RITES OF PASSAGE AND THE DISRUPTION OF FEMALE EDUCATION IN KHADY’S MUTILÉE: A FEMALE BILDUNGSROMAN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

A rite of passage is a ceremonial event that marks an individual’s transition from one social or religious status to another. Rites of passage in Khady’s Mutilee are considered as a rigid convergence of cultural expectations and life-altering barriers that redirect a girl’s path from a classroom to marriage. This is designed to enforce traditional or cultural conformity. Thus, this paper examines how rites of passage in Khady’s Mutilée impede the educational development and personal growth of the protagonist, Khady. Drawing on the theoretical framework of the contemporary female Bildungsroman, the study argues that the cultural rituals imposed upon Khady, particularly female genital mutilation and the social expectations that follow initiation rites, interrupt her journey toward intellectual and psychological maturity. Thus, all these cultural rituals depicted in Mutilée are not considered as rites of passage but a violation of fundamental women’s rights. Unlike the classical Bildungsroman in which the protagonist progresses toward self-realization and social integration, Khady’s development is constrained by patriarchal traditions that redefine her identity primarily in terms of marriage and reproductive roles. Through close reading analysis, the paper demonstrates how Khady the writer, the narrator and the protagonist of Mutilée critiques the cultural practices that transform rites of passage into mechanisms of gendered control, thereby limiting girls’ educational opportunities and reinforcing patriarchal domination. The narrative reveals that the convergence of initiation rituals and early marriage not only interrupts the educational trajectory of girls but also shapes their identity formation within a system that privileges patriarchal authority. Ultimately, the paper argues that Mutilée exposes the structural challenges confronting girls as they navigate the passage to womanhood in a hostile world, while simultaneously foregrounding the importance of education as a pathway toward autonomy and self-determination. This paper therefore recommends formal education as a weapon for African women to overcome hegemonic restrictions.