dying Tambu’s attitude, we see that the upbringing of an individual has drastic effects on ones willingness to accept the status quo. Tambu was never exposed to European society prior to meeting Nyasha and thus had never known anything different from the Shona society. Tambu therefore was appalled by Nyasha’s flagrant rebellion against Babamukuru’s attempts to make her a proper girl: “You had to admit that Nyasha had no tact. You had to admit she was altogether too volatile and strong-willed. You couldn’t ignore the fact that she had no respect for Babamukuru” (116) This contrast shows that the women’s roles and their limitations are socially constructed. Nyasha is therefore significant because she shows that women’s subservient attitudes are not natural and the idea that they are inferior only materialized because it has been ingrained into the Shona culture.Nyasha is significance in “Nervous Conditions” is to offer an alternate view of the Shona society. Her values are a hybrid taken from both the English and Shona cultures and subsequently she is isolated from both cultures that will not accept her. This isolation leaves her vulnerable and she falls victim to anorexia as she tries to control her life. Her struggle against Babamukuru also serves to show that women are not submissive naturally but that this attitude only comes about because women are brainwashed into believing they are inferior. She never gives in and her resilience influences Tambu to become more assertive, and although Nyasha rebellion may not have been entirely successful, her struggle does live on through Tambu who now refuses to be brainwashed and will fight for social equality....
