Beyond the Critical Consensus: Rethinking Masculinity in Amma Darko’s Faceless

A large share of scholarly discussion on Amma Darko's Faceless holds that the work casts men in a largely negative light. This view is supported by narratological, ethical, and onomastic perspectives, which note that even male characters who appear positive are marginalized or stripped of their dignity. This article, however, questions this established opinion. It deploys care-centered masculinity and Afro-feminist theories to study the novel beyond surface-level judgments of male characters as either villains or redeeming figures. It uses close reading to examine characterization, dialogue, narrative voice, and plot developments that reveal the motivations, actions, and relational dynamics of male characters. Through these critical and analytical approaches, the article contends that Faceless does not reject masculinity but rather reinterprets it through three characters: Adade (the domestic figure), Sylv Po (the public protector), and Maa Tsuru's two eldest sons (the tragic providers). Although these men are not portrayed as heroic, they are set apart from the novel's predatory male characters. Their inclusion indicates that Darko aims to transform, rather than eliminate, masculinity. The article concludes that acknowledging these different forms of masculinity should influence both how Faceless is taught and how it is interpreted. The novel, therefore, does not come across as a condemnation of men but as a call to reimagine masculinity.