The Influence of Western Education Toward the Main Character's

THE INFLUENCE OF WESTERN EDUCATION TOWARD THE MAIN CHARACTER’S CHARACTERISTICS AND CONFLICTS AS SEEN IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S NO LONGER AT EASE

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters

LUCIANA MARLIN SORITON

Student Number: 064214012

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2010

Impossible is not a word

It’s just a reason for someone not to try

You will find your way if you keep believing

(KUTLESS, “What Faith can Do”)

Give thanks for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want

to be tomorrow. ~Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers,

in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

(1 Timothy 4: 12)

Have a FAITH, and you will reach your dreams!!!!

v For those who always give me the biggest love, sacrifice, and support

My Great Lord and Mother, JESUS CHRIST & St. MARY

My Beloved Parents, Max Soriton & Natalia Idawati

My Beloved Brothers, Martin Yopie, Paulus Yansen, Boby Ruben

vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to Jesus Christ for blessing me and giving me the strength to pass all problems in my life. He guides me when I cannot find the way and He always opens my mind to write this thesis. I also thank St. Mary for praying for me every time.

I would like to give my appreciation to Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M.Hum as my advisor for being patient in answering all my questions, for guiding me to finish this thesis, and for everything. I thank Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S., M.Hum as my co advisor for guiding me in revising this thesis. I also thank all lecturers and staffs of English Letters Department of Sanata Dharma University for their help and support during my study.

My deepest gratitude is for my family, my father, Max Soriton, my mother, Natalia Idawati; and my brothers, Martin, Yansen, Boby.I thank them for their support, prayers, and most of all, thanks for their big sacrifice that makes me promise to do my best and make them smile and proud of me. And, I would like to thank my big family for their support and help.

I really thank God for giving me the best friend in my life, Rhurhu, who always supports and prays for me and she never feels bored to remind me about our promise to show to the world how amazing Jesus works in our life. I thank my best “PAL”, Siska, Magda, Hanna, and Santi. I am very blessed to have them. I thank them for every moment we laugh and cry together and for their support when I want to give up. I thank Sefia, Loliek, Yuli, Sumi, Yona, Chica, Wara,

vii Thingthing, Sasa, and others for giving me so many beautiful moments in Puri

Agung Lestari. My big appreciation is to Mba Marsih, Pak’e, Tole, Hudha because they make me feel like in my home and thanks for being my family when

I stay there.

I thank Nana for her support and advices on my problems, and give thanks for accompanying me when I feel bored and sad. I am so glad to have Yuniar in my difficult times and thank her for the advices when I do the mistakes. I am also really thankful to stay close to Sansan since we were in Junior High School.

Hopefully, we can still support each other for the next struggle. I am sincerely grateful to my best classmates, “BFI”, and “After 20”, Vina, Via, Esther, Juli,

Elok, Marcel, Sella, Meme, Damay, Arum, Fin, Atom, Dhika, Handoko,

Sammy, Ryo, Andry, Adit “Aconk”, Adit “Fat Brother”, Helfi, Denal,

Sanam, and others. I thank them for giving me support and making me enjoy studying here.

I also thank De Anna, Ko Vincent, Edwin, Didin, Kathrine, and Rani for praying and supporting me in finishing this thesis. I never forget to thank my friends in “PD Yohanes” and “BPM Yogyakarta”, Lia, Samuel, Fanny, Sisi, Ci

Lina and others, for their prayers and our shared experiences that always strengthen my faith. And for all people who have supported me in finishing this thesis, I would like to thank them and hope it can make them all happy.

Luciana Marlin Soriton

viii TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE …………………………………………………………….. i APPROVAL PAGE …………………………………………………….... ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ...... iii LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ...... iv MOTTO PAGE …………………………………………………………... v DEDICATION PAGE …………………………………………………… vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………... ix ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………...... xi ASBSTRAK ……………………………………………………………….xii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ……………………………………….. 1 A. Background of the Study ………………………………………….. 1 B. Problem Formulation ……………………………………………… 3 C. Objectives of the Study …………………………………………….4 D. Definition of Terms ……………………………………………...... 5

CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ……………………………. 7 A. Review of Related Studies …………………………………………7 B. Review of Related Theories ………………………………………..10 1. Theories of Character and Characterization …………………....10 2. Theories of Conflict …………………………………………... 13 3. Theories of Western Education ………………………………...16 C. Theoretical Framework …………………………………………….20

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY…………………………………….. 22 A. Object of the Study ……………………………………………….. 22 B. Approach of the Study ……………………………………………. 23 C. Method of the Study ………………………………………………. 24

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS …………………………………………….. 25 A. Characterization of the Main Character ……………………………25 B. Conflicts of the Main Character ……………………………………35 1. Internal Conflicts ……………………………………………… 36 2. External Conflicts ……………………………………………... 40 a. The Main Character’s Conflicts with Clara ………………..41 b. The Main Character’s Conflicts with His Father …………..44 c. The Main Character’s Conflicts with His Mother ………… 46 d. The Main Character’s Conflicts with Joseph ………………47 e. The Main Character’s Conflicts with Christopher …………48 f. The Main Character’s Conflicts with the Interviewer …….. 49 g. The Main Character’s Conflicts with Umuofia Progressive Union ………………………………………… 49

ix h. The Main Character’s Conflicts with Ibo Society ………… 50 C. The Influence of Western Education toward the Main Character’s Characteristics and Conflicts ………………………….52 1. The Influence toward the Main Character’s Characteristics ………………………………………………….53 2. The Influence toward the Main Character’s Conflicts …………55 a. The Conflicts about the Marriage …………………………. 56 b. The Conflicts about the Bribes ……………………………. 61

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION …………………………………………. 65 BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………….. 68 APENDICES ……………………………………………………………... 71 Appendix 1 …………………………………………………………….72 Appendix 2 …………………………………………………………… 74

x ABSTRACT

LUCIANA MARLIN SORITON. The Influence of Western Education toward the Main Character’s Characteristics And Conflicts As Seen In Chinua Achebe’s No Longer At Ease. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Sanata Dharma University.

No Longer at Ease talks about a man who is an Ibo and gets a scholarship in London for four years. After coming back to his country, Nigeria, he becomes a person who has changed following the western perception. Mostly, the story is about the marriage and the bribes related to western and African perception. There are some objectives that the writer wants to achieve through this thesis. The first is to describe the characterization of the main character in No Longer at Ease in order to understand which the characteristics of the main character that are influenced by western education and which one that are not influenced by western education. The second is to describe the conflicts that happen to the main character whether it is internal or external conflicts. The last objective is to see the influence of western education toward the main character’s characteristics and conflicts. This undergraduate thesis is a library research. The main data were taken from the novel No Longer at Ease written by Chinua Achebe. The secondary data were taken from some supporting books and articles from the internet. In order to analyze the problems, the writer applied socio-cultural approach. Socio-cultural approach is considered appropriate to be applied to this topic because the discussion in this work is about the life of the main character as an Ibo who has been in England for four years. The writer’s conclusion is the main character in the story is Obi Okonkwo who has the characteristics of being smart, educated, nationalistic, loving and caring, temperamental, and idealistic. Besides, as the main character, he experiences conflicts with himself and other characters in this story. He becomes educated and idealistic after he gets education in London. He thinks that all people are same while his society still holds the caste system that an osu is outcast. The conflicts he gets related to the marriage and bribes. He opposes the caste system because he wants to marry Clara, an osu, but other people around him do not accept it. He also has promised not to take the bribe although he is in civil service because he studies law and he knows that giving or taking a bribe is prohibited. Although in the end of the story he does not marry Clara because she leaves him, and he takes the bribes that force him to the court as what the author shows in the beginning of the story, the western education makes him change and experience the conflicts.

xi ABSTRAK

LUCIANA MARLIN SORITON. The Influence of Western Education toward the Main Character’s Characteristics And Conflicts As Seen In Chinua Achebe’s No Longer At Ease. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

No Longer at Ease adalah sebuah novel yang menceritakan seorang pria dari suku Ibo dan kuliah di London selama empat tahun. Setelah kembali ke negaranya, Nigeria, ia telah berubah mengikuti persepsi budaya barat. Sebagian besar, novel ini berkisah tentang perbedaan persepsi barat dan Afrika mengenai pernikahan dan penyuapan. Ada beberapa tujuan yang ingin dicapai penulis dalam menyusun karya tulis ini. Yang pertama adalah untuk mendeskripsikan penggambaran karakter tokoh utama pada novel No Longer at Ease dengan tujuan untuk memahami karakteristik yang dipengaruhi oleh pendidikan barat. Tujuan kedua adalah untuk mengetahui konflik – konflik yang dialami oleh tokoh utama baik konflik internal maupun konflik eksternal. Tujuan terakhir adalah menunjukkan pengaruh pendidikan barat terhadap karakteristik dan konflik yang terdapat pada tokoh utama. Skripsi ini merupakan studi pustaka. Data utama diambil dari novel No Longer at Ease, sedangkan data lain diambil dari buku – buku pendukung dan beberapa artikel yang diambil dari internet. Untuk mengatasi masalah, penulis menggunakan pendekatan sosial-kebudayaan. Pendekatan sosial-kebudayaan dirasa tepat untuk diaplikasikan dalam topik ini karena skripsi ini membahas mengenai kehidupan tokoh utama sebagai orang Igbo yang menetap di Inggris selama empat tahun. Kesimpulan penulis adalah tokoh utama pada novel yaitu Obi Okonkwo yang digambarkan sebagai orang yang pintar, berpendidikan, nasionalis, pengertian dan peduli, bertemperamen buruk, dan idealis. Selain itu, sebagai tokoh utama, ia mengalami permasalahan dengan dirinya sendiri dan juga tokoh – tokoh lain dalam cerita ini. Ia menjadi seseorang yang berpendidikan dan idealis setelah ia mendapat pendidikan di London. Ia berpikir bahwa semua orang adalah sama, meskipun masyarakat di sekitarnya tetap memegang prinsip kebudayaannya bahwa osu adalah suku yang terbuang. Permasalahan yang ia hadapi berhubungan dengan pernikahan dan kasus suap. Ia menolak sistem kastanya karena budaya barat mengajarkannya untuk tidak membedakan orang lain, karena menurut masyarakat di negara – negara bagian barat, semua orang adalah sama. Ia juga telah berjanji untuk tidak menerima suap meskipun ia memiliki jabatan di pemerintahan karena ia mempelajari hokum dan ia tahu bahwa memberi dan menerima suap itu dilarang. Meskipun pada akhir cerita ia tidak menikahi Clara karena Clara meninggalkannya, dan ia menerima suap yang membawanya ke pengadilan seperti yang pengarang ceritakan pada awal cerita, pendidikan barat telah mengubah karakteristiknya dan menimbulkan berbagai konflik.

xii CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Reading literary works is easy, but understanding the literary works is not easy. Readers can understand what the story tells about, but they can not understand what the implied meaning of the story without reading a criticism about the literary works. Sometimes readers have some questions what the situation can be like that as in the story. To answer the questions, it must be criticized. It can be criticized by looking at the history, social relationship, or psychology. It depends on what they ask about.

There are many literary works, like prose, drama, and poetry. The way to analyze each of them may be the same, but the way to understand the story may be different. According to Abrams, the form of drama is designed for performance in the theater, and there are some actors who take the roles of the characters.

Abrams also adds that a closet drama is written in the form of a drama, with dialogue, indicated settings, and stage directions, but is intended by the author to be read rather than to be performed in the theater (1993: 18).

Novel is a great variety of writings that have in common only the attribute of being extended works of fiction written in prose. There are many kinds of novels, such as tragic, comic, satiric, or romantic. There are also social novels, historical novels, and regional novels. The difference of them is in the author’s way to emphasize the plot. The social novel emphasizes the influence of the social

1 2

and economic conditions of the characters and events, for example Stowe’s

Uncle’s Tom Cabin. The historical novel emphasizes the historical events and an issue crucial for the central characters, for example Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities.

The regional novel emphasizes the setting, speech, and social structure and customs, and their ways of feeling, thinking, and interacting (Abrams, 1993: 130-

134).

The literary works can be a picture of situation that happened when the literary works is written. Most people like reading literary works because by reading literary works they can also learn about life itself. Literary work is “an illustration of human life because the literary works present the literary of human situation, problems, feelings, and relationship” (Wellek and Warren, 1956: 96).

Many literary works tell about something or someone’s life that is not really far from the reality. Readers may learn how to solve the problems, how to communicate with other people, how to become a kind person, how to accept life whatever they are. They can learn all of them by seeing the characters perform the play, or by imagining what the story tells about.

There are many famous authors in each country. African has Chinua

Achebe, Buchi Emecheta, Christopher Okigbo, Ben Okri, Osonye Tess Onwueme,

Ken Saro-Wiwa, Wole Soyinka, etc. The famous African author, Chinua Achebe, wrote literary works which showed social culture. Albert Chinualumogu Achebe was born on November 16, 1930 in Ogidi, Nigeria. His parents are Isaiah Okafo, a

Christian churchman, and Janet N. Achebe. He attended Government College in

Umofia from 1944 to 1947 and University College in Ibadan from 1948 to 1953. 3

He then received a B.A. from London University in 1953 and studied broadcasting at the British Broadcasting Corp. in London in 1956.

One of his works is No Longer at Ease. In this novel, Chinua Achebe figures out an Igbo people with the character Obi Okonkwo who got the scholarship in London from Umuofia Progressive Union (UPU). The life of Obi

Okonkwo in No Longer at Ease has some similarities with Achebe’s life. They were born in Nigeria and had education in London. Achebe emphasizes how

Europeans thrust their ways, traditions, and values.

There are many conflicts there, especially about western education that influences Obi Okonkwo’s life. He is a young man from Eastern Nigeria who has to develop his career in the midst of all his problems. He is pressurized by the men of his tribe, the Umuofia Progressive Union, not to forget his traditions and to pay his dues to help him to be educated.

The writer deals with No Longer at Ease to write this thesis because the writer wants to show the influence of western education toward Okonkwo’s characteristics and conflicts. It is because there are some changes in the characteristics of Okonkwo after he got the education in London. He struggles to adapt to a Western lifestyle and against the changes brought by the English.

B. Problem Formulation

There are three problems that the researcher is going to analyze. The problems can be formulated as follows.

1. How is the main character characterized? 4

2. How are the conflicts described?

3. How does western education influence the main character’s characteristics and conflicts?

C. Objectives of the Study

The research aims to answer the three problems stated in the problem formulation. The first aim is to know the characterizations of the main character,

Obi Okonkwo. The writer will collect the characterizations of Obi Okonkwo based on Obi Okonkwo’s experiences, thought, and attitude. The characterization of Obi Okonkwo is useful for knowing the Obi Okonkwo’s ways to face his problems and interact with other characters.

The second aim is to know the conflicts that Obi Okonkwo has. There are so many conflicts that Obi Okonkwo has. There are internal conflicts related to

Obi Okonkwo himself, and external conflicts that happen between Obi Okonkwo and other characters. Obi Okonkwo also has cultural conflicts that happen because he has been in London for many years. He learns Western culture when he gets education there, and after he comes back to his country he cannot accept the whole tradition that he thinks nonsense.

And the last one, the research aims to relate how western education influences the main character’s characteristics and conflicts. The writer gives comparison among the idea or point of view of the main character about both cultures, African and Western. The writer also gives some reasons why western education influences the main character’s characteristics and conflicts. 5

D. Definition of Terms

1. Western Education

Education should treat each unique culture and society with due respect, realizing that global education is not only learning about the West, but also studying different cultures of the world, using different approaches, ways of teaching and different media (http://www.openpraxis.com/files/Article%

20252.pdf).

2. Conflict

Hugh Holman and William Harmon in A Handbook to Literature (1986:

107-108) states that conflict is the struggle that grows out of the interplay of the two opposing forces in a plot. Conflict usually happens with the protagonist.

Conflict can be divided into four different kinds and one additional possibility of conflict: a struggle against nature, a struggle against another person, a struggle against society, a struggle for mastery by two elements with the person, and the struggle against fate or destiny. Conflict not only implies the struggle of protagonist against someone or something, but also implies the existence of some motivation for the conflict or some goal to be achieved thereby. 6

3. Character

According to Perrine in Literature: Structure and Sense, there are two kinds of characters, static character and dynamic character. In dynamic character, the character has some changes whether over or underdeveloped, undergoes a permanent change in some aspects of his or her character, personality, or outlook.

Thus, character development is the changing of the character in thought, feeling, behavior, point of view, mental, or religious quality through some environments and a period of time (1974: 71). CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL REVIEW

A. Review of Related Studies

Chinua Achebe is a famous African writer who has written many books about African, such as Things Fall Apart (1958), The Sacrificial Egg and Other

Stories (1962), Arrow of God (1964), A Man of the People (1966), Chike and the

River (1966), etc. In his novels, Achebe describes most African and European people, especially he wants to describe the differences of culture and point of view of African and European. Achebe also wants to break up the style, attitude, and dominations of European.

According to Ayittey in Africa Betrayed,

For most Africans, independence did not bring a better life or even greater political and civil liberties. Many are troubled by this comparative statement because they misinterpret it as a veiled justification of colonialism. Nothing could be further from the truth. Africans overwhelmingly rejected colonial rule. Colonialism was invidious and Africans expected the quality of their lives to improve markedly after independence. They were sorely disappointed (1992: 9).

Achebe also uses his novels as a mean of his resistance toward any practices of colonialism. During colonialism, European brought many bad images of African people and culture. He shows the thought of European toward African.

As seen in his novel, No Longer at Ease, Achebe shows how the European thought that African liked to corrupt, especially who worked in the government.

Ayittey also adds,

Western ethnocentrism prevented a recognition of the capabilities of the African people. The European colonialists generally held African culture

7 8

in contempt, contending that the savages of Africa had no viable institutions and were incapable of developing them. Allegedly, indigenous African society was chaotic and barbaric, and Africans had no value systems (1992: 17).

No Longer at Ease is a story of an Igbo (also spelled Ibo) man, Obi

Okonkwo, who leaves his village for a British education. He gets a job in the

Nigerian colonial civil service, but he must struggle to adapt to a Western culture and end up taking a bribe. He receives a European-oriented education that buries his culture, forcing him to loose sight of where he comes from and where he's going. It is a sequel novel of Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, which concerns the struggle of Obi Okonkwo's grandfather against the changes brought by the

English. No Longer at Ease is the legacy for African cultures of colonial domination by Europeans. Achebe emphasizes how Europeans thrust their ways, traditions, and values.

Even as he pokes fun at the remaining English bureaucrats and their condescending ways, he honors their tradition of relatively honest civil service. Meanwhile, he questions whether this first generation of natives who are replacing the departing Europeans are truly prepared to meet the same standards or a slide into corruption is nearly inevitable. Achebe draws the situation between the traditions and expectations of his village on the one hand and the modern ways (http://brothersjudd.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/reviews.detail/book_id/18).

Obi Okonkwo is also faced with the conflict to the Christian principle, his father, Okonkwo, a Christian, raising him with and the seduction of the so-called

“evil Western influences” on the younger Nigeria generation. When he falls in love with a woman, Clara, who is considered by tribe to be from a cursed family 9

because she is an osu, his parents don't approve of his engagement to her and he has to choose between his love or pleasing his family and tribe.

According to Uzoma Onyemaechi in “Igbo Culture and Socialization”

(http://www.kwenu.com/igbo/igbowebpages/Igbo.dir/Culture/culture_and_sociali zation.html),

The Igbo family structure expands the range of consanguine relationships, or membership by blood, and affinity relations, or membership by marriage. The marriage is patrilineal. There is much emphasis placed on compatibility of the couples and social standing within the kinship community. In the Igbo marriage more emphasis is placed on arrangement than on love in the marriage. There is much screening for hereditary illness, for insanity, and sanctions are placed on incest rules.

Achebe tells that these outcasts were among the early Christian converts.

Osu were the lowest class in Ibo society. They were slaves (ohu) and the free born

(amadi). An osu could never change his or her status.

By focusing on the conflicts and the characterization of the main character, the writer aims to reveal the influences of western education. This discussion is about the influence of western education toward the characteristics and the conflicts of the main character. There are some changes about the characterization of the main character after he gets education in London. Because of the changes, the conflicts happen. Moreover, the writer wants to relate the influence of western education that the main character has with the conflicts and characteristics of the main character itself. 10

B. Review of Related Theories

1. Theories of Character and Characterization

Robert Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction states that the most important evidence of all is the character’s own dialogue and behavior. Every speech or action is not only a step in the plot, but also a manifestation of character (1964:

18).

Hugh Holman and William Harmon in A Handbook to Literature (1986:

81) states that character is a complicated term including the idea of the moral constitution of the human personality, the presence of moral uprightness, and the simpler nation of the presence of creatures in art. Characters are divided into two; static character which gives the appearance of changing simply because our picture of the character is revealed bit by bit; and dynamic character which is one who is modified by action and experiences, and one objective of the work in which the character appears is to reveal the consequences of these actions.

Hugh Holman and William Harmon also described characterization as the author presenting the characters of actual persons and revealing the characters of imaginary person. There are three fundamental methods of characterization; first, the explicit presentation by the author of the character through direct exposition; second, the presentation of the character in action; third, the representation from within a character without comment on the character by the author.

The author can use two methods of characterization. First, the author shows without comment about the word and action of characters. Or the second, 11

the author tells the reader about the characters explicitly by the behavior of characters. According to Perrine in Literature, Structure, and Sense (1974: 68),

In direct presentation, he tells us straight out, by exposition or analysis, what a character is like, or has someone else in the story tells us what he is like. In indirect presentation, the author shows us the character in action, we infer that he is like from what he thinks or says or does.

Based on the way of author’s characterization, the reader or the audience can know the characters by looking at the behavior of the characters or others who tells what the character is like. The author may present the characters by showing character’s action, or describe the characters by telling what they are like.

In Murphy’s Understanding Unseen, he states that there are a few of ways the author characterize the characters (1972: 161-173),

1. Personal Description

The author describes a person’s appearance and clothes, such as the face,

skin, eyes, and the castaway’s extraordinary clothing.

2. Characters as Seen by Another

The author describes him through the eyes and opinions of another,

conveys through his choice of words and phrases, such as unquiet eyes,

dim smile, rare sound of her voice, unapproachable aspect, gazing at him

stealthily.

3. Speech

The author gives an insight into the character of one of the persons in the

book through what that person says. Whenever a person speaks, whenever

he is in conversation with another, whenever he puts forward an opinion,

he is giving some clue to his character. 12

4. Past Life

The author gives a clue to events that have helped to shape a person’s

character; by direct comment, though the person’s thoughts, through his

conversation or through the medium of another person.

5. Conversation of Others

The author can also give clues to a person’s character through the

conversations of other people and the things they say about him. People do

talk about other people and the things they say often give as a clue to the

character of the person spoken about.

6. Reactions

The author can also give a clue to a person’s character by letting us know

that person reacts to various situations and events.

7. Direct Comment

The author can describe or comment on a person’s character directly.

8. Thoughts

The author gives direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about. In

this respect he is able to do what we cannot do in real life. He can tell us

what different people are thinking.

9. Mannerisms

The author describes a person’s mannerisms, habits, or idiosyncrasies

which tell something about his character. 13

Kennedy and Dana Gioia in Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (1990: 60-61) say that the author may figure out the characters with motivation: sufficient reason to behave as they do. They also agree about Forster’s statement that characters may seem flat or round, depending on whether a writer sketches or sculptures them. A flat character has only one outstanding trait or feature, or at most a few distinguishing marks. A round character means that the author portrays them in greater depth and in more generous detail. Shortly, flat characters tend to stay the same throughout a story, but round characters often change, learn or become enlightened, grow or deteriorate.

Similar to Kennedy and Gioia’s statement, Forster’s Aspects of the Novel and Related Writings also states that characters can be divided into two; flat characters and round characters (1974: 47-51),

1. Flat Characters.

One great advantage of flat characters is that they are easily recognized

whenever they come in recognized by the reader’s emotional eye, not by

the visual eye which merely notes the recurrence of a proper name.

2. Round Characters.

Round characters are fit to perform tragically for any length of time and

can move us to any feelings except humor and appropriateness.

2. Theory of Conflict

The literary work has a plot that shows the conflicts. Conflicts can happen among the characters; protagonists and antagonists. Conflicts also can happen 14

with the character itself. It is called by inner conflict, for example the laziness, jealous, sadness, etc. Most of the literary works shows conflicts between the main character and the society.

According to Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms (1993: 159),

There may be the conflicts of a protagonist against fate, or against the circumstances that stand between him and a goal he has set himself; and in some works, the chief conflicts is between opposing desires or values in the protagonist’s own temperament.

Hugh Holman and William Harmon in A Handbook to Literature (1986:

107-108) states that conflict is the struggle that grows out of the interplay of the two opposing forces in a plot. Conflict usually happens with the protagonist.

Robert Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction (1964: 16) states that every literary work contains some conflicts that can be divided into two; internal conflicts between two desires within a character; and external conflicts between characters or between a character and his environment. These conflicts can be in turn subordinate to the central conflict which is always between fundamental and contrasting qualities or forces, like honesty and hypocrisy, innocence and experience, individuality and the pressure to conform. 15

According to Milly Barranger in Understanding Play (1994: 339), dramatic conflict is most often resolved by the removal of obstacles. Dramatic action is the movement of opposing forces toward a resolution of conflict in the hero’s death (in tragedy), in triumph (in comedy), or in the villain’s defeat (in both).

According to Roberts and Jacobs, a conflict takes a number of shapes. The initial conflict is resolved by a separation leading each of the characters to a new life that is satisfactory but not totally happy. It is the establishment of these contrasting or conflicting situations and responses that produces the interest the short-story contains (1987: 88).

Barnet, Burto, and Cain state that conflict is a struggle between a character and some obstacle, for example another character or fate, or between internal forces (2005: 1375). Redman, in Second Book of Plays, also states that conflict is the struggle between two opposing forces, ideas or beliefs which is the basis of the plot. In most play, the conflict is resolved when one force – usually the protagonist gives up the struggle as too difficult or not worth while.

There are two terms of conflicts (1964: 363):

1. The term inner conflict refers to a struggle within the heart and mind of the

protagonist.

2. The term external conflict refers to a struggle between the protagonist and

an outside force.

Brooks, Purser, and Warren state that the basis of all fiction is conflict.

The structure of any given piece of fiction is determined by the way in which the 16

conflict is developed. In the background of the story there is the idea of a struggle between those who have economic power and those who do not (1936: 605).

They also state about conflict in drama. The most obvious feature of a good drama is the clash of wills as the various characters come into conflict with each other’s purposes and desires. The conflict may be internal or external. The protagonist struggles against his environment, or against other men, or even against himself (1936: 605).

According to Maciver and Charles H. Page in Society: An Introductory

Analysis, social conflicts includes all activity in which men contend against one another for any objective. There are two fundamental types of conflicts: direct and indirect conflict. Direct conflict happens when individuals or groups thwart or impede or restrain or injure or destroy one another in the effort to attain some goal. Indirect conflict occurs when individuals or groups do not actually impede the efforts of one another but nevertheless seek to attain their ends in ways which obstruct the attainment of the same ends by others (1950: 64).

Conflicts relate to the characters. What characters act or say can make a conflict. Some critics can analyze the character by describing the way of each character to solve the problems or conflicts. It means that how the author figures out the characters when they have problems or when the conflicts happen.

3. Theory of Western Education

Christopher Dawson states that enculturation is the process by which culture is handed on by the society and acquired by the individual. It has a 17

conscious systematic process that is initiated into the life and traditions of the tribe by a regular system of training and instruction which finds its climax in the initiation rites (1961: 3-4).

In England, the tradition relation of church and school and the medieval system of corporative independence still survive in spite of the attacks of educational and political reformers. But, the strength of the voluntary principle and the lack of centralized authoritarian state caused the reforming movement in

England to follow an independent course and to create its own organization.

He also states that some cultural education is necessary if Western culture is to survive, but we can no longer rely exclusively on the traditional discipline of classical humanism, though this is the source of all that was best in the tradition of

Western liberalism and Western science (1961: 67,133).

Carlton H. Bowyer states that people need more than a dictionary definition of what education means. Whether education is the act of educating, the discipline of mind or character through study or instruction, or science dealing with the principles and practices of teaching and learning, people need to be more definite in order to be sure that we communicate ideas.

He also says that indoctrination is the oldest and least complex form of education. As the social structure began to evolve from the family group to the clan and from the clan to the tribe, the mechanics of living became more and more complex. Education for self-development can only flourish in a society where a concern for temporal matters dominates a concern for eternal matters and where there is a democratic system of education. The success of the teacher will be 18

evident when the students are able to evaluate assumptions, evidence, form, and conclusion in a series of arguments. It means that the student will be sensitive to meaning, validity, and reliability of statements and arguments (1970: 20-22, 360).

According to Robert Bell, Gerald Fowler and Ken Little in Education in

Great Britain and Ireland, the university students have a royal charter, which acknowledges their status and rights. They decide what students to admit, what staff to appoint, what to teach and in what conditions degrees will be awarded.

The students do not have an automatic right of entry if they hold the basic qualifications (1973: 7).

Susan Bassnett in Studying British Cultures adds that British studies has assumptions that become a belief in the power of formal education to overcome the fundamental problems of poverty, ignorance and disease, and to create a peace

– loving and creative community of egalitarian altruist. She also says that,

Conservative prime ministers welcomed the winds of change, and nations like South Africa which resisted were consigned if not to the dustbins of history at least to those of the United Nations. And central to the realization of these goals was the education system, designed to a Western European pattern, senior-staffed by Western-trained teachers or by imported Western expatriates, super-imposed on the vast traditional network of ordinary people’s cultural relations, with which it scarcely interacted at all (1997: 39-40).

The western culture is the collective effort within a community to provide a satisfactory social climate. An ideal culture would result in a community with assets allowing a comfortable survival, safety from other groups of people, and a social atmosphere in which to peacefully work, raise a family and to otherwise seek personal fulfillment and happiness (http://www.onelife.com/psy/ culseige.html). 19

Felix M. E. Okpilike in his journal entitled “The Pretence of Western

Religion and Education in Nigeria: A Sociological Perspective” states that one major feature of the western education is its emphasis on certificate to the detriment of good character. The result is that one finds most of the products of the school system unable to manage honestly the social institutions of the

Nigerian society.

Chinnammai in his article entitled “Effects of Globalisation on Education and Culture” also states that the effects of globalization on education bring rapid developments in technology and communications that are foreseeing changed within school systems across the world as ideas, values, and knowledge.

Ami Wilson in his journal in http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/

7568871/UK-companies-face-tough-new-bribery-laws.html says that British companies must comply with tougher corruption laws after the Bribery Bill was passed by Parliament. The first significant overhaul of the country's bribery laws for a century. She also adds that as well as the offence of corporate failure to prevent bribery, the new Act will also set out exactly what constitutes a bribe, both paying and receiving, and creates a discreet offence of bribing a foreign public official. Here means that UK does not allow the bribery in every aspect.

The Bribery Bill would replace the offenses under the Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Act 1889, the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 and the 20

Prevention of Corruption Act 1916 with two crimes. The first makes it a crime to bribe another person. The second makes it a crime to accept a bribe. There is an affirmative defense for the failure of a commercial organization to prevent bribery: “adequate procedures.” The Bribery Bill requires the Secretary of State to publish guidance about procedures that a company can put in place to prevent bribery (http://www.compliancebuilding.com/2010/03/25/bribery-in-britain/).

According to Gerald L. Gutek in A History of the Western Educational

Experience,

Education is a process that attempts to ensure the cultural continuation of the group, race, or nation. As previously mentioned, it transmits skills, knowledge, modes of inquiry, and values from the mature to the immature, either informally through the milieu or formally through the school. In highly integrated cultures, the school’s task is to transmit the dominant aspects of the cultural heritage by emphasis on cultural continuity. When cultural discontinuity occurs in times of rapid social change, formal education either grows increasingly formalized and remote from the realities of life or appears to be confused as new educational patterns compete for supremacy (1972: 11).

From all the quotations above, western education welcome the student with difference cultures, races, and traditions. The enculturation is given to the society and individual. The education is necessary for giving knowledge and values not only in formal institutions, but also in informal institution.

C. Theoretical Framework

This thesis reveals the influence of western education toward the main character’s characteristics and conflicts. To analyze the influence of western education toward the main character’s characteristics and conflicts, the writer uses the theories of characters and characterization in order to analyze the characteristics of the main character named Obi Okonkwo in the literary works. 21

After analyzing the main character, the writer uses the theory of conflict related to socio cultural that happened to the main character.

The theory of conflict is used for the purpose to see what happened to the main character related to his relationship to other characters. In this thesis, the writer wants to see the conflicts that happened in the relationship between the main character and others.

The writer uses the theory of western education to define the characteristics of culture in African where the main character was born and the western culture where the main character got education for years. This theory is applied to help how to compare the characterization of the main character before and after he gets education in London. Moreover, the theory of socio-cultural helps the writer show the influence of western education toward the main character’s characteristics and conflicts. CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

This thesis is the analysis of Chinua Achebe’s novel, No Longer at Ease.

Achebe wrote this novel in 1960. The play consists of 19 chapters. The writer uses

No Longer at Ease first edition, published by Doubleday and printed in 1994.

No Longer at Ease is about an African man, Obi Okonkwo. He gets so many conflict related to accepting a bribe. He gets a scholarship to study law in

England from Umuofia Progressive Union (UPU) in the hope that he will return to help his people navigate English colonial society. But once there, Obi switches his major to English.

In England, Obi falls in love with Clara, a Nigerian girl who eventually reveals that she is an osu, an outcast by her descent. Obi can not marry her because of the traditional ways of Nigeria. He believes that he can still marry

Clara, even his Christian father opposes it, and his mother begs him not to marry

Clara until after her death. Obi’s mother threatens to kill herself if Obi disobeys.

When Obi tells Clara of these events, Clara breaks the engagement but she has been pregnant. Obi wants her to do abortion. After his mother’s death, Obi gets a deep depression, does not go home for the funeral. Finally, Obi takes a bribe and tells himself that it is the last one he will take. He is arrested.

22 23

B. Approach of the Study

The writer uses socio-cultural approach to make process of learning and understanding the background and growth of a chosen field of study. It can be organizational culture, current trends, and future possibilities. The socio-cultural method of research applies to all fields of study because it includes origins, growth, theories, personalities, society, etc. Both quantities and qualities variables can be used in the collection of socio-cultural information.

David Daiches in Critical Approaches to Literature stated about the socio- cultural approach (1981: 356),

Sociological criticism can, then, help us to avoid making mistakes about the nature of the work of literature we have before us, by throwing light on its function or on the conventions with reference to which certain aspects of it are to be understood. Studies of the social background of an author’s work, and of the influence of that background on that work, are of necessity of some length, for they involve first the description of that background and then the investigation of individual works with that description in mind.

Socio-cultural criticism can be used by showing the social background of the author and the background on the work itself. It can be the relationship in the society or how the characters communicate with others. Each place or society has a culture or custom that is difference from other places.

The writer uses socio-cultural approach. This criticism is suitable because it can look at the background of society and culture that really happened during the period. By using socio-cultural approach, the writer tries to look at what has happened to the African people toward society and culture. After looking the history of society and culture, the writer relates to the main character on the literary work. By analyzing the main character, the conflicts will be seen. 24

C. Method of the Study

The writer uses the library research to write this thesis. The primary book the writer uses is the novel itself, No Longer at Ease. The secondary books that the writer uses are the books about the socio-cultural approach, Chinua Achebe, literary books, and other books. These books are A Glossary of Terms written by

M.H. Abrams, Literature, Structure, Sound, and Sense written by Laurence

Perrine, etc. For getting additional information to help for analyzing the novel, the writer also search the data from the websites which write about Chinua

Achebe, No Longer at Ease, or other articles related to the topic.

This study employed theories about the character and the characterization, the conflicts and the western education. The writer had several steps to make this thesis. Firstly, the writer read the novel under discussion. Second step, the writer found the topic and formulated the problems as written in the problem formulation, about the characterization of the main character, the conflicts that the main character has, and the influence of western education toward the characteristics and the conflicts. The last step, the writer answered the questions systematically by referring to relevant the theories, studies and the approach. CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

In this chapter, the writer will answer the questions formulated in problem formulation in Chapter I. This chapter will be divided into three parts. The first part answering the first question is the characterization of the main character. The second part answering the second question is the conflicts of the main character.

The last part answering the third question is the influence of western education toward the main character’s characteristics and conflicts.

A. Characterization of the Main Character

There are two methods of characterization. First, the author shows without comment about the word and action of characters. The second, the author tells the reader about the characters explicitly by the behavior of characters. Perrine, in

Literature, Structure, and Sense, calls these methods by direct and indirect presentation. In direct presentation, the author characterizes by exposition or analysis. But, in indirect presentation, the author characterizes in action what he is like, like what he thinks or says or does (1974: 68).

Besides, the writer also wants to apply Murphy’s theory of characterization in Understanding Unseen. Murphy says that there are nine ways of the author to characterize the characters. The ways are personal description, characters as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reaction, direct comment, thought, and mannerism (1972: 161-173).

25 26

The main character of Achebe’s No Longer at Ease is Obi Okonkwo. He is characterized as being smart, educated, nationalistic, loving and caring, temperamental, and idealistic. Obi is an Ibo man who gets an education in London from the scholarship of Umuofia Progressive Union (UPU). His father is a

Christian, Okonkwo. He has a friend named Joseph. He falls in love with Clara, an Osu, but unfortunately his parents do not agree with his engagement with her.

Chinua Achebe characterizes the main character as a man who always has different perception and point of view from other characters in the novel, like his father and mother, his girl friend, his friends, and his society.

Obi Okonkwo is characterized smart. He is very clever so he can get a scholarship from Umuofia Progressive Union (UPU) to study in London. It is not easy to get the scholarship because the people who will get this scholarship have to be smart. “Six or seven years ago Umuofians abroad had formed their Union with the aim of collecting money to send some of their brighter young men to study in England (p. 8).” It means that UPU only gives the scholarship for men who have a brighter brain. Obi Okonkwo is smart and he becomes one of the brighter young men that can get the scholarship.

Obi’s brilliant thought can also be seen from the ways how he solves the problems or how he thinks cleverly in difficult situation. He gets financial trouble that he must pay back his loan and give money to his parents as his responsibilities. He also has to pay the electric bills, the insurance premiums and the license renewals. 27

Every switch in the flat lit two bulbs. Obi set about pruning them down. The rule in future was to be one switch, one bulb. He had often wondered why there should be two lamps in the bathroom and lavatory. It was typical Government planning. There was no single light on the flight of concrete stairs running through the middle of the block, with the result that people often collided with one another there or slipped one step. And yet there were two lamps in the lavatory where no one wanted to look closely at what one was doing (p. 115).

The writer finds that Obi Okonkwo has a smart thinking. He knows how to overcome his financial problems. Obi Okonkwo becomes more economical in the household. He thinks about too much meat in his food. Obi also tells the steward that he is going to give money once a week for buying daily needs in the market.

In order to economize his expenses, Obi asks his stewards not to turn on the water heater, the fridge after seven o’clock in the evening and at twelve noon.

Another word besides smart, the judge says that Obi Okonkwo is an educated man. In Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, being educated means having had a high standard of education. The author wants to show the characteristic of Obi Okonwo by using Murphy’s theory number two that is

Characters as Seen by Another. The author shows the judge who has not thought that Obi can take the bribes although he has a good education from London.

Obi’s listlessness did not show any signs of decreasing even when the judge began to sum up. It was only when he said: “I cannot comprehend how a young man of your education and brilliant promise could have done this” that a sudden and marked change occurred. Treacherous tears came into Obi’s eyes (p. 2).

From the above evidence, the writer finds that the judge knows and says that Obi Okonkwo is an educated and brilliant man. Although the judge’s words make Obi feel sad and disappointed, the judge says that Obi has good education and brilliant promise. 28

Besides being educated, the writer also finds that Obi Okonkwo is a nationalist. Nationalistic means having too much pride in people own country. Obi

Okonkwo is a person who loves his country so much. He always misses Africa when he is still in London. Although he has been in London almost four years, he still remembers about Nigerian, so he writes a poem about his beloved country.

Obi was in England for a little under four years. He sometimes found it difficult to believe that it was a short as that. It seemed more like a decade than four years, what with the miseries of winter when his longing to return home took on the sharpness of physical pain (p. 14).

Obi is nationalistic because he loves his country. He can not forget about the Nigerian although he has been in London for four years. Obi also wants to give the best for his country. He speaks about the value of education. According to Obi, education is for service, not for white-collar jobs and comfortable salaries.

Obi also thinks that to be independence, a country needs people who can sacrifice everything to serve well and truly (p. 37). By showing what Obi thinks about his country, the author applies the Murphy’s theory number eight that the author shows the characterization by giving direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about.

Chinua Achebe characterizes Obi Okonkwo as loving and caring, especially with his family. When he comes home, he is sad because he looks at his mother being older faster than he has thought for four years in London. His mother is sick and becomes thin. It becomes the reason why Obi feels he has a 29

responsibility to send money to their parents, because the condition of his father is not good either.

Obi’s homecoming was not in the end the happy event he had dreamt of. The reason was his mother. She had grown so old and frail in four years that he could hardly believe it. He had heard of her long periods of illness, but he had not thought of it quite this way. Now that all the visitors had gone away and she came and hugged him and put her arms round his neck, for the second time tears rose in his eyes. Henceforth he wore her sadness round his neck like a necklace of stone (p. 63).

Obi’s sadness of his mother’s illness shows that he is a caring man and he loves his family. It is also shown by Obi’s disability to sleep because he worries about his responsibilities to send his weekly salary to his parents, seeing his parents can no longer afford to live on their own. Obi thinks about all the money he needs to pay back his loan about twenty pounds and the money for his family in order to pay Obi’s youngest brother’s school fees too.

Obi did not sleep for a long time after he had lain down. He thought about his responsibilities. It was clear that his parents could no longer stand on their own. They had never relied on his father’s meager pension. He planted yams and his wife planted cassava and coco yams. She also made soap from leachings of palm ash and oil and sold it to the villagers for a little profit. But now they were too old for these things. “I must give them a monthly allowance from my salary.” How much? Could he afford ten pounds? If only he did not have to pay back twenty pounds a month to the Umuofia Progressive Union. Then there was John’s school fees (p. 69-70).

He always thinks about his family’s condition. He thinks where he can get money to pay back his loan and pay his brother’s school fee. When he comes home again, he asks where his mother is and he worries about her condition. He finds his mother is still very ill after returning from the hospital the week before.

Obi seemed to look over the shoulders of everyone who came out to welcome him out. “Where is Mother?” his eyes kept asking. He did not 30

know whether she was still in hospital or at home, and he was afraid to ask (p. 143).

She still asks for his condition about the Umuofia, Joseph, and his job. “As he looked at his mother on her bed, tears stood in Obi’s eyes. She held out her hand to him and he took it-all bone and skin like a bat’s wing (page 145).” The writer finds that Obi Okonkwo becomes a loving and caring person, because he is afraid of his mother’s condition although he has left her after his mother can not permit his love with Clara.

Not only is Obi Okonkwo characterized as a loving person toward his family, but he also becomes a person who has full of love with his girlfriend. Not only does Obi care his family by sending them money for their life, but he also becomes responsible with his love, Clara. Although Obi’s father does not allow him to have relationship with Clara because she is an osu, and Obi’s mother also asks him not to meet Clara anymore, Obi does not care.

All night Obi rolled from one edge from one edge of the bed to the other in sympathy with the fitful progress of the little ship groaning and creaking in the darkness. He could neither sleep nor keep awake. But somehow he was able to think about Clara most of the night, a few seconds at a time. He had taken a firm decision not to show any interest in her (p. 29).

It shows how he loves Clara when they meet for the first time in London at a dance organized by the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons. Obi thinks that she is so attractive, but they do not interact with each other until both have a dance together. Obi becomes nervous. Months later, they meet again because on the same ship when they want to go to Nigeria. 31

Both of them have studied in England. Clara has studied as a nurse, so she can be able to give Obi tablets when he is sick. Although many people are interested in Clara, she still chooses Obi because of their similar backgrounds.His loving and caring is also shown when he feels guilty because he has done a mistake and hurt anyone.

Obi felt very sorry for her. She was obviously an intelligent girl who had set her mind, like so many other young Nigerians, on university education. And who could blame them? Certainly not Obi. It was rather sheer hypocrisy to ask if a scholarship was as important as all that or if university education was worth it. Every Nigerian knew the answer. It was yes (p. 105).

The writer also finds that Obi blames himself when Clara wants to break off their engagement again. She says that she does not want to break his family and ruin his life.

Then Obi said: “I can understand…. It’s perfectly all right…. I don’t blame you in the least.” He wanted to add: “Why should you throw yourself away on someone who can’t make both ends meet?” But he did not want to sound sentimental. He said instead: “Thank you very much for everything.” (p. 141)

From the above quotation, the writer finds that Obi Okonkwo has a big love to Clara, so he feels guilty and thinks that he can not make Clara happy. Obi says that he understands that she does not want to marry someone who cannot manage his finances. “You do not want to marry someone who has to borrow money to pay for his insurance.” (p. 142).

Although Obi is a loving person, he also has been temperamental when they begin to have a relationship and they know about what they like. Obi likes writing poem and Clara likes watching film. Although they love each other, they always have different perceptions and points of view. 32

“It’s not too late to go to your film,” said Obi, capitulating, or appearing to do so. “You may go if you want to, I’m not coming,” she said. Only three days before they had gone to see “a very good film” which infuriated Obi so much that he stopped looking at the screen altogether, except when Clara whispered one explanation or another for his benefit (p.21).

Obi Okonkwo has a bad temper when he cannot do what he wants. Clara wants to go to the movies but Obi does not like to do. He likes to read poems to

Clara.

His temperamental is also shown when he chooses to be dishonest. He knows that being dishonest is not good, but he does not have any choice. After receiving the parcel from Clara containing fifty pounds to pay the loan, Obi wants to return the money without making her hurt. When Obi is one way from Ikoyi to

Yoba, he thinks hard how to tell her that he cannot take it. At last, he finds himself lying to her. Obi becomes dishonest when Clara asks him what the bank manager had said when he returned the money.

All the way from Ikoyi to Yaba he was thinking how best he could make her take the money back. He knew it was going to be difficult, if not impossible. But it was quite out of the question for him to take fifty pounds from her. The question was how to make her take it back without hurting her. He might say that he would look silly taking an overdraft today and paying it off tomorrow, that the manager might think he had stolen the money (page 123).

From the following quotation, the writer finds that Obi Okonkwo has been dishonest when he does not want to use Clara’s money to pay his loan. After he has received this loan from the bank, he returns to work only to find his electric bill. Later, Obi has a quarrel with Clara because she is upset that Obi had not told her about borrowing some money from the bank.

That evening he had a serious disagreement with Clara, He had not wanted to tell her about the overdraft, but as soon as she saw him she asked what 33

the matter was. He tried to fob her off with some excuse. But he had not planned it, so it didn’t hold together… “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked when he had told her about the overdraft. “Well, there was no need. I’ll pay it easily in five monthly installments.” (p. 116)

Related to Obi’s lying to Clara, Obi’s characteristic of being dishonest also occurs when he has a conversation with his father. His father asks whether he had had time to read the Bible when he was in London and Obi answers that he had read a Bible in English language. But actually, he does not believe in the same

God as his father’s.

Obi’s father ignored the false compliment, pursuing his own train of thought. “Tomorrow we shall all worship at church. The pastor has agreed to make it a special service for you”. “But is it necessary, Father? Is it enough that we pray together here as we prayed this night?” (p. 64)

Obi thought: “What would happen if I stood up and said to him: “Father, I no longer believe in God?” He knew it was impossible for him to do it, but he just wondered what would happen if he did. He often wondered like that… “Did you have time to read your Bible while you were there?” There was nothing for it but to tell a lie. Sometimes a lie was kinder than a truth. Obi knew why the question had been asked. He had read his verses so badly at prayers that evening (p. 65).

The writer gets the characterization of Obi Okonkwo for being dishonest person from the above quotations. Although he answers his father’s question that he has read Bible in English, he lies to his father that he does not believe in God that his father believes in.

Obi also becomes idealistic who always has different ideas, perceptions, or point of views from others. Idealistic means that someone believes that ideals can be achieved, often when this does not seem likely to others. Obi gets any opposite 34

point of view about the bribery with Christopher, a man who has unrequited love with Clara. “The civil service is corrupt because of these so-called experienced men at the top,” said Obi (p. 22). Obi also says,

“Our People say that if you pay homage to the man on top, others will pay homage to you when it is your turn to be on top. Well, that is what the old men say.” “What do the young men say, if I may ask?” “To most of them bribery is no problem. They come straight to the top without bribing anyone. It’s not that they’re necessarily better than others, it’s simply that they can afford to be virtuous. But even that kind of virtue can become a habit.”

Obi Okonkwo also becomes idealistic when he has an interview with an old Africans for the Public Service Commission. The old African becomes angry with Obi when he asks Obi whether Obi wants the position because it can take bribes. Obi becomes upset and leaves the interview on a bad note.

He said instead: “I don’t know how you expect me to answer that question. Even if my reason is to take bribes, you don’t expect me to admit it before this board. So I don’t think it’s very useful question” (p. 46).

Obi’s characteristics of being idealistic is also proved when Obi becomes elated after he gets success to refuse the bribe offered by Mr. Mark in order to get the scholarship for his sister. Obi feels idealistic when he can reject the bribes and feel that he has won the battle.

“No, no, no. I have got those. But it is like this. I was told that you are the secretary of the Scholarship Commission and I thought that I should see you. We are both Ibos and I cannot hide anything from you. It is all very well sending in forms, but you know what our country is. Unless you see people…”(p. 98)

Obi is idealistic when he can reject the bribes and feel that he has won the battle. Obi is also offered a bribe when Ms. Mark comes to Obi’s house. She offers her body if Obi will help her to get the scholarship, but Obi still rejects it. 35

“Please, Mr. Okonkwo, you must help me. I’ll do whatever you ask.” She avoided his eyes. Her voice was a little unsteady, and Obi thought he saw a hint of tears in her eyes.” (p. 105). The writer finds that Obi is idealist because he has a different idea with the other characters in the story. He can still keep their perspective not to take the bribe.

By using Perrine’s and Murphy’s theory of characterization, the writer finds six characteristics of the main character, Obi Okonkwo. Obi has characteristics of being smart, educated, nationalistic, loving and caring, temperamental, and idealistic.

B. Conflicts of the Main Character

As the writer read Chinua’s work, No Longer at Ease, the writer finds there are many conflicts of the main character, Obi Okonkwo. Obi Okonkwo has so many conflicts with other characters, especially related to the differences of perceptions among each other.

In this thesis, the writer wanted to show the conflicts of the main character of Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease. The writer applied the theory of conflicts that shows that there are two kinds of conflicts. These conflicts are internal conflicts and external conflicts. In internal conflicts, the writer applied the conflicts that happen with Obi Okonkwo without any relation with other characters. It can be based on Obi’s thought, point of view or perception. Besides internal conflicts, the writer applied the external conflicts that relate the main character with other characters. For example, it can be the differences between 36

Obi’s thought and other characters’ thought or other situation that shows the conflicts itself.

According to Hugh Holman and William Harmon in A Handbook to

Literature, conflict is the struggle that grows out of the interplay of the two opposing forces in a plot. Conflict can be divided into four different kinds and one additional possibility of conflict: a struggle against nature, a struggle against another person, a struggle against society, a struggle for mastery by two elements with the person, and the struggle against fate or destiny (1986: 107-108).

Besides, the writer also applied the theory of Robert Stanton in An

Introduction to Fiction (1964: 16) that there are two kinds of conflicts; internal conflicts between two desires within a character; and external conflicts between characters or between a character and his environment.

1. Internal Conflicts

Internal conflict or inner conflict is a struggle within the heart and mind of the protagonist (Redman, 1964: 363). According to Hugh Holman and William

Harmon, internal conflict is a struggle for mastery by two elements with the person. It confronts the character’s thought and feeling.

In the beginning, Chinua Achebe sets up the problem for the whole novel by telling us what the judge says that Obi has been an educated man and has studied in England. Obi has been accused of taking a bribe. When the judge says about his education in the courtroom, Obi becomes indifferent until tears come to 37

his face. Obi has struggle with himself whether he should express his sadness or he just need to be silence in the court.

He even tried to smile and belie the tears. A smile would have been quite logical. All the stuff about education and promise and betrayal had not taken him unawares. He had expected it and rehearsed this very scene a hundred times until it had become as familiar as a friend (p. 2).

From the above quotation, the writer finds that Obi has a conflict with himself. Firstly, Obi has promised that he will never take a bribe. Then, he takes more bribes until finally he is arrested. The internal conflict of Obi is shown when

Obi feels the sting of tears in his eyes. He had prepared to avoid crying, but at this time he is unable to help himself.

Obi also has a conflict with himself when he falls in love with Clara. He knows that Clara is an osu, so there are many people who disagree with their relationship. So he gets internal conflict with himself, he has to think what he should do. He wants to marry Clara because he loves her so much, but in another side, he can not oppose the caste system in his society not to marry an osu.

Obi felt better and more confident in his decision now that there was an opponent, the first of hundreds to come, no doubt. Perhaps it was not a decision really; for him there could be only one choice. It was scandalous that in the middle of the twentieth century a man could be barred from marrying a girl simply because her great-great-great-great grandfather had been dedicated to serve a god, thereby setting himself apart and turning his descendants into a forbidden caste to the end of Time (p. 82).

Obi knows that he opposes many people around him to marry Clara. It makes him struggle with himself when his society still holds on the caste rule that an Ibo can not marry an osu. Obi’s internal conflict happens when he should choose whether he should follow the caste rule or not. But, here the writer finds that Obi struggles to make him more confident that no one can stop him from 38

marrying Clara, although he has to against with Joseph and Umuofia Progressive

Union.

Besides, he also has to struggle himself when his mother can not permit him to marry Clara. He always thinks how he can convince his mother to allow him to marry Clara. Here shows that Obi loves his mother so much, but he get confused whether he should follow his mother’s rule or not.

Obi knew better than anyone else that his family would violently oppose the idea of marrying an osu. Who wouldn’t? But for him it was either Clara or nobody. Family ties were all very well as long as they did not interfere with Clara. “If I could convince my mother,” he thought, “all would be well.” (p. 86)

From the above quotation, the writer finds that Obi has internal conflict to make him sure that he can convince his mother because there are two sides that makes him confused before. First, because Obi loves his mother, if he chooses to obey his mother’s rule, he should leave the girl he loves so much. It is because

Obi’s mother forces him not to marry Clara, or she will commit suicide. In another side, if Obi chooses Clara, he does not want to see his mother die.

Obi only stays in his room after he has conversation with his mother about his relationship with Clara. He needs to be alone to make him calm down.

Although his neighbors come to see him, he does not want to see anyone. He can not express his feeling, although actually he is very upset.

He waited for his father to speak that he might up another fight to justify himself. His mind was troubled not only by what had happened but also by the discovery that there was nothing in him with which to challenge it honestly. All day he had striven to rouse his anger and his conviction, but he was honest enough with himself to realize that the response he got, no matter how violent it sometimes appeared, was not genuine… But he could not accept the present state of his mind as final, so he searched 39

desperately for something that would trigger off the inevitable reaction (p. 156).

Obi gets internal conflict when he waits for his father, and when his father comes, Obi tries to listen to him. Obi knows that they will fight again, but he has to choose to talk again to his father about his decision to marry Clara. Obi’s conflict is when he feels that he has nothing real or good to be honest to challenge his parents. This is the first time that Obi gets internal conflict with himself when he can not get enough strength to stand up with conviction for what he has believed. He believes that he can not change the caste rule, so he can not change his mother and his father either, but another side, he wants to marry Clara.

Obi also gets a conflict with himself when he realizes that he has a responsibility to his family to give them money. His mother is sick episodically, and his father is also sick. Because of that, they do not have enough money to buy food and other necessities, especially for paying the school fees of his two youngest brothers. He has to choose whether he has to use his salary to pay the loan to Umuofia Progressive Union as his duty to pay the scholarship, or he has to help financial problem of his family as his duty also to help his family.

Obi fight himself in his thought how to give money to his family, until he is unable to sleep. He always thinks to give his parents some money from his salary. He also thinks how much money he needs to pay the loan and assist his family and pay his brothers’ school fee. Finally, he decides that he will give his family ten pounds a month from his salary, but he hopes he does not need to pay the twenty pounds a month for Umuofia Progressive Union.

By using the theory of internal conflict of Redman, Hugh Holman and

William Harmon, the writer finds that there are some internal conflicts of the main character, Obi Okonkwo. These internal conflicts are related with his feeling of taking a bribe, his relationship with Clara that is prohibited by his family and society, and his responsibilities of giving money for his family.

2. External Conflicts

According to Hugh Holman and William Harmon, external conflicts include a struggle against nature, a struggle against another person, a struggle against society, and the struggle against fate or destiny (1986: 107-108). In this thesis, the writer points out a struggle of the main character, Obi Okonkwo, against Clara, Joseph, Christopher, his father, his mother, and another character.

Besides, the writer also finds the main character’s struggle against society, such as

Umuofia Progressive Union and Ibo people. 41

a. The Main Character’s Conflicts with Clara

Clara is one of the characters in No Longer at Ease whom Obi loves. She also gets education in London as a nurse. She is an osu that becomes one problem for her relationship with Obi because osu is an outcast. It makes her upset, especially when Obi’s mother ultimate him not to marry Clara while his mother is still alive. There are many conflicts between Obi and Clara, especially the conflicts related to their relationship.

A simple conflict between Obi and Clara can be shown when they have a quarrel about film and poem. Clara wants to go to the movies, but Obi does not want it. Obi likes to read poems to Clara, but Clara always feels bored and cannot understand the poems. Clara becomes upset and does not want to speak with

Obi.

At this stage in their relationship, Clara never said: “Let us go to films.” She said instead: ”There is a good film at the Capitol.” Obi, who did not care for films, especially those that Clara called good, had said after a long silence: “Well, if you insist, but I’m not keen.” Clara did not insist, but she felt very much hurt. All evening she had been nursing her feelings (p. 21).

This quarrel begins a sign that other problems will come. Obi’s conflict with Clara happens when they have different arguments. Obi likes a poem, but in

Clara likes to watch a film. Clara likes the movies while Obi likes poems of T.S.

Eliot. “But Obi was insistent, and Clara had said: “I don’t know why you should want me to meet people that I don’t want to meet” “You know, you are a poet,

Clara,” said Obi. “To meet people you don’t want to meet, that’s pure T.S. Eliot.”

(p. 22)”

Another conflict comes when Clara says that Obi can not marry her because she in an osu. Clara becomes upset and when they have a dinner, they do 42

not talk, nor eating. After telling that Obi can not marry her, Clara becomes very upset and cries.

“What’s the matter, Clara? Tell me.” He was no longer unruffled. There was a hint of tears in his voice. “I am an osu,” she wept. Silence. She stopped weeping and quietly disengaged herself from him. Still he said nothing (p. 81).

The conflict comes when they have different argument again, when Clara wants to break their relationship because Clara realizes that she is an osu, but Obi still does not care with her status.

The conflict comes again when Obi begins to be economic in the household, so he can pay the loan. He complains about the meat in his food, the water heater, and the electricity. Obi has a quarrel with Clara when Clara becomes upset that Obi did not tell her about taking a loan out of the bank.

That evening he had a serious disagreement with Clara, He had not wanted to tell her about the overdraft, but as soon as she saw him she asked what the matter was. He tried to fob her off with some excuse. But he had not planned it, so it didn’t hold together… “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked when he had told her about the overdraft. “Well, there was no need. I’ll pay it easily in five monthly installments.” (p. 116)

That evidence shows the conflict that causes a quarrel between Obi and

Clara. Clara is upset because Obi did not tell her about the overdraft. She feels she has to know these things since they are to be married. It is obvious that Obi has a certain amount of pride but he does not tell Clara about his financial problems.

Obi’s conflict with Clara continues when he blames himself that he understands if Clara does not want to be married to him because he can not 43

manage finances. Clara tells that she can not come between him and his family and she also can not ruin his life.

“Come and tell me what is the trouble,” said Obi, gently pulling her down. He kissed her and it tasted salty. “What is it?” Clara said he was very sorry to let him down at this eleventh hour. But she was sure it would be in everybody’s best interest if they broke of their engagement. Obi was deeply stung, but he said nothing for a long time (p. 140-141).

From that evidence, the writer finds that there are two misunderstanding of both. Obi thinks that he will blame himself if Clara is married to a man who has financial problems. But, Clara thinks that she does not want to come between him and his family and ruin them because she knows that she only makes Obi’s family ashamed because she is an osu.

Another conflict between Obi and Clara comes when Obi goes straight to

Clara's house to tell her what has happened at home. He says that it is only his mother's recent illness that makes her mad and his father has turned over to their side. Unfortunately, Clara does not believe him and tells him that she knows it will not work. The engagement is finally broken off.

Obi had done his best to make the whole thing sound unimportant. Just a temporary setback and no more. Everything would work out nicely in the end. His mother’s mind had been affected by her long illness but she would soon get over it. As for his father, he was as good as won over. “All we need do is lie quiet for a little while.” Clara had listened in silence, rubbing her engagement ring with her right fingers. When he stopped talking, she looked up at him and asked if he had finished. He did not answer (p. 161- 162).

“Come and sit down, Clara. Let’s not be childish. And please don’t make things more difficult for me.” “You are making things difficult for yourself. How many times did I tell you that we were deceiving ourselves? But I was always told I was being childish. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. There is no need for long talk.” (p. 162) 44

From the evidence, the writer finds that Obi gets conflict again with Clara when he says that because of his mother's recent illness, his mother can not admit him to marry Clara, and Clara does not believe his words. Clara has known about the rule of society that an Ibo can not marry an osu, so they break the engagement.

From the above explanations, the writer finds that external conflicts of Obi

Okonkwo with Clara mostly are caused by their different argument, whether it is about their relationship, their characteristics, or what they like.

b. The Main Character’s Conflicts with His Father

Okonkwo is Obi’s father. He is a Christian and he has a strong faith in his religion. Obi’s father has a big significance in Obi’s life. Obi always has quarrels with his father, not only because of the Christianity, but also because of Obi’s relationship with Clara. Okonkwo does not permit Obi to marry Clara just because

Clara is an osu, and he thinks that an osu is an outcast.

While Obi is at home, he has a conversation with his father. During their conversation, his father asks him if he had had time to read the Bible while he was in England. Obi responds that he had read the Bible in English language. But, he knows that he does not believe in the same God as his father does.

That evidence shows how Obi disobeys his father’s by leaving

Christianity. Obi knows his father is asking him whether he had read the Bible when he was in London because he reads the Bible in bad verses.

Obi’s conflict with his father is not only related to the religion, but also they have some quarrels about Obi’s relationship with Clara. When Obi talks about Clara to his father, his father opposes to his marriage. Obi uses the ideas of

Christianity to defend his position. He says that in Christ there is no bondage and no judgment as Obi’s father has.

“I said you cannot marry the girl.” “But why, Father?” “Why? I shall tell you why. But first tell me this. Did you find out or try to find out anything about this girl?” “Yes.” “What did you find out?” “That they are osu.” “You mean to tell me that you knew, and you ask me why?” “I don’t think it matters. We are Christians.” This had some affect, nothing startling though. Only a little pause and a slightly softer tone (p. 151).

That conversation is between Obi and his father. His father does not allow him to marry Clara just because she is an osu. Obi uses the Christianity and the enlightenment in order to convince his father that his desire to marry Clara is not prohibited in Christian.

From the above explanations, the writer finds that external conflicts of Obi

Okonkwo with his father are caused by their different belief, while his father believes in Christianity, Obi does not have the same belief as his father. Obi’s relationship with Clara also becomes the reason of their conflicts. 46

c. The Main Character’s Conflicts with His Mother

Not only does Obi have conflicts with his father, but he also has some conflicts with his mother, Hannah Okonkwo, especially related to his relationship with Clara. Obi’s mother has some perception with Obi’s father, that he can not marry Clara because Clara is an osu. His mother gives him an ultimatum that he can not marry Clara. She says that if Obi still wants to marry Clara, he must wait until she dies. Or, if he still marry Clara, she will commit suicide. Obi is troubled by this ultimatum and he is not able to find the strength and conviction to convince his mother.

“I have nothing to tell you in this matter except one thing. If you want to marry this girl, you must wait until I am no more. If God hears my prayers, you will not wait long.” She stopped again. Obi was terrified by the change that had come over her. She looked strange as if she had suddenly gone off her head. “Mother!” he called, as if she was going away. She held up her hand for silence. “but if you do the thing while I am alive, you will have my blood on your head, because I shall kill myself.” She sank down completely exhausted (p. 154).

That conversation between Obi and his mother shows how his mother does not want Obi to marry Clara. She makes the ultimatum to Obi that she will commit suicide if Obi still marries Clara. But in another side, Obi thinks that he can marry Clara no matter where Clara comes from.

From the above quotation and explanation, the writer finds that external conflict of Obi Okonkwo with his mother is only caused by his relationship with

Clara that his mother can not allow him to marry Clara. 47

d. The Main Character’s Conflicts with Joseph

Obi Okonkwo has a friend named Joseph. When Obi returns to Nigeria, he lives in Lagos with Joseph. Joseph also becomes a friend who always listens to

Obi whenever he has problems. Joseph is a person who tells Umuofia Progressive

Union that Obi has a relationship with Clara, an osu. And, Joseph helps Obi in entertaining the people who attend the funeral gathering. Because Joseph is Obi’s best friend, they always get conflicts, especially about Obi’s relationship with

Clara.

Obi’s conflict with Joseph begins when Obi returns after the interview and tells Joseph that he has been angry with the interviewer who asks him whether he wants the position in order to be able to take bribes. Joseph responds to Obi by telling him that he should not be angry because he needs a job.

Joseph was not very happy when Obi told him a story of the interview. His opinion was that a man in need of a job could not afford to be angry. “Nonsense!” said Obi. “That’s what I call colonial mentality.” “Call it what you like,” said Joseph in Ibo. “You know more book than I, but I am older and wiser. And I can tell you that a man does not challenge his chi to a wrestling match.” (p. 46-47)

That quarrel between Obi and Joseph shows that Obi does not only have different perception with the interviewers, but he also has a different opinion with

Joseph. When Joseph has told him that he should not be angry during the interview, Obi thinks that Joseph has a colonial mentality, because Joseph seems to tempt the fate.

The conflict continues when Joseph tells Obi that he should not marry

Clara because she is an osu. However, Obi says that he still marries her although his mother does not permit him to marry Clara. 48

“I am going to marry her,” Obi said. “What!” Joseph sat up in bed. “I am going to marry her.” “Look at me,” said Joseph, getting up and tying his coverlet as a loincloth. He now spoke in English. “You know book, but this is no matter for book. Do you know what an osu is? But how can you know?” (p. 82).

The conflict between Obi and Joseph comes again when Obi comes home and tells Joseph what Clara has told him. Obi tells him that he will still marry

Clara although his mother does not agree with this marriage. “Not even my mother can stop me,” he said as he lay down beside Joseph.” (p. 82).

Obi’s external conflicts with Joseph always happen when they have different arguments or perceptions, such as when Joseph thinks that Obi should not marry Clara because of her caste, Obi thinks that it is not a problem. Besides,

Joseph thinks that how Obi reacts toward the interviewers’ question is wrong.

e. The Main Character’s Conflicts with Christopher

Christopher is another friend of Obi. They have a similar education, but they have a different attitude. He is less of an idealist than Obi. He thinks that he understands the balance he must possess in order to live in between two very different cultures. He always takes the opposite view.

Whichever line Obi took, Christopher had to take the opposite. Christopher was an economist from the London School of Economics and he always pointed out that Obi’s arguments were not based on factual or scientific analysis, which was not surprising since he had taken a degree in English (p. 22).

They have different perception about bribery in the civil service. However,

Obi is still idealistic. “To most of them bribery is not problem. They come straight 49

to the top without bribing anyone. It’s not that they’re necessarily better than others, it’s simply that they can afford to be virtuous.” (p. 23).

f. The Main Character’s Conflicts with the Interviewer

Obi not only has conflicts with Clara, Joseph, Christopher, his mother and his father, but he also has some conflicts with other character such as with the interviewers. Obi has a quarrel with the interviewers when he looks for the job.

All the interviewers have a positive image of Obi, except the old African, who asks him whether he wants the position to be able to take bribes. After asked that question, Obi becomes upset and leaves the interview. The conflict is when Obi becomes upset with the interviewer because he thinks that Obi is like other

African who will become corrupt when they work in civil service.

“Why do you want a job in the civil service? So that you can take bribes?” he asked. Obi hesitated. His first impulse was to say it was an idiotic question. He said instead: “I don’t know how you expect me to answer that question. Even if my reason is to take bribes, you don’t expect me to admit it before this board. So I don’t think it’s very useful question” (page 46).

From the above quotation, the writer finds that Obi has different perception about the bribes. It is because many people want the position in order to get the bribes, the interviewers asks him about that. However, Obi becomes angry and leaves the interview.

g. The Main Character’s Conflicts with Umuofia Progressive Union

A conflict happens between Obi and Umuofia Progressive Union (UPU).

When Obi comes to the meeting of UPU, firstly he thanks for the scholarship to 50

study in London and for the brief period for four months to pay his loan. The topic is changed into the subject of Clara. UPU is against Obi marrying Clara because she is an osu. Obi becomes angry and says that it is not their business.

“I am not going to listen to you anymore. I take back my request. I shall start paying you back at the end of this month. Now, this minute! But don’t you dare interfere in my affairs again. And if this is what you meet about, “ he said in Ibo, “you may cut off my two legs if you ever find them here again.” He made for the door. A number of people tried to intercept him. “Please sit down.” “Cool down”. “There is no quarrel.” Everybody was talking at once (p. 95).

Obi asks for the delay of four months to pay back his loan to UPU. While some members of UPU gives the dispensation for Obi to repay his loan, the president of Union talks about Obi’s relationship with Clara. Obi says that he does not want to listen to him and he will pay the loan immediately. Then, Obi runs off although some people try to stop him. He goes to Clara’s house.

h. The Main Character’s Conflicts with Ibo Society

Chinua Achebe also shows that the main character, Obi Okonkwo has conflicts with his society, especially for being an Ibo. The most conflicts that happen among them are based on caste rule that Ibo can not allow the society to marry with an osu because they are outcast. Here, in this case, Obi gets conflict because he has a relationship with Clara who is an osu.

From the above quotation, the writer finds that Obi’s father can not allow

Obi to marry Clara because she is an osu. The Ibo society is against its people to marry an osu. Besides, the writer also finds the conversation between Obi and

Joseph that shows that Ibo society is against Obi to marry Clara.

Joseph wants to show Obi that why he can not marry Clara because she is an osu. Clara also realizes who she is when she has conversation with Obi and wants to break up their relationship. “I am an osu,” she wept. Silence. She stopped weeping and quietly disengaged herself from him. Still he said nothing (p. 81).”

Obi’s relationship with Clara is not allowed by other characters because the society itself also has a rule not to marry an outcast, such as osu. It becomes one conflict of Obi to struggle himself because the society does not support him related to his relationship with Clara.

By applying the theory of conflicts of Hugh Holman’s and William

Harmon’s, and Robert Stanton’s, the writer analyzes the conflicts of the main character in Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease. There are two kinds of conflicts here, internal conflicts and external conflicts. Internal conflicts happen when Obi is sad when he is in the court because he has taken the bribes, he also becomes sad when he misses his country when he is in London and he tries to write the poems about his country. His biggest internal conflicts are when he wants to convince other people to marry Clara, an osu, and also when he thinks that he has a responsibilities to give his family money because his mother has a serious illness. 52

The external conflicts of the main character in No Longer at Ease happen between Obi and Clara, Joseph, Christopher, his mother, his father, the interviewers, Umuofia Progressive Union (UPU), and the Ibo society. Most conflicts are related to the bribes and Obi’s relationship with Clara.

C. The Influence toward the Main Character’s Characteristics and Conflicts

Chinua Achebe writes Obi’s life as a man who gets a scholarship to study in London. Obi gets the scholarship from Umuofia Progressive Union (UPU) and he must pay back the money in four years. Obi studies in London for four years, and after that he returns to Nigeria, his country.

Christopher Dawson states that enculturation is the process by which culture is handed on by the society and acquired by the individual (1961: 3-4).

Western education influences Obi not only because he gets education in London, but he also learns the ideas spread by the westerner. Here, after Obi returns from

London, he has changed and he always has different perceptions with other people around him, such as Joseph, his mother, his father, and also the Ibo society. Obi has enculturation when he stays in London. Western education that Obi gets during his study in London has influenced him in changing his characteristic and it becomes the source of conflicts that come in Obi’s life, especially related to a concept of marriage and bribe.

According to Robert Bell, Gerald Fowler and Ken Little, the university students can decide what students to admit, what staff to appoint, what to teach and in what conditions degrees will be awarded. The students do not have an 53

automatic right of entry if they hold the basic qualifications (1973: 7). Although, in the end of the story, the author, Chinua Achebe writes that Obi does not marry

Clara, an osu, and take the bribes, western education has changed him in characteristics and made him experience the conflicts.

1. The Influence toward the Main Character’s Characteristics

The main character, Obi Okonkwo, becomes different after he comes back from England where he studied for four years. He always has different opinion from other people related to his decision to marry an osu, Clara, and about the bribes. His thought becomes different from others’ thought and he has been influenced by the western perceptions.

He experiences the enculturation during in London. According to

Christopher Dawson, enculturation is the process by which culture is handed on by the society and acquired by the individual. Some cultural education is necessary if Western culture is to survive, but people can no longer rely exclusively on the traditional discipline of classical humanism (1961: 3, 67,133).

This theory emphasizes that Obi Okonkwo besides studying formal education in

London, he also learns the culture indirectly.

Western education makes Obi become educated. In Oxford Advanced

Learner’s Dictionary, being educated means having had a high standard of education. Obi’s characteristic for being educated can be seen from Joseph’s word. Joseph knows that Obi has become different in his country after he gets 54

European education. He uses the word of book to illustrate that Obi has a good education but he cannot understand his caste system.

“Look at me,” said Joseph, getting up and tying his coverlet as a loincloth. He now spoke in English. “You know book, but this is no matter for book. Do you know what an osu is? But how can you know?” In that short question he said in effect that Obi’s mission-house upbringing and European education had made him a stranger in his country – the most painful thing one could say to Obi (p. 82).

By using the words said by the judge, the author also shows that Obi is educated after coming back from London. The judge says that Obi has a good education and brilliant thinking.

From the above quotation, the western education influences Obi to be educated. The judge says that Obi has education and brilliant promise. It means that the judge recognizes him to be educated.

Besides being educated, western education influences Obi to be idealistic.

Susan Bassnett (1997: 39-40) says that British studies has assumptions that become a belief in the power of formal education to overcome the fundamental problems of poverty, ignorance and disease, and to create a peace – loving and creative community of egalitarian altruist. Egalitarian means that people believe that all people are equally important and have the same rights and opportunities in their life. Here means that western education has influenced Obi that all people are equal and have the same rights, so there is no osu or outcast in this world.

From Obi’s conversation with his father shows that Obi becomes idealistic. 55

“What did you find out?” “That they are osu.” “You mean to tell me that you knew, and you ask me why?” “I don’t think it matters. We are Christians.” This had some affect, nothing startling though. Only a little pause and a slightly softer tone. “We are Christians,” he said. “But that is no reason to marry an osu (p. 151).

Chinnammai in his article entitled “Effects of Globalisation on Education and Culture” states that the effects of globalization on education bring rapid developments in technology and communications that are foreseeing changed within school systems across the world as ideas, values, and knowledge. Western education influences Obi to be idealistic because he wants to marry Clara although he knows that his society and family do not agree with his desire. He knows that Clara is an osu. Obi thinks that it is not wrong if he marries Clara.

2. The Influence toward the Main Character’s Conflicts

There are two most important conflicts of Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at

Ease that happen to the main character, Obi Okonkwo. These conflicts are related to Obi’s decision to marry Clara, who is an osu, and his decision not to take the bribes even his job is in the civil service.

After Obi comes back from England, he always gets conflicts with other people around him, especially about two of them. It is because Obi has different perceptions that have been influenced by what he had learned since he was in

England when he studied there. 56

a. The Conflicts about the Marriage

Western education makes Obi experience the conflicts related to the marriage, because he wants to marry Clara who is an osu but all people around him do not agree with his decision. Obi thinks that all people are the same, no matter with the society or where they come from.

Carlton H. Bowyer states about the education that people need more than a dictionary definition of what education means. Whether education is the act of educating, the discipline of mind or character through study or instruction, or science dealing with the principles and practices of teaching and learning, people need to be more definite in order to be sure that we communicate ideas (1970: 20-

22). It means that education influences Obi to have any ideas that can be different from other people in his country.

For example, he has different arguments from Joseph who shares his room when he comes back to Lagos after he finished his study in London. Therefore,

Joseph knows all things about Obi, especially about Obi’s relationship with Clara.

Joseph disagrees with this relationship because he knows who Clara is.

“I am going to marry her.” “Look at me,” said Joseph, getting up and tying his coverlet as a loincloth. He now spoke in English. “You know book, but this is no matter for book. Do you know what an osu is? But how can you know?” In that short question he said in effect that Obi’s mission-house upbringing and European education had made him a stranger in his country – the most painful thing one could say to Obi (p. 82).

Joseph realizes that Obi has changed after he gets European or western education. Obi has been stranger in his country by having different idea about 57

marriage. Obi still wants to marry Clara although he knows that she is an osu and his family and society do not agree with his decision.

Susan Bassnett (1997: 39-40) states that British studies has assumptions that become a belief in the power of formal education to create a peace – loving and creative community of egalitarian altruist. Obi becomes an egalitarian after living in London because this view believes that all people have the same rights.

Therefore, Obi thinks that he is not wrong to love Clara.

Obi falls in love with an osu, Clara. He has a relationship with her and still wants to marry her although people around him prohibit him. It is because there is a rule or caste system that an Ibo can not marry an osu because of an outcast. As an educated man from London, Obi can not accept the caste system about the marriage. Although, he knows that his caste system is tight and difficult to break.

“Our fathers in their darkness and ignorance called an innocent man osu, a thing given to idols, and thereafter he became an outcast, and his children, and his children’s children forever (p. 151).”

Obi gets conflicts with Joseph, his father, his mother, Clara, Umuofia

Progressive Union, and others related to his plan to marry Clara. He has a concept that everyone can marry other people no matter where he or she comes from. It shows that Obi has a different concept from other characters in No Longer at Ease related to marriage.

Western education influences Obi to be confident to say that he is right.

His education makes him have strong perception about the marriage that everyone 58

can marry others no matter where they come from. Besides, he also becomes more confident to say that no one can prohibit him to marry Clara.

“It was scandalous that in the middle of the twentieth century a man could be barred from marrying a girl simply because her great-great-great-great grandfather had been dedicated to serve a god, thereby setting himself apart and turning his descendants into a forbidden caste to the end of Time. Quite unbelievable. And here was an educated man telling Obi he did not understand. “Not even my mother can stop me,” he said as he lay down beside Joseph (p. 82).

Joseph knows that Obi has different thought from him caused by his western education. It is known when Joseph asks him whether Obi wants to marry based on what western has taught him or what he has learned from his custom.

“Are you going to marry the English way or are you going to ask your people to approach her people according to custom?” (p. 85).

Joseph thinks that people not only marry the person he marries to, but he also marries the family of his wife. But, Obi has different opinion from Joseph.

Carlton H. Bowyer states that the success of the teacher will be evident when the students are able to evaluate assumptions, evidence, form, and conclusion in a series of arguments. It means that the student will be sensitive to meaning, validity, and reliability of statements and arguments (1970: 360).

“What are you going to do concerns not only yourself but your whole family and future generations. If one finger brings oil it soils the others. In future, when we are all civilized, anybody may marry anybody. But that time has not come. We of this generation are only pioneers.” “What is a pioneer? Someone who shows the way. That is what I am doing. Anyway, it is too late to change now.” (p. 86)

These different perceptions of marriage cause a conflict between Obi and

Joseph. It is also caused by his education background. Obi has education in 59

London, and Joseph only gets education in Education Corps during the war.

Joseph still holds on the caste system, but Obi does not do it.

Similar to Joseph, Obi’s friend, Christopher also opposes Obi’s decision to marry Clara. Christopher also gets western education in London, but he still holds the caste system in Ibo. When they talk about Clara, Christopher has the same opinion as Joseph that opposes Obi’s decision to marry an osu.

“I had wanted to discuss that matter with you. But I have learnt not to interfere in a matter between a man and a woman, especially with chaps like you who have wonderful ideas about love. A friend came to me last year and asked my advice about a girl he wanted to marry. I knew this girl very very well. She is, you know, very liberal. So I told my friend: ‘You shouldn’t marry this girl.’ Do you know what this bloody fool did? He went and told the girl what I said. That was why I didn’t tell you anything about Clara. You may say that I am not broad-minded, but I don’t think we have reached the stage where we can ignore all our customs. You may talk about education and so on, but I am not going to marry an osu.” (p. 163)

Christopher says that although he has an education in London, he still keeps the caste system not to marry an osu, because they live in society who will never let someone break the system. The writer sees from the different point of view between Obi and Christopher. Although they are similar in education background, they have different changes of perceptions. Obi’s perceptions have changed into western perception, but it does not happen with Christopher.

Similar to Obi’s conflict with Joseph about his decision to marry Clara,

Obi still holds his opinion that he can marry Clara whether she is osu or not.

Western education that he gets in London makes him learn something different from others that is about the acceptance all people from any ethnic. Even, his father also says that he can not marry Clara because Clara is an osu. 60

“Osu is like leprosy in the minds of our people. I beg of you, my son, not to bring the mark of shame and of leprosy into your family. If you do, your children and your children’s children unto the third and fourth generations will curse your memory. It is not for myself I speak, my days are few. You will bring sorrow on your head and on the heads of your children. Who will marry your daughters? Whose daughters will your sons marry? Think of that, my son. We are Christians, but we cannot marry our own daughter.” (p. 152)

Obi’s father compares an osu with a leprosy. He wants to show Obi how their society avoids the osu people. They, the osus, are like the leprosies that only bring the shame for the family. And, if he still marries an osu, his family will be exiled from the society because they have disobeyed the caste system. His mother also prohibits him not to marry Clara, “If you want to marry this girl, you must wait until I am no more (p. 154).”

Obi still holds his belief that western education has influenced him, has same rights and opportunities in their life. “Obi repeated his points again. What made an osu different from other men and women? Nothing but the ignorance of their forefathers (p. 152)”.

The opposition to marry Clara also comes from Umuofia Progressive

Union that brings Obi to study in England. The president of the union recognizes

Obi as an educated man and tries to remind him that education is really different from the caste system.

“We are pioneers building up our families and our town. And those who build must deny ourselves many pleasures. We must not drink because we see our neighbors drink or run after women because our thing stands up. You may ask why I am saying all this, I have heard that you are moving around with a girl of doubtful ancestry, and even when thinking of marrying her. . . .” (p. 94) 61

The quotation above shows how the union opposes Obi to marry Clara.

The president of the union realizes that Obi is too young to disobey the caste system. The president of UPU says that an osu is like a doubtful ancestry that must be avoided.

Clara whom Obi wants to marry also realizes that she cannot marry Obi.

She realizes that the society where Obi lives does not agree with his decision to marry her, because she comes from an outcast.

“I am an osu,” she wept. Silence. She stopped weeping and quietly disengaged herself from him. Still he said nothing. “So you see we cannot get married,” she said, quite firmly, almost gaily – a terrible kind of gaiety. Only the tears showed she had wept (p. 81).

From the quotation above, the writer can see how Clara realizes that she is an osu, and she is not able to marry Obi. Clara also knows that Obi’s family will be shame if Obi still marries her. The writer finds that Clara also has western education as a nurse, but she can realize the caste system in Obi’s caste. It does not happen to Obi that has changed because he does not want to follow his caste system. Although finally, Obi does not marry her because she leaves him, western education has changed Obi’s mind and caused the conflicts about marriage.

b. The Conflicts about the Bribes

Obi’s problem is not only about his decision to marry Clara that can not be accepted by all people around him, but he also gets problem about the bribe that brings him into the court as the novel shows in the beginning.

Western education has influenced his conflict about the bribes. Felix M. E.

Okpilike in his journal entitled “The Pretence of Western Religion and Education 62

in Nigeria: A Sociological Perspective” states that one major feature of the western education is its emphasis on certificate to the detriment of good character.

The result is that one finds most of the products of the school system unable to manage honestly the social institutions of the Nigerian society. Obi knows that the social organizations in his country have not been honest. There are still many corruptors who do the bribery.

Because he has studied law in London, he knows the western law about the bribes. UK does not allow the bribe in every aspect. The laws makes it a crime to bribe another person and a crime to accept a bribe. The Bribery Bill requires the

Secretary of State to publish guidance about procedures that a company can put in place to prevent bribery (http://www.compliancebuilding.com/2010/03/25/ bribery-in-britain/).

Firstly, there is a thought of people that the position of Obi can take the bribes, but Obi has committed that he will never take a bribe.

Obi argues that corruption in political aspect is only an experience of uneducated men who have been in the top position. They take a gain for being in top position through bribery. He thinks that a university educated man only has a little bit of experience for taking a bribe and less corruptible. Obi thinks that because of his education, he can work in civil service, so he will not take a bribe. 63

Obi’s promise not to take a bribe is also shown from his answer to the interviewers when they ask about the bribery. The African member asks Obi whether Obi seeking a job in the civil service is for taking the bribes. But, Obi angrily and directly responds the question.

Obi’s argument becomes stronger when he faces Mr. Mark, someone who wants to give him a bribe if Obi can give Mr. Mark’s sister a scholarship to

England.

No, no, no. I have got those. But it is like this. I was told that you are the secretary of the Scholarship Commission and I thought that I should see you. We are both Ibos and I cannot hide anything from you. It is all very well sending in forms, but you know what our country is. Unless you see people… (p. 98).

Mr. Mark tries to offer Obi a bribe, but Obi still convinces himself that he can remain uncorrupt. He pretends that he does not know what Mr. Mark is talking about.

But unfortunately, Obi takes a bribe after his mother dies when a businessman comes to visit Obi at home and tells him that his son needs a scholarship to England. He offers Obi 50 pounds. Obi takes it. “My son is going to England in September. I want him to get scholarship. If you can do it for me here is fifty pounds,” (p. 191).

Although Obi has been influenced by the western law that he gets during his study, in the end of the story Obi takes the bribes in order to repay his loan. 64

His mother dies and Clara leaves him. Firstly, Obi becomes ashamed when he takes a bribe for the first time. And in one day, Obi takes twenty pounds and he says that it is enough.

From the above quotations and explanations that the writer has written, it shows that Obi has changed his characteristics after he gets western education from the scholarship that he gets in England. Obi always has different argument from other characters in the novel, such as Joseph, Christopher, Clara, his mother and his father. These different arguments cause the conflicts and show the characteristics of Obi.

Obi’s different perception is mostly about his decision to marry Clara who is an osu, and his promise not to take the bribe. Western education does not fully influence Obi’s life because at last he takes the bribe and he does not marry Clara, but western education has changed his characteristics and made him experience conflicts with others. CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

No Longer at Ease is one of Chinua Achebe’s works that presents the story of African society and culture related to the marriage with an outcast and the bribery. There are three questions formulated in this thesis, the first is about the characterization of the main character, the second is the conflicts of the main character, and the last is the significance of the western education toward the conflicts and the characteristics of the main character.

The main character, Obi Okonkwo is described as being smart, educated, nationalistic, loving and caring, temperamental, and idealistic. The main character has internal conflicts and external conflicts. The internal conflicts happen to him when he has to choose whether he should live with his mother and leave Clara whom he loves so much, or he should wait for his mother’s death to live with

Clara. Besides, he can not disobey the caste rule that prohibit an Ibo to marry an osu. He also has internal conflict with himself when he cannot hide his feeling in the court, he should choose whether he has to be silent or smile but his heart is hurt. His responsibilities also make him struggle with himself whether he wants to use his salary to repay the loan to Umuofia Progressive Union or to give his parents money.

Obi Okonkwo also experiences the external conflicts with other characters and society. It is shown with his conflicts with Clara, Joseph, Christopher, his mother, his father, the interviewers, Umuofia Progressive Union and Ibo society.

65 66

The conflicts mostly happen related to his decision to marry Clara, but the other people oppose him because she is an osu. Besides, the conflicts happen because there are different arguments between Obi and other characters that sometimes cause a quarrel among them.

The third problem formulation explains the influence of western education toward the main character’s characteristics and conflicts. Obi Okonkwo has a western education that he gets from the scholarship from the union. He has been there for four years and he also learns how the western people think, so when he comes back to his country he has been different. He becomes educated and idealistic. Related to the marriage, he has an argument that everyone can marry someone else, and it is not based on social background. Therefore, he is sure that he is right to marry Clara who is an osu. Besides, he also promises that he will never take a bribe in his position as a civil service, although the African is thought as a corrupt. But unfortunately, in the end of the story, he takes the bribes to repay his loan.

The western education also signifies his characteristics when he comes back to his country, seen from how he reacts toward the conflicts with himself and other people. He becomes different when he cannot understand his caste system.

Of course, he becomes educated after he gets western education, but he cannot differentiate the caste rule and his education. He becomes idealistic who always has different arguments from others, but he loves and cares others, especially toward his mother. 67

The writer comes to this conclusion after realizing that western education that the main character gets influences his characteristics and his conflicts.

Through all of the study, the writer can conclude that western education can change people to be different seen from the way they react to the conflicts. From conflicts, the characteristics of the people also can be seen by other people whom they get conflicts with.

Obi thinks that everyone is the same, so he can marry someone wherever she comes from, but his friends, family, and society do not agree with that. An Ibo can not marry an osu because she is an outcast. Besides, when all African think that being a civil service can take a bribe, Obi has different mind. He thinks that the bribe is prohibited and breaks the law.

One thing should be remembered is that the western education is different from the caste system in the society. What ideas that people get from the western education can not be related to the caste system, because it has each own characteristics and lessons. However, people can not use his education to oppose the caste system that has been built in the society for long time. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. Sixth Edition. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publisher, 1993.

Achebe, Chinua. No Longer at Ease. New York: Doubleday, 1960.

Ayittey, George B.N. Africa Betrayed. New York: St. Martin Press, 1992.

Barranger, Milly S. Understanding Play. Massachusetts: A Division of Simon and Schuster, Inc, 1994.

Bassnett, Susan. Studying British Cultures. London: Routledge, 1997.

Brooks, Purser and Warren. An Approach to Literature. Third Edition. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1936.

Barnet, Sylvan, William Burto and William E. Cain. Literature for Composition: Essays, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005.

Bell, Robert; Gerald Fowler and Ken Little. Education in Great Britain and Ireland. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd, 1973

Bowyer, Carlton H. Philosophical Perspective for Education. Philippines: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1970.

Chinnamai. “Effects of Globalisation on Education and Culture”. (22 June 2010)

Daiches, David. Critical Approaches to Literature. Second Edition. New York: Longman Inc, 1981.

Dawson, Christopher. The Crisis of Western Education. New York: Sheed and Ward, 1961.

Forster, E.M. Aspects of The Novel and Related Writings. London: Edward Arnold Ltd, 1974.

Gutek, Gerald L. A History of the Western Educational Experience. New York: Random House, 1972.

Holman, Hugh, William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. Fifth Edition. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1986.

68 69

Hornby, AS. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Seventh Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Kennedy, Dana Gioia. Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Seventh Edition. New York: Longman, Inc, 1999.

Maciver, and Charles H. Page. Society: An Introductory Analysis. New York: Rinehart & Company, 1950.

Murphy, M.J. Understanding Unseen: An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas Students. London: George Allen and Urwin, Ltd, 1972.

Okpilike, Felix M. E. “The Pretence of Western Religion and Education in Nigeria: A Sociological Perspective”. (22 June 2010)

Onyemaechi, Uzoma. “Igbo Culture and Socialization”. (26 January 2010)

Perrine, Laurence. Literature, Structure, Sound, and Sense. Second Edition. New York: Harcout Brace Jovanovich Inc, 1974.

Robert, Edgar V. and Henry F. Jacobs. Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1987.

Redman, Crosby E. A Secondbook of Plays. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1964.

Stanton, Robert. An Introduction to Fiction. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1964.

Wellek, Rene and Austin Warren. Theory of Literature. 3rd edition. New York: Harcourt Brace and World, 1956.

Wilson, Ami. “UK companies face tough new bribery laws”. (8 June 2010) 70

http://brothersjudd.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/reviews.detail/book_id/18 (8 June 2010) http://www.compliancebuilding.com/2010/03/25/bribery-in-britain/ (8 June 2010) http://www.onelife.com/psy/culseige.html (26 January 2010) APPENDICES Appendix 1:

Summary of No Longer at Ease

No Longer at Ease is started in the court of Obi Okonkwo for being corrupt and taking the bribes. The judge and the audience think how such a promising young man could have taken the bribes. The novel then backtracks in time and tells the story of how Obi ended up in such a horrible situation.

The story goes back to Obi when he returns from England, where he was receiving an education. Obi meets Clara on the boat back to Nigeria. They have a relationship quickly, and by the time Obi has gotten a job in the civil service.

Through Obi, the people hope to get jobs. It can be the reason for taking the bribes. But Obi has no desire to accept bribes in order to help others achieve a scholarship or jobs.

Obi begins to pay back his school loan to the Umuofia Progressive Union, and he begins to send his parents a monthly sum of money. Soon, Obi doesn't have enough money to keep up. First, after Clara, Obi’s love, admits that she's an osu, Obi gives Clara an engagement ring. Then, Obi discovers that he needs forty pounds to pay for his car insurance. So, he goes to get a bank loan of fifty pounds.

The next day, Clara sends Obi fifty pounds. He wants to make her take it back. Obi doesn't really want to give back the loan from Clara. The two make up and go dancing. While they are dancing, somebody enters their car and steals fifty pounds. So now Obi owes Clara fifty pounds, and he still owes the bank fifty pounds.

72 73

His mother becomes ill that she has to go to the hospital. He thinks for being responsible for his family. Obi has a conversation with his father about his decision to marry Clara, an osu. But, his father simply insists he cannot marry

Clara.

Obi returns to Lagos. Obi meets Clara and she understands that his parents will never accept their relationship. She breaks up with him. Obi discovers she's pregnant. He decides that he has to borrow money to pay for an abortion. Obi’s mother dies, and Obi sends all the money to pay for her funeral, but he stays in

Lagos and does not go home for her funeral.

Obi is depressed. He begins to let go of his former convictions. Deeply in debt, Obi begins to accept bribes left and right. But he does maintain a certain semblance of principles to refuse the bribes from people who do not have the minimum qualifications to appear before the Scholarship Board. At last, Obi is caught for accepting a bribe and found guilty at his trial. Appendix 2:

Biography of Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe was born in Ogidi, Nigeria, the son of a teacher in a missionary school. His parents, though they installed in him many of the values of their traditional Igbo culture, were devout evangelical Protestants and christened him Albert after Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. In 1944 Achebe attended Government College in Umuahia. He was also educated at the University

College of Ibadan, where he studied English, history and theology. At the university Achebe rejected his British name and took his indigenous name

Chinua. In 1953 he graduated with a BA. Before joining the Nigerian

Broadcasting Company in Lagos in 1954 he travelled in Africa and America, and worked for a short time as a teacher. In the 1960s he was the director of External

Services in charge of the Voice of Nigeria.

Achebe's first novel, Things Fall Apart, appeared in 1958. The story of a traditional village "big man" Okonkwo, and his downfall has been translated into some 50 languages. It was followed two year later by No Longer at Ease, and

Arrow of God (1964), which concerned traditional Igbo life as it clashed with colonial powers in the form of missionaries and colonial government. Among

Achebe's later works is Anthills of the (1987).

Achebe has also written collections of short stories, poetry, and several books for juvenile readers. His essays include Beware, Soul Brother (1971), about his experiences during the Civil War. He has received a Margaret Wrong Prize,

74 75

the New Statesman Jock Campbell Prize, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, and the 2007 Man Booker International award. In 1983, upon the death of Mallan

Aminu Kano, Achebe was elected deputy national president of the People's

Redemption Party. As the director of Heineman Educational Books in Nigeria, he has encouraged and published the work of dozens of African writers. He founded in 1984 the bilingual magazine Uwa ndi Igbo, a valuable source for Igbo studies.

As an essayist Achebe has gained fame with his collections Morning Yet on Creation (1975), Hopes and Impediments (1988) and his long essay The

Trouble with Nigeria (1983). In 'An Image of Africa' (1975) Achebe criticizes

Conrad's racism in Heart of Darkness. He has defended the use of the English language in the production of African fiction, insisting that the African novelist has an obligation to educate, and has attacked European critics who have failed to understand African literature on its own terms. Achebe has defined himself as a cultural nationalist with a revolutionary mission "to help my society regain belief in itself and put away the complexes of the years of denigration and self- abasement."