INTERROGATING MASCULINITY IN FEMINIST FICTION: A STUDY OF MALE REPRESENTATION IN CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S DREAM COUNT (2025)

Abstract

Feminist writers and critics have consistently engaged with and condemned toxic masculinity, a theme frequently reinforced through the character sketches of the male figures and their devastating behavioural effects on women. The general contention in most feminist discourse is that man is the archenemy of woman, a binary opposition that has generated an unending debate in gender studies. Unarguably, we live in a world that valorises patriarchy, where men's perspectives typically dominate. However, Adichie’s men particularly in Dream Count (2025) are primarily depicted through the restricted lens of the female characters, creating a single-narrative fixated on masculine flaws. This study adopts a qualitative methodology, drawing on Afro feminisms as its theoretical framework, to examine masculinity and the portrayal of male characters in Chimamanda Adichie’s Dream Count (2025). The study agrees that men exhibit the full spectrum of masculine toxicity, but also contends that feminist writers are more preoccupied with the castration of men rather than redeeming masculinity. The study concludes that the onus of gender reconstruction must be shared through intentional, localised efforts. It 
calls for a conscious intervention by women principalities who are strategically in a position to re-socialise their sons, brothers, nephews, and cousins by instilling new, equitable values during the foundational stages of gender construction.