SOME LIMITATIONS OF FEMINISM IN AMMA DARKO’S FACELESS (2003): Critical Analysis through Mood and Modality

Description

This paper analyzes Amma Darko’s Faceless (2003) using the interpersonal metafunction of language, focusing on gender relations and feminist ideology through Mood and Modality. It examines how interpersonal interactions in the novel maintain relationships within a feminist framework, while uncovering the hidden limitations of Darko’s feminist stance. While Darko advocates for women’s rights, the analysis reveals that women also contribute to their own suffering in complex ways.
Darko’s feminist ideology, termed “Darkoism,” criticizes traditional feminism by addressing internal contradictions within the female gender. Though women in the novel are victims of male oppression, they also engage in harmful behaviors like selfishness, exploitation, and complicity in abusive systems. Darko’s female characters, ranging from protagonists to secondary and tertiary figures, reflect different aspects of women’s struggles in Ghana and Africa more broadly.
The paper examines three extracts from Faceless, using Mood and Modality to uncover deeper meanings.