African Short Story Writers and Intrapersonal Conflicts: A Critical Perspective on a Selected Short Story

The article examines the concept of intrapersonal conflict, the ravaging wars within oneself, that which is truly deeper than indecisiveness, what is responsible for inner conflict, its origin, the consequences, and how to avoid it. It employs Dul Johnsons’ “In the Jaws of Love” in his Why Women Won’t Make It to Heaven. The theory for the investigation is sociological theory which articulates the inevitable relationship between literature and society. The inquiry unearths that an individuals’ attempt to satisfy the needs of one’s environment at the expense of sound reasoning, the individual’s inability to find a balance between the individual’s head and heart, and being religious are detrimental to one’s wellbeing. It creates intrapersonal conflict which is indeed destructive. The paper resolves that people should be able to tell themselves the truth, recognise and accept same, even if it comes from one with whom they disagree. It also explicates that people should not depend on religious and secular leader or people to take decisions for them, and that living in fear is devastating among other things.

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