Tansian University Journal of Arts, Management & Social Sciences

Perhaps, one of the most enigmatic metaphors ever contrived by mankind is that of the phoenix. The phoenix, a fascinating and intriguing concept in classical mythology is still very valid in literature today. It refers to a legendary, long-lived, larger-than-life bird that regenerates itself in a combustive and/or composting cycle from whose ashes or compost it attains a rebirth and lives all over again. Thus, the phoenix factor would be a referent to the innate abilities of women generally or in our case, the female characters in Bessie Head’s A Question of Power (1974) and George Lamming’s Natives of My Person (1972) to go through the torment of their socio-historical and psychological existentialism and emerged strengthened in a personal victory and as a beacon of hope for mankind. Indeed, placed against the actions and reactions of male characters and the social upheavals they face, the female characters in these works essentially assume the messianic figure at the end of their tales. This paper focuses on Head’s and Lamming’s portrayal of their female characters’ (up) rising from a state of defeat and anguish to that of victory and mirthfulness. Thus, this paper argues that the phoenix metaphor encapsulates the journey of female characters in A Question of Power and Natives of My Person, illustrating their capacity for resilience, rebirth, and triumph amidst profound trauma.

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