This is a study of different kinds of power and inequality in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia at that time) during the 60´s and 70’s. The most obvious kind of power investigated is indigenous patriarchy, which might cause oppression on the basis of class, age and gender, but I am also focusing on colonial power and the characters dilemma of adjustment caused by it, such as, the quandary of deciding what to keep from the Zimbabwean tradition and what Western norms to adopt. Since Zimbabwe was colonised by Great Britain and one of the main issues in Nervous Conditions is patriarchal hegemony and the women’s attempt to escape it, my approach to the novel is from a postcolonial feminist criticism point of view. The female characters try to manage in different ways, although they are not content in the traditional position. Most of the time they choose security over self, which is not a satisfying way of living (and not very secure either). By examining the novel and the different characters it becomes clear that changes like, for example, emancipation and education is fundamental, and that the changes, although they cause confusion and nervous conditions, initiate development and self-respect.

This is a study of different kinds of power and inequality in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia at that time) during the 60´s and 70’s. The most obvious kind of power investigated is indigenous patriarchy, which might cause oppression on the basis of class, age and gender, but I am also focusing on colonial power and the characters dilemma of adjustment caused by it, such as, the quandary of deciding what to keep from the Zimbabwean tradition and what Western norms to adopt. _x000B__x000B_Since Zimbabwe was colonised by Great Britain and one of the main issues in Nervous Conditions is patriarchal hegemony and the women’s attempt to escape it, my approach to the novel is from a postcolonial feminist criticism point of view. The female characters try to manage in different ways, although they are not content in the traditional position. Most of the time they choose security over self, which is not a satisfying way of living (and not very secure either). By examining the novel and the different characters it becomes clear that changes like, for example, emancipation and education is fundamental, and that the changes, although they cause confusion and nervous conditions, initiate development and self-respect.