Sexuality

Sexuality is an important theme in "Life"; Head uses sexual behavior to describe the interior life of her characters, their differences, and the social mores of the village. The first women who are drawn to Life are the farmers and housewives, but they soon begin "to shun her completely because men started turning up in an unending stream." Life's promiscuity makes her an unacceptable companion for these "conservative" women. The women who become Life's friends are the beer-brewing women, "a gay and lovable crowd who had emancipated themselves some time ago." Emancipation for the women, however, manifests itself through their drunkenness, illegitimate children, and trail of useless lovers. They see Life as their queen and her successful selling of her body as evidence of her superiority; unlike the farming women and housewives, they respect Life.

When Life wants to assert her independence from Lesego, she does so through...