Peace Ofure ASUELIMEN

This study explores the use of gendered language in Ayobami Adebayo‘s Stay with Me and Sefi Atta‘s Everything Good Will Come, highlighting how women resist patriarchal control and assert their autonomy through speech. It examines how characters like Yejide and Enitan transform language from a tool of oppression into a weapon of empowerment, challenging societal expectations around marriage, fertility, obedience, and female silence. In Stay with Me, Yejide‘s assertive declarations reclaim her body, identity, and choices, confronting oppressive family and cultural norms. In Everything Good Will Come, Enitan‘s voice evolves from compliance to defiance, symbolizing personal liberation and resilience, while inspiring a new vision of womanhood for future generations. This study demonstrates that language in these novels is not merely communicative but performative, shaping resistance, resilience, and empowerment. It contributes to understanding how contemporary Nigerian literature portrays women‘s struggles and triumphs in reclaiming agency in a patriarchal society.