Women, Damaged Bodies, Healing Bodies: A Logotherapeutic Analysis of Yejide Kilanko’s Daughters Who Walk This Path

This paper presents a logotherapeutic analysis of Yejide Kilanko’s novel, Daughters Who Walk This Path, focusing on the themes of women, reconceptualization of the female gender as ‘damaged bodies and healing bodies. Kilanko’s narrative explores the intricate struggles faced by Nigerian women, particularly through the lens of the protagonist, Morayo. Drawing on Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy, which emphasizes the search for meaning and purpose in life, this analysis examines the ways in which women navigate the complexities of their ‘damaged bodies’ strive for healing and self-discovery. The author articulates the societal expectations imposed upon women, often resulting in the objectification and commodification of their bodies. Kilanko vividly portrays the damaging consequences of cultural norms, gender-based violence, and the shame and silence surrounding women’s experiences. By unraveling the characters’ psyches, the paper delves into the emotional and traumas endured by the female protagonists, highlighting their resilience and quest for selfactualization, while highlighting the therapeutic aspects present in the narrative, in their moments of growth, transformation, and healing. Through logotherapeutic concepts such as the will to meaning, responsibility, and the pursuit of values, the study uncovers how Kilanko portrays the protagonists’ journeys towards reclaiming agency over their own bodies and lives.

Keywords: Logotherapy Trauma Literature Psyche African Women

Author

• Rebecca Ufuoma Davies
  Department of Languages and Literature
  Lead City University, Ibadan
  ufuomarebecc@gmail.com