. We have inserted
this sub-section in the section related to dialogism because within a monologue
conceals a constant dialogue between a character and himself so as to reveal
his inner thoughts, or the speakers and the virtual interlocutor or reader,
bearer of certain expectations what he wants to satisfy or disappoint. Thus, in
The Slave Girl Buchi Emecheta uses different kinds of monologues in
which «a character is alone on the stage to attract the readers'
attention». But we are going to deal with only two of them found in this
novel: soliloquy and the interior monologue,
Soliloquy is in fact a kind of monologue during which
the addresser is speaking once alone, especially when used as a
theatrical device that allows a character's thoughts and ideas to be conveyed
to the audience. The dictionary `Le Petit Robert (1996) defines it as follows:
«Le soliloque est un discours d'une personne qui, en
compagnie, est seule à parler ou semble ne parler que pour
elle.»
Actually, monologues stating soliloquy are characterized by
the fact that the speaker is among other people but he manages to converse to
himself. That is the case of Ojebeta's cries when thinking about her dead
mother: «Oh, my mother, I am lost.» «Save me,
Mother, I for now I am lost» (Buchi, 1977: 59). Evidently, this
monologue is a soliloquy because the addresser is in fact speaking to himself
amongst other people to express her sorrow or emotions.
In likewise manner, soliloquy is also obvious in the passage
below:
«If I can't find him, my big brother», she said
to herself as she run, «I shall go back to Ibuza to the hut of my big
mother and wait for him. (Buchi, 1977: 57)
This monologue implies Ojebeta's obligation to find her
brother and her plan to go back to her village. Here she is speaking alone to
himself among other people. Thus, it connotes brotherly or fraternal love. In
fact, this passage comprises the narrator's comments «she said to herself
as she run».
Additionally, soliloquy produces the immense effects in order
to communicate or express some of the individual opinions as well as emotions
of characters without resorting to first personal narration. In this respect,
Ukwueku's thought is very illustrative:
«So she has at last decided to stay with us, this
regular visitor who has been visiting for a long time. Ogbanje Ojebeta: that
will be her name, even though it is not very decorative. Only let
live....» Okwuekwu communicated with himself as he took the court to his
compound by the Eke market. (Buchi Emecheta, 1977: 19)
As can be read from this monologue, Ukwuekwu is speaking to
himself along with other people to express his thoughts. From the above
monologue, what helps us to imagine that it is a soliloquy is the narrator's
commentary «communicated with herself». The passage of this soliloquy
is expressed in two tenses: the present perfect (simple and continuous) and the
simple future. The future in this sentence implies the speaker's plan. As a
matter of fact, we can assert that this soliloquy involves a hope and a wish of
the addresser not to lose his daughter anymore.
After the brief examination of soliloquy, it is important to
deal with the interior monologue. The French writer Edouard Dujardin (1931:56)
gives the following definition:
«Le monologue intérieur est [...] le discours
sans auditeur et non prononcé, par lequel un personnage exprime sa
pensée la plus intime, la plus proche de l'inconscient,
antérieurement à toute organisation logique, c'est-à-dire
en son état naissant, par le moyen de phrases directes réduites
au minimum syntaxial, de façon à donner l'impression du tout
venant.»
As it can be read in this quotation, the interior monologue is
a literary technique which consists of expressing the character's interior
viewpoints without putting out a word. This describes «the stream of
thoughts that run through our heads when we are alone» (Richardson, 1967:
97). Buchi Emecheta's The Slave Girl is fraught with interior
monologues.
In the interior monologue, the reader is psychologically put
in the character's mind and becomes finally as the narrator. It is branded by
the character's' disorganized and uncontrolled thoughts that suddenly appears.
In fact, the interior monologue plays an important role in the renewal of the
twentieth century novel. Actually, the interior monologue in The Slave
Girl is introduced by verbs expressing the inner thought: `to think', and
sometimes with verbs attached with the adverbial particle like `to say to
himself'. During the Onitsha inhabitants' meeting about the regulations the
white men were trying to introduce, Pa Palagada is accused of being friend of
the white men. As a result, he is furious and decides to go back home. On his
way back, Pa Palagada's mind lets itself go through speculations. He uses the
monologue to express his indignation:
«If we kill them and they go who will trade with us
then they will take all our possessions from us, so why can't we reason with
them? Accusing my wife and me of going to their church and drinking tea in the
afternoons! What has that to do with it anyway? It's jealous. Just because you
are getting on well, getting rich, they think because we go to the C.M.S.
church....» So run Pa Palagada's thoughts on his way home. [...].
«I wish these stupid white men would not ask our
women to pay tax», he thought by way of compromise. «That will be
worse the whole issue.» (Buchi, 1977: 122)
Actually, the above passage is an interior monologue. It is
recognized through the use of the verb «thought» introduced by the
narrator. It is interesting to note that this interior monologue is expressed
in the direct speech. The verbs of this monologue are mainly conjugated in
conditional tense to demonstrate the speaker's wish and regret. Yet, it refers
to the beginning of the revolt against the white men's authority. Besides, it
implies dilemma of Pa Palagada to kill white men or not.
Likely, the interior monologue is also observed throughout
these lines:
So he bought them for me, Ojebeta thought, and that woman
wanted me to think that it was her own idea - as if a woman like that would
ever give anything to anybody.
This passage is an interior monologue because it is introduced
by the verb «thought». In this monologue, we remark the use of the
third personal pronoun «he», the first personal «me», and
the possessive «her». Indeed, «me» refers to the
monologist, «he» here to Clifford, the one who `bought the
earnings»; and finally «her» refers to the person whom the
monologue is oriented to - Miss Victoria -.
Moreover, what is important to note from this monologue is
that the verbs are conjugated in the past tense as if it is the narrator's
report. In fact, this interior monologue reveals, thus, Miss Victoria's
behaviour and implies Ojebeta's expressivity or feelings. Talking about bells
and charms, Okolie thinks of the importance of them that he thought that
Ojebeta must wear them until they reach Onitsha Village were she is sensed to
be sold. So, the following passage is the case at issue:
«Suppose anything should happen to her», he
thought. «They would say that I kill her. No, let her wear them until I
get her into the house of a master.» (Buchi Emecheta, 1977: 46)
This sequence is really an interior monologue. We recognize it
once more by the narrator's use of the verb «thought». It is
characterized by the use of conditional tense. Besides, this interior monologue
comprises the personal pronouns her which refers to Ojebeta, and her referring
to the speaker, Okolie.
This monologue, in fact, implies the importance of traditional
virtue linked to symbols. In other way, it involves the fact of being careful
in advance in order to prevent Ojebeta from the woe.
To conclude this section, we have to admit that there is a
match between characters and the quality of their speeches. Dialogues and
monologues are of great help to grasp their inner feelings so as to picture
their introspection. Accordingly, The Slave Girl provides readers
with character's insight found in many African works of literature. All this is
tightly connected to oral traditions.
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