Mandated Adulthood and the Discursive Construction of Masculine Expectations in Nigerian Society: A Study of Chigozie Obioma’s The Fishermen and Helon Habila’s Measuring Time

This study examines the creation of masculinity in Nigerian literature as compulsory adulthood, a societal expectation where boys and men are compelled into responsibility, emotional restraint, and social alertness prematurely. Through a textual and thematic analysis of Chigozie Obioma’s The Fishermen and Helon Habila’s Measuring Time, the study illustrates that notions of masculinity serve as emotional and psychological weights rather than perks. Using hegemonic masculinity theory and life-course perspectives, the research argues that enforced responsibility creates anxiety, quiet, disturbed relationships, and fragmented identity construction. The study also investigates femininity as emotional labour, stressing its relationship with masculine norms, thereby offering broader knowledge to Nigerian literary masculinity studies.