Title:   EXPLORATION OF CHILD LABOUR IN ELNATHAN JOHN'S BORN ON A TUESDAY

Abstract
An art work elicits critical engagements based on the perception of the
researcher. Elnathan John's Born on a Tuesday has engaged critics from the
perspectives of religious fundamentalism, postcolonial anarchy and the
bildungsroman, among others. Distinctively, the present study subjects the text
to the discourse of child labour. The interpretation is drawn from the
undesirable realities surrounding the chief character Dantala and other
Almajirai in the work. The children are exposed to danger consequent upon
neglect by their parents and society. The incidents in the text implicate the
problem of manipulation and victimisation of children whose vulnerability leads
to the series of abuses they undergo in their lives. Victims of such social crisis
often end up in mental and physical agony, have no access to schooling and in
some cases meet Psychoanalysis is applied as the analytical theory for the
study. The adoption of the theory is based on its appropriateness to the
traumatic experiences suffered by Dantala and other children because of the
social crises. The result from this research shows that child labour emanates
from negligence of parents or guardians, bad governance, religious extremism
and poverty; thereby reducing children's chances of harnessing their full
potential.
Keywords: Child Labour, Trauma, Almajirai, Vulnerability, Indoctrination,
Exploitation, Abuse.

Citations:

Publication Date: 2024-03-18