vi ABSTRACT
Malasari, Susanti (2009). Cultural Conflicts Experienced by Obi Okonkwo as Revealed in Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program Sanata Dharma University.
This thesis discusses a novel entitled No Longer at Ease written by Chinua Achebe. It is about a young man, Obi Okonkwo, who returns from studying abroad in England. The influence of western culture makes Obi Okonkwo live with two different cultures. It makes Obi Okonkwo rebel against his Ibo traditions and customs. That is why he tries to break the rule of the tradition by making a decision to marry an osu. However, Obi Okonkwo’s parents, friends and also lover stand against his decision because it is clear that marrying an osu is forbidden in Ibo society. The clashed perception between Obi Okonkwo and his relatives, friends and also his lover leads him to the main conflict of the novel.
There are two problems formulated in the problem formulation, they are: (1) How is Obi Okonkwo’s character described in the novel? (2) How does western culture influence the major conflict of Obi Okonkwo?
The method of this study is library research. There are two main data that the writer used in this study: primary data and secondary data. The primary data is the novel No Longer at Ease. The secondary data is the data that are used to support the analysis such as some books in literature, sociology, culture and also some articles related to Ibo and Western culture taken from the electronic sources.
In order to answer the first problem, the writer used theories of character and characterization. To find out the answer of the second problem, the writer used sociology theories, cultural theories, review on Ibo and Western culture in particular those related to marriage. In addition, the writer used sociocultural approach because it deals with the influence of culture on a conflict in one’s life.
The analysis of the first problem shows that Obi Okonkwo is described as a smart, dishonest, idealistic, responsible, educated, loving and caring person. On the other hand, the analysis of the second problem concerns with the influence of Western culture on the major conflict of Obi Okonkwo. It is concluded that Obi Okonkwo’s decision to marry Clara is the cause of the major conflict. It happens because Obi Okonkwo has been influenced by Western culture that makes him have new perceptions about marriage.
vii ABSTRAK
Malasari, Susanti (2009). Cultural Conflicts Experienced by Obi Okonkwo as Revealed in Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini membahas sebuah novel berjudul No Longer at Ease karangan Chinua Achebe. Novel ini menceritakan tentang seorang laki-laki muda bernama Obi Okonkwo yang baru saja kembali dari Inggris. Pengaruh kebudayaan barat membuat Obi Okonkwo hidup dengan dua kebudayaan yang berbeda. Hal itu membuat Obi Okonkwo menentang tradisi dan kebudayaan Ibo yang dianutnya. Oleh karena itu, dia mencoba untuk melanggar tradisi masyarakatnya dengan membuat keputusan untuk menikahi seorang osu. Akan tetapi, orang tua, sahabat-sahabat dan kekasih Obi Okonkwo menentang keputusannya karena masyarakat Ibo melarang seseorang untuk menikahi osu. Perbedaan persepsi diantara Obi Okonkwo dengan kerabatnya, sahabat-sahabatnya dan kekasihnya membuatnya masuk ke dalam konflik utama dalam novel ini.
Ada dua masalah yang dinyatakan dalam rumusan masalah: (1) Bagaimana karakter Obi Okonkwo dideskripsikan? (2) Bagaimana pengaruh budaya barat terhadap konflik utama yang dialami oleh Obi Okonkwo?
Skipsi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka. Ada dua sumber utama yang digunakan dalam skipsi ini: sumber utama dan sumber kedua. Sumber utamanya adalah novel No Longer at Ease. Sumber keduanya adalah data yang digunakan untuk mendukung analisis seperti buku-buku tentang kesusasteraan, buku-buku tentang sosiologi, buku-buku tentang kebudayaan dan juga beberapa artikel tentang kebudayaan Ibo dan kebadayaan barat yang diambil dari sumber-sumber elektronik.
Untuk menjawab pertanyaan pada masalah pertama, saya menggunakan teori penokohan. Untuk menemukan jawaban masalah kedua, saya menggunakan teori sosiologi, teori budaya, dan ulasan tentang budaya Ibo dan budaya barat pada khususnya yang berhubungan dengan pernikahan. Saya juga menggunakan pendekatan sosial-budaya karena analisis skripsi ini berkaitan dengan pengaruh budaya terhadap konflik dalam kehidupan seseorang.
Analisis masalah pertama menunjukkan bahwa Obi Okonkwo adalah seorang yang pandai, tidak jujur, idealis, bertanggung jawab, berpendidikan dan penyayang. Analisis masalah kedua membahas tentang pengaruh kebudayaan barat terhadap konflik utama yang dialami oleh Obi Okonkwo. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa keputusan Obi Okonkwo untuk menikahi Clara adalah hal yang menjadi sebab konflik utama. Hal tersebut terjadi karena Obi Okonkwo telah terpengaruh oleh budaya barat yang membuatnya mempunyai persepsi-persepsi baru tentang pernikahan.
viii
CULTURAL CONFLICTS EXPERIENCED BY OBI OKONKWO
AS REVEALED IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S NO LONGER AT EASE
A Thesis
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By:
Susanti Malasari
Student Number: 041214124
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
i
CULTURAL CONFLICTS EXPERIENCED BY OBI OKONKWO
AS REVEALED IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S NO LONGER AT EASE
A Thesis
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By:
Susanti Malasari
Student Number: 041214124
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
vi ABSTRACT
Malasari, Susanti (2009). Cultural Conflicts Experienced by Obi Okonkwo as Revealed in Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program Sanata Dharma University.
This thesis discusses a novel entitled No Longer at Ease written by Chinua Achebe. It is about a young man, Obi Okonkwo, who returns from studying abroad in England. The influence of western culture makes Obi Okonkwo live with two different cultures. It makes Obi Okonkwo rebel against his Ibo traditions and customs. That is why he tries to break the rule of the tradition by making a decision to marry an osu. However, Obi Okonkwo’s parents, friends and also lover stand against his decision because it is clear that marrying an osu is forbidden in Ibo society. The clashed perception between Obi Okonkwo and his relatives, friends and also his lover leads him to the main conflict of the novel.
There are two problems formulated in the problem formulation, they are: (1) How is Obi Okonkwo’s character described in the novel? (2) How does western culture influence the major conflict of Obi Okonkwo?
The method of this study is library research. There are two main data that the writer used in this study: primary data and secondary data. The primary data is the novel No Longer at Ease. The secondary data is the data that are used to support the analysis such as some books in literature, sociology, culture and also some articles related to Ibo and Western culture taken from the electronic sources.
In order to answer the first problem, the writer used theories of character and characterization. To find out the answer of the second problem, the writer used sociology theories, cultural theories, review on Ibo and Western culture in particular those related to marriage. In addition, the writer used sociocultural approach because it deals with the influence of culture on a conflict in one’s life.
The analysis of the first problem shows that Obi Okonkwo is described as a smart, dishonest, idealistic, responsible, educated, loving and caring person. On the other hand, the analysis of the second problem concerns with the influence of Western culture on the major conflict of Obi Okonkwo. It is concluded that Obi Okonkwo’s decision to marry Clara is the cause of the major conflict. It happens because Obi Okonkwo has been influenced by Western culture that makes him have new perceptions about marriage.
vii ABSTRAK
Malasari, Susanti (2009). Cultural Conflicts Experienced by Obi Okonkwo as Revealed in Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini membahas sebuah novel berjudul No Longer at Ease karangan Chinua Achebe. Novel ini menceritakan tentang seorang laki-laki muda bernama Obi Okonkwo yang baru saja kembali dari Inggris. Pengaruh kebudayaan barat membuat Obi Okonkwo hidup dengan dua kebudayaan yang berbeda. Hal itu membuat Obi Okonkwo menentang tradisi dan kebudayaan Ibo yang dianutnya. Oleh karena itu, dia mencoba untuk melanggar tradisi masyarakatnya dengan membuat keputusan untuk menikahi seorang osu. Akan tetapi, orang tua, sahabat-sahabat dan kekasih Obi Okonkwo menentang keputusannya karena masyarakat Ibo melarang seseorang untuk menikahi osu. Perbedaan persepsi diantara Obi Okonkwo dengan kerabatnya, sahabat-sahabatnya dan kekasihnya membuatnya masuk ke dalam konflik utama dalam novel ini.
Ada dua masalah yang dinyatakan dalam rumusan masalah: (1) Bagaimana karakter Obi Okonkwo dideskripsikan? (2) Bagaimana pengaruh budaya barat terhadap konflik utama yang dialami oleh Obi Okonkwo?
Skipsi ini menggunakan metode studi pustaka. Ada dua sumber utama yang digunakan dalam skipsi ini: sumber utama dan sumber kedua. Sumber utamanya adalah novel No Longer at Ease. Sumber keduanya adalah data yang digunakan untuk mendukung analisis seperti buku-buku tentang kesusasteraan, buku-buku tentang sosiologi, buku-buku tentang kebudayaan dan juga beberapa artikel tentang kebudayaan Ibo dan kebadayaan barat yang diambil dari sumber-sumber elektronik.
Untuk menjawab pertanyaan pada masalah pertama, saya menggunakan teori penokohan. Untuk menemukan jawaban masalah kedua, saya menggunakan teori sosiologi, teori budaya, dan ulasan tentang budaya Ibo dan budaya barat pada khususnya yang berhubungan dengan pernikahan. Saya juga menggunakan pendekatan sosial-budaya karena analisis skripsi ini berkaitan dengan pengaruh budaya terhadap konflik dalam kehidupan seseorang.
Analisis masalah pertama menunjukkan bahwa Obi Okonkwo adalah seorang yang pandai, tidak jujur, idealis, bertanggung jawab, berpendidikan dan penyayang. Analisis masalah kedua membahas tentang pengaruh kebudayaan barat terhadap konflik utama yang dialami oleh Obi Okonkwo. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa keputusan Obi Okonkwo untuk menikahi Clara adalah hal yang menjadi sebab konflik utama. Hal tersebut terjadi karena Obi Okonkwo telah terpengaruh oleh budaya barat yang membuatnya mempunyai persepsi-persepsi baru tentang pernikahan.
viii
ix
I face inconvenience to get something precious in my life...
God gives me this chance to prove that I can make one of my
dreams comes true...
However this is not the end of my efforts because there is a
greatest dream that I want to achieve...
This thesis is gratefully dedicated to:
•
My beloved parents
•
My younger brother
•
My Sun
x
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all I would like to thank my God, Allah SWT for the Most
Gracious love, mercy and guidance in all my life. His strength empowers me to
face this hard life especially in writing my thesis. Allah is the only power in my
life. I would like to thank Mrs. Henny Herawati, S. Pd., M. Hum. for her time,
advice, ideas, comments, suggestions and also for her patience in guiding me
during the writing process of my thesis. She is much more than a thesis advisor.
She is a very great thesis advisor. I also would like to thank Sister Margaret,
Paskalina Widiastuti Ratnaningsih, and Silvia Krisnawati for reading and
correcting my thesis. I appreciate their help, patience and kindness.
A great appreciation goes to all lecturers of English Education Study
Program for helping me to broaden my knowledge that is very useful in writing
this thesis. I also thank all the staff at the secretariat who are always ready to
help me in administrative matter during my study. My deepest thanks go to
Sanata Dharma University librarians for their kindness in helping me finding
references that are useful for my study and my thesis.
My greatest gratitude goes to my family: My Father, Murjoko Maiyanto,
my mother, Warsih, and also my younger brother, Setyo Budi Ariyanto, who
always encourages me. I thank them for their love, support and prayers. I also
thank for every smile, every joke and every great moment in our lives. I thank
them for everything they have given to me. May God always give us a great
xi
my younger brother’s girlfriend, Dhesi. I thank her for her caring and
encouragement. Grateful thanks go to My Sun. I thank him for his love, support
and encouragement. I thank him for sharing great moments with me and
brightening my days. I will never forget all of them.
My special thanks go to my mutual friends, Susan, Bekti and Vensi for
coloring my days. They all have been so nice and great friends to me who are
willing to help me whenever I need. I thank them for every laugher and tear. We
will be good friends forever. May God bless them all. I also thank Yayun for the
novel. My deepest thanks go to Mbak Upik, Ferdi, Mbak Ari, and Mbak Niken
for their help and encouragement. Special thanks go to Mas Adi, Randy,
Immanuel and also Mas Andri for their encouragement and support. I also thank
my classmates, who are so friendly and kind. I will miss our days together. I
would express my gratitude for my partners in conducting PPL II, KKN and SPD
project. I thank them for such a great cooperation.
I would like to thank my Sweety Supra Fit AB 5225 G. I thank it so much
for accompanying me everywhere. I thank it for being my friend in all conditions.
It is the most loyal friend that I have ever had.
Last but not least I would like to express my deepest thanks to everybody
who has helped and supported me in writing my thesis and for those who have
come and beautified my life. I cannot mention one by one but I truly thank them
for everything they have given to me. May the best come to us all.
xii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE ... i
APPROVAL PAGES ... ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... iv
ABSTRACT ... v
ABSTRAK ... vi
PAGE OF DEDICATION ... viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... xi
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Background of the Study . ... 1
B. Problem Formulation ... 3
C. Problem Limitation ... 4
D. Objectives of the Study ... 4
E. Benefits of the Study ... 4
F. Definition of Terms ... 4
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 7
A. Theoretical Review ... 7
1. Theory of Literature ... 7
xiii
b. Theory of Characterization ... 9
1) Meaning of Characterization ... 9
2) Ways of Characterization... 9
c. Theory of Critical Approach ... 10
d. Theory of Conflict ... 12
2. Sociological Theory of Conflict ... 12
3. Cultural Theory of Social Class and Caste System ... 14
a. Social Class ... 14
b. Caste System ... 14
4. Review on Igbo Culture ... 15
a. Caste System ... 15
b. Igbo Marriage Tradition ... 17
5. Review on Western Culture ... 17
a. Social Class in the United States ... 17
b. Western Marriage Tradition ... 18
B. Theoretical Framework ... 18
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ... 20
A. Object of the Study ... 20
B. Approach of the Study ... 21
xiv
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ... 23
A. The Description of Obi Okonkwo ... 23
1. Smart ... 25
2. Dishonest. ... 26
3. Idealistic ... 28
4. Responsible ... 31
5. Educated ... 33
6. Loving and Caring ... 36
B. The Influence of Western Culture on the Major Conflict of Obi – Okonkwo ... 41
1. The Identification of the Cause of the Major Conflict of Obi – Okonkwo ... 41
a. Perceptions of Clara ... 43
b. Perceptions of Obi’s Friends ... 45
c. Perceptions of Obi’s Parents ... 47
2. Obi’s New Perceptions about Marriage ... 50
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ... 56
A. Conclusions ... 56
B. Suggestions ... 59
1. Suggestions for Future Researchers ... 59
xv
REFERENCES ... 62
APPENDICES ... 65
Appendix 1: Summary of No Longer at Ease ... 66
Appendix 2: Biography of Chinua Achebe ... 69
Appendix 3: Chinua Achebe’s Works ... 76
Appendix 4: Picture of Chinua Achebe ... 77
Appendix 5: Map of the Places in the novel ... 78
Appendix 6: Syllabus ... 79
Appendix 7: Implementation of No Longer at Ease to Teach Writing ... 81
1 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of six major parts. The first part, background of the
study, explains the writer’s reasons in choosing the topic. The second part,
problem formulation, formulates the problems that the writer wants to discuss.
The third part, problem limitation, describes the focus and the scope of the study.
The fourth part, objectives of the study, presents the objectives of this study. The
fifth part, research benefits, presents the benefits of this study. In addition, the last
part, definition of terms, explains some key terms used in this study.
A. Background of the Study
As social beings, human beings could not live by themselves. They are
always related to their society. It means that they need their society to fulfill their
needs. They need to interact with their society in order to survive. The interaction
between them is often called social interaction. According to Gillin and Gillin
(489) “social interaction refers to social relations of all sorts in function - dynamic
social relations of all kinds – whether such relations exist between individual and
individual, between group and group, or between group and individual, as the case
may be.” In the process of social interaction, human beings may find some
problems. The problems may cause conflict between them.
Fichter (230) states “conflict is that form of mutual interaction through
by rendering the other party ineffectual.” While Gillin and Gillin (625) state
“conflict is the social process in which individuals or groups seek their ends by
directly challenging the antagonist by violence or threat of violence.” However,
conflicts are not necessarily violence but it can be the conflict in the form of
contrary ideas or values. There are many causes of conflicts. According to Gillin
and Gillin, conflicts may grow up through cultural differences. This statement is
supported by LeBaron which states “culture is always a factor in conflict, whether
it plays a central role or influences it subtly and gently.”
It is so because there are some people who have a narrow view of
another’s culture. Usually people feel proud of their own culture. However, their
way of thinking sometimes leads them to judge another culture is worse compare
to their own culture. Therefore, conflict cannot be avoided. People usually feel
that they belong to certain cultural values, whenever they are threatened by others
they will act violently or they may react to it by being angry with the people who
threaten them. It means that cultural differences may raise conflict between
individual or between groups in the society even conflict in the family.
This phenomenon makes people who deal with literature have an idea that
cultural conflict may become a great soul of a story. A story that raises issues of
cultural differences offers great values for human beings. The novel that the writer
chose is one of the novels that raise social and cultural issues in human life that
we can easily find in our society. It tells about a man, Obi Okonkwo, who has just
come back from England after four years of studying abroad. During his years in
As a result, while Obi Okonkwo comes back to his hometown, he lives
with two different cultures. His Ibo culture is mixed with western culture. He is an
Ibo but he has westernized ways of thinking. As a result, Obi Okonkwo feels that he is uncomfortable with his own culture. In addition, he rebels against the Ibo
traditions that he previously believes in and follows western traditions.
Culture is something precious for a country. It is the identity of a country.
A good country must be able to keep their own culture because by keeping their
culture, it means that they keep their own identity. What the writer found in the
novel is that the major character cannot maintain his own culture which raises the
major conflict among the characters. The conflict occurred between the major
character and his lover and between the major character and his family. This novel
is very interesting since it shows how western culture influences the major
conflict of Obi Okonkwo. That is why the writer wants to analyze more on the
conflict which is caused by the influence of western culture in this novel. The
writer hopes that this work becomes an overview that culture has a big role in the
traditional society which still holds on to their traditional rules.
B. Problem Formulation
1. How is Obi Okonkwo’s character described in the novel?
C. Problem Limitation
This study focuses on the discussion on the major character’s description
in the story and the discussion on how western culture influences the major
conflict of Obi Okonkwo.
D. Objectives of the Study
In this study, there are two objectives that the writer wants to achieve. The
first is to find out how Obi Okonkwo’s character is described in the novel. The
writer tries to explore his attitudes and behavior and also how he is characterized
by another character. The second objective is to find out how western culture
influences the major conflict of Obi Okonkwo.
E. Benefits of the Study
There are at least two groups of people who get the benefits of the study.
They are readers in general and students. The readers in general get more
knowledge on how cultural differences cause conflicts in the society. The writer
hopes that this study gives contribution to the readers and the students who want
to take the same study.
F. Definition of Terms
To avoid misunderstanding and to get better understanding, the writer
The first term is character. Gill (127) states “a character is someone in a
literary work who has some sort of identity (it does not need be a strong one), an
identity which is made up by appearance, conversation, action, name and
(possibly) thoughts in the head.” In this study, the term character has two
meanings. Firstly, it means the person that becomes the focus of the novel that is
described deeply through their attitudes and performance. Secondly, they are
described through their psychological behavior which is concerned with their
emotion, feeling and motivation.
The second term is conflict. According to Laurence Perrine (44) conflict
means a clash of action, ideas, desires or wills between two individuals or among
people in the society. In this study, conflict refers to the problems caused by the
influence of western culture that the major character faces in the story.
The third term is culture. Fichter (270) states “culture is the total
configuration of institutions that people in a society share in common.” In this
study, culture refers to the tradition that the major character holds and new beliefs
that the major character acquires when he is studying in England.
The fourth term is Ibo or Igbo. Igbo is one of ethnic groups in Negeria. According to Froiland “the Ibos live in the Iboland.” VanderSluis explains that
“Igbo people find their home in a rich and fertile crescent created by the lower
Niger River within Nigeria.” In this study, Igbo refers to the ethnic in which Obi
The sixth term is Diala. According to Igwe, Diala are the freeborn. Igwe
states that in its literary meaning Diala means “the son of the soil.” He also states
that Diala are “the master.” In this study Diala refers to the Obi Okonkwo’s caste.
The seventh term is Osu. According to Onyemaechi, “an osu is a person
who is sacrificed or consecrated alive together with his or her descendants to the
service of a pagan god.” Igwe states osu are “the slaves, the strangers, the
outcasts, and the untouchables.” In this study, osu refers to Clara’s caste.
The last term is bride price. Onyemaechi states bride price is “a token
appreciation for the loss of a daughter.” According to him bride price is given to
the bride’s father or relatives. He also states that bride price is a form of a contract
between the couple. In this study, bride price refers to some money that Obi
7 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter includes the theories that the writer takes in the research to
support the analysis of the formulated problems stated in chapter I. This chapter is
divided into two parts. They are theoretical review and theoretical framework.
Theoretical review covers the theories of literature, sociological theory of conflict,
cultural theory of social class and caste system and reviews on Igbo and western
culture. Theoretical framework describes the application of all theories used in
this study.
A. Theoretical Review
This part deals with literary theory that the writer uses in the research to
support the analysis of the study. In this part, the writer presents The Theory of
Character, The Theory of Characterization, The Theory of Critical Approach, The
Theory of Conflict, The Sociological Theory of Conflict, Cultural Theory of
Social Class and Caste System, and also Reviews on Igbo and Western Culture.
1. Theory of Literature
a. Theory of Character
Gill (127) states “a character is someone in a literary work who has some
sort of identity, an identity which is made up by appearance, conversation, action,
“character is commonly used in two ways; it designates the individuals who
appear in the story and it refers to the mixture of interests, desires, emotions and
moral principles that makes up each of these individuals.” On the other hand,
Robert and Jacobs (119) defines “character is an extended verbal representation of
a human being, the inner self that determines thought, speech, and behavior.”
There are many ways to distinguish character. According to Stanton (17)
characters in a story play very important roles because the characters make the
readers understand the story. Major character is the most important but he needs
other characters to make the story more interesting. According to Milligan (155)
there are two types of character. The first type is called major character, a
character who plays an important role in the story. A major character appears
more often than the other character because he or she is the center of the story.
The second type is minor character, a character who plays a less important role in
the story. This character does not appear in the story frequently because his or her
role is only to support the major character to develop the story in the novel.
Barnet and Burto (228-229) explain about flat and round character. They
state “flat character is relatively simple and usually has only one trait: loving wife
(or jealous wife), tyrannical husband (or meek husband), braggart, pedant,
hypocrite, or whatever.” On the other hand, Barnet and Burto states “a round
character embodies several or many traits that cohere to form a complex
personality.” Holman and Harmon (83) state that character may be static or
dynamic based on their development and changes. Static characters are characters
their way of thinking. Dynamic characters, unlike static characters undergo
changes in their personalities, outlook and the way of thinking. According to
Barnet and Burto “a flat character is usually static (at the end of story the
character is pretty much what he or she was at the start), a round character is
likely to be dynamic, changing considerably as the story progress.”
b. Theory of Characterization
1) Meaning of Characterization
Characterization is establishing the distinctive character of the persons in a
narrative (Abrams, 24). There are two methods that can be used in order to reveal
the personality of the character. They are direct method and indirect method.
2) Ways of Characterization
There are nine ways of character analysis as stated by Murphy (161-173)
to make the characters understandable and come alive for the readers. First,
character can be analyzed through personal description. Here readers can analyze
a character by seeing the character’s appearance. Second, readers can analyze
character through character as seen by another. Other characters play an important
role to a character. They have their own judgment of a character. Their judgment
will help the readers to know the character’s personality.
The third way is through speech. Whatever the character says in any
situation will show what kind of person the character is to the readers. By using
Fourth, character can be analyzed through past life. A character’s past life
let the readers to know what factors that shape a person’s character. Fifth, the
readers can analyze a character by paying attention to the conversation of other
characters. Here readers can analyze a character by seeing other characters’
conversation about a character. What other characters say about a character may
become a clue of his or her personality. Sixth, readers can analyze a character by
focusing on his or her reactions toward the various situations and events. How the
person reaches various situations will give a clue to the readers to know a person’s
character. How the character solves the problems shows his or her personality.
Seventh, a character can be analyzed by direct comments. Direct
comments make the readers have a better understanding about a character in a
story. Eighth, readers can analyze a character by paying attention to a character’s
thought. The reader will be able to know a person’s character through what the
character is thinking about and what is going on in the person’s mind. And the last
way to analyze a character can be done by seeing a character’s mannerism, habits
or particular behavior. The habits or activity of the character can help the readers
to see his characterization.
c. Theory of Critical Approach
Reading a novel offers many advantages. Besides the interesting story,
there are many life values that we can get by reading a novel. The life values
provided by a novel are very good to improve our knowledge. However, readers
that reason, readers need some approaches in analyzing the values. Rohrberger
and Woods Jr. (6-15) state there are five approaches that we can use to analyze
and make understandable judgment of the literary works. The five approaches are
the formalist approach, the biographical approach, the sociocultural-historical
approach, the mythopoeic approach, and the psychological approach.
The formalist approach focuses on the total integrity of a literary work. It
concerns on its esthetic value. It investigates the work of literature itself. It
examines a literary work without the reference to facts of the author’s life and the
genre of a literary history, society and culture. The biographical approach is used
when readers want to examine a literary work based on the author’s ideas and
personality understanding of the literary work. The critics insist that a work of art
is a reflection of a personality. The sociocultural-historical approach deals with
the reference of social, cultural and historical background of a literary work. The
critics of this approach believe that it is necessary to investigate the society and
culture in which a work was created. The mythopoeic approach attempts to find
particular recurrent patterns of human thought, which are considered sharing the
same universal beliefs to certain community mind. Finally, the psychological
approach, involves effort to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns. This
approach deals with human’s psychology aspects such as imagination, thought
d. Theory of Conflict
According to Roberts and Jacobs (88) “conflict may be presented not as
direct opposition, but rather as a set of comparative or contrastive ideas or
values.” While Jaffe and Scott (2) state that “conflict simply means that a story
brings together two opposing forces which we call a protagonist (that is, “one who
struggles for”) and an antagonist (“one who struggles against”) and then resolves
the resultant struggle between these forces.” According to them conflict is a
necessary element in fiction. They state that conflict is the backbone of a story; it
is conflict that provides the pattern and direction and gives the sense of a story
going somewhere. On the other hand, Stanton (16) explains that there are two
kinds of conflicts, “the internal conflicts between two desires within a character”
and “the external conflicts between characters or between a character and his
environment.”
2. Sociological Theory of Conflict
Fichter (230) states “conflict is that form of mutual interaction through
which two or more persons attempt to remove each other, either by annihilating or
by rendering the other party ineffectual.” While Gillin and Gillin (625) state
“conflict is the social process in which individuals or groups seek their ends by
directly challenging the antagonist by violence or threat of violence.” According
to Koenig (262) “conflict usually involves violence and is personal, in its higher
forms it becomes an impersonal struggle to establish and preserve rules of justice
Gillin and Gillin (633-634) distinguish there are four roots of conflict. The
first root of conflict is individual differences. According to Gillin and Gillin
“individual differences give different point of view and provide disparities which
lead to clashes.” The second is that cultural differences. Cultural differences often
make people misjudge another culture so that it may form conflicts between
individual and also conflict between groups. The third is clashing interests. Each
individual has its own interests. The differences of interests may become the
source of conflict. The last root is social change. Social change may divide and
separate people into groups which cause competition. Therefore, it may become
the cause of the conflict.
Simmel (263) in Koenig’s book distinguishes four types of conflict. The
first type is war. War is universal in primitive life. He states that “relationships
between tribes are almost always marked by hostility.” In addition, he states “war
provides almost the only means of contact between alien groups; so long as peace
exists, the groups remain indifferent to each other.” The second type is feud or
factional strife. It is “an intragroup form of war.” According to him feud or
factional strife is “based on an alleged injustice done to one member, or family,
by another which is regarded by the group as a threat to its unity.” The third type
of conflict is litigation. It is a “conflict which assumes a judicial form”. Simmel
states “it is a struggle waged by an individual, or group, to protect rights to
possessions.” The last type of conflict is the conflict of impersonal ideals. He
states “in the conflict of impersonal ideals, the struggle is differentiated from the
not for themselves but for an ideal, the struggle often assumes an extremely fierce
and merciless character.
3. Cultural Theory of Social Class and Caste System
a. Social Class
According to Bates and Fratkin (321) “social class is used to describe
people who have generally similar educational histories, job opportunities, and
social standing.” According to Nanda (312) “in a class system, the different strata
(classes) are not sharply separated from one another but form a continuum.”
Hodges (173) in Bertrand’s book states “social class is a distinct reality which
embraces the fact that people live, eat, play, mate, dress, work, and think at
contrasting and dissimilar levels.” According to Hodges, the levels in the social
classes are the mixed of shared analgous occupational orientations, educational
backgrounds, economic wherewithal, and life experiences. Bertrand (170) states
“in class system there is no rigid limitation on movement from one strata to
another.” It means that in this kind of system, people have chance to move from
one class to another. The mobility can be upward or downward.
b. Caste System
Bates and Fratkin (324) state that “membership in caste system is managed
at birth.” According to them, caste is unchangeable. It means the caste is attached
permanently and they cannot move across the caste barrier though they have high
endogamously within the caste.” This statement is supported by Nanda (313)
which says “a caste is based on birth.” She states that “an individual who belongs
to the caste of his or her parents cannot move from one caste to another.” In a
caste system society, an individual can marry only within his caste. According to
Nanda, “a caste system consists of a ranked and culturally distinct number of
interdependent endogamous group.” Caste system has a clear distinction between
castes. No matter how high a position of a person, he cannot move to the upper
caste. Bertrand (165) states that “caste system is characterized by a system of
horizontal classes or castes (strata) which represent functional areas within a
society.” According to him, caste system is recognized as the most rigid.
Therefore, it is called closed societies. Hence, the people do not have the
opportunity to move from one caste to another because it is blocked by strong
sanctions.
4. Review on Igbo Culture
Due to the different spelling between Ibo and Igbo in this thesis, the writer
wants to underline that Ibo and Igbo come from the same society and share the
same values of tradition.
a. Caste System
According to Igwe there are two classes of people in Igboland. The first
class is the Nwadiala. It means ‘sons of the soil’. They are the freeborn, the
sacrificed or consecrated alive together with his or her descendants to the service
of a pagan god.” According to Igwe the “osu are the slaves, the strangers, the
outcasts, and the untouchables.” The osu is considered as low class so that there
are various forms of discrimination against them. He states that the osu are made
to live separately from the freeborn. That is why the osu are not allowed to join
any occasion with the freeborn, such as dancing, drinking, eating and having sex
relations. Igwe states that “no osu can pour libation or pray to God on behalf of a
freeborn at any community gathering”. He states that Ibo society believes that
“such prayers will bring calamity and misfortune.”
Another discrimination that is stated by Igwe is that “an osu cannot marry
a freeborn.” He states that if the freeborn marry an osu their family will be
dishonored. That is why freeborn families always forbid their members who want
to marry an osu. For this reason, marriages in Iboland are preceded by the elders
on both sides to go to the native villages in order to find out the social status. If it
is found that one of them is an osu, the plan will be cancelled. He states that the
osu caste system has refused to go away even among educated Igbos because this cultural practice is hinged among religion, supernaturalism and theism. In
addition, Igbos are very religious and theistic people. Igwe states “osu are regarded as unclean or untouchable because they are dedicated to the gods.”
According to him, “the dedication to the gods that makes the osu status a
b. Igbo Marriage Tradition
According to Onyemaechi, the marriage in Igbo society is patrilineal. He
states that a man should marry a woman from different community. According to
Agbasiere (96) “marriage is governed by the notion of birth status.” He states that
“it is forbidden for nwa or diala, freeborn, to marry an osu, a cut slave or ohu, a
bought slave and their descendants.” On the other hand, Onyemaechi states that
Igbo marriage is emphasized on arranged marriage rather than on love marriage. In Igbo marriage tradition, there is what so called bride wealth or bride price. It is
a form of appreciation for losing a daughter. The bride price is given to the bride’s
father or relatives. Bride price is not a form of buying a wife. However, it is as a
mean of contract between the couples. According to Onyemaechi, there is no
marriage of romantic love in Igbo marriage tradition. The purpose of the marriage
is to establish a family. He states that in Igbo society “marriage is generally
regarded as a family and clan affair.” Onyemaechi states that poligamy is allowed
in Igbo marriage tradition. Nwayi adds pologamy is “regarded as a symbol of success, wealth, and fame.”
5. Review on Western Culture
a. Social Class in the United States
Since British is a western country and it has similar class system to United
States, the writer uses the review of social class in the United States.
mythology and is based on the democratic principle of equality and opportunity for all. (Nanda, 312)
It means that people in this kind of society are equal. They have the same
opportunity in various means including education and marriage. In this kind of
society, people have chance to move to one class to another even to a higher
social class.
b. Western Marriage Tradition
Crabtree states, most western country apply romantic marriage. He states,
“it is an individual choice made by couples.” In romantic marriage, the couple
may choose to marry or become engaged first. According to Crabtree, couples are
free to do what they want to do though their family stand against them. It is so
because in western country, “individual and freedom is placed above the family.”
According to Sen, wedding rings or vows symbolize the western wedding. He
states that “wedding rings play a big role in western marriage.” Wedding rings
symbolize love and affection of the couples. Crabtree states that most western
culture and religious are strictly monogamous. In the west, poligamy is considered
as illegal.
B. Theoretical Framework
There are many theories that are applied in this study. These theories are
used to analyze and answer the problems that were formulated in the problem
formulations. For the first problem, the writer uses character and characterization
character. There are two ways to convey information about characters. They are
direct or explicit characterization and indirect or implicit characterization. To find
out the answer of the second problem, the writer uses several socio cultural
theories and also reviews on Igbo and western culture. The socio cultural theories
provide the definition of conflict, kinds of conflict and also the definition of class
and caste systems. The reviews on Igbo and western culture provide the
information about Igbo caste system, western social class and also Igbo and
western marriage tradition. These theories help the writer in answering the
problems stated in chapter two. In other words, the writer will get a good
20 CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
In this chapter the writer will explain about the primary data, approach and
procedures the writer uses to write this thesis. This part consists of subject matter,
approach, and procedures. The first part, object of the study, explains about the
novel the writer explores in this thesis. The second part, approach of the study,
contains the approach the writer uses to analyze the novel. The last part, method
of the study, consists of a series of steps the writer conducts in order to do this
thesis.
A. Object of the Study
This thesis studied No Longer at Ease written by Chinua Achebe, an
African author. The English version of this novel was published in 1960. This
book has 194 pages which is divided into nineteen chapters. No Longer at Ease is
Chinua Achebe’s second novel.
The story tells about a young man, Obi Okonkwo, who has just come back
to Nigeria after studying at a university in England. He studied in England for
about four years. After his return, Obi Okonkwo has different ways of thinking.
The influence of western culture makes Obi Okonkwo feel uncomfortable with his
Ibo tradition and customs. Therefore, he rebels against the tradition by claiming to marry his lover, Clara Okeke, who is considered an osu, an outcast. Nevertheless,
to marry Clara. However, Obi’s mother warns him not to marry Clara otherwise
she will commit suicide. Obi tells Clara what has happened. Clara becomes
angry, and then she decides to break off their engagement. Afterwards, Clara’s
speeches imply that she wants to tell Obi that she is pregnant. Knowing Clara’s
pregnancy, Obi arranges an abortion but he does not have enough money to pay
for it.
Finally, Obi Okonkwo lends some money to his friend to carry out the
operation. Therefore, the operation is held. Unfortunately, Clara is hospitalized
because of some problems happened in the operation. After the operation, Clara
refuses to see Obi Okonkwo. Then, she decides to leave Obi. Shortly after Clara
leaves, Obi is informed that his mother is dead. However, Obi could not come to
his mother’s funeral. Obi becomes very frustrated. Moreover Obi Okonkwo is in a
grat financial difficulty. This situation makes Obi takes bribe for the first time and
he did it with the feeling of guilt. Afterwards, his taking bribes become habitual.
Unfortunately, when he takes his last bribes, he is caught and brought to the court.
B. Approach of the Study
In analyzing the work, the writer applied the approach that helped the
writer finds out the answers to the problem. Since traditional customs and beliefs
are related to culture and society, it is appropriate to use socio-cultural approach.
Socio-cultural approach is used to analyze the different culture of Ibo and
European in the story that causes the major conflict of Obi Okonkwo. The
how the character deals with the custom after he is influenced by the western
culture.
C. Method of the Study
This thesis uses library study as the data gathering method. There are two
main data that support the writer in conducting the thesis. The first is primary
data, that is the novel itself. The second is secondary data that is data that are used
to support the analysis such as theories and the data that the writer takes from the
library and the electronic sources.
There were some steps to analyze the novel. First, the writer read the novel
several times to get a better understanding. Second, the writer took notes about the
characters in the story. Third, the writer decided the topic that the writer wanted to
discuss in the thesis that is the conflict caused by cultural differences. Fourth, the
writer collected and took notes on some important information related to the topic
that the writer wanted to discuss. Fifth, the writer tried to find some theories from
books and the electronic sources. There are many theories related to this study.
Sixth, the writer took those theories and compiled them. Seventh, the writer
organized the analysis based on some theories then the writer wrote the analysis in
the form of a thesis. The last step was to draw the conclusions of the study based
on the result of the analysis. The writer made conclusions in this study that are
23 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter deals with the analysis of the two problems in the problem
formulation in the first chapter. This chapter is divided into two parts. The first
part aims to describe Obi’s character. The second part aims to find out how
western culture influences the major conflict of Obi Okonkwo.
A. The Description of Obi Okonkwo
Stanton (17) states that ”character is commonly used in two ways; it
designates the individuals who appear in the story and it refers to the mixture of
interests, desires, emotions and moral principles that makes up each of these
individuals.” There are many ways to distinguish character. According to Milligan
(155) there are two types of character. The first type is called major character, a
character that plays an important role in the story. A major character appears more
often that the other character because he or she is the center of the story.
The second type is minor character, a character that plays a less important
role in the story. This character does not appear in the story frequently because his
or her role is only to support the major character to develop the story in the novel.
Obi Okonkwo is considered as the major character because the story focuses on
him. Obi Okonkwo appears from the beginning until the end of the story and the
However, based on the internal complexity Obi Okonkwo is considered as
a round character. Barnet and Burto (228-229) states there are two kinds of
characters. They are flat and round character. According to them “a flat character
is relatively simple and usually has only one trait.” On the other hand, “a round
character embodies several or many traits that cohere to form a complex
personality.” Obi Okonkwo is considered as a round character because he has a
complex personality.
Holman and Harmon (83) state that a character may be static or dynamic.
A static character is a character that does not make any changes in their
personality. A dynamic character is a character that changes throughout the
progress of the story. Based on the theory, Obi Okonkwo is included as a dynamic
character. It is so because Obi Okonkwo’s character is developed in the story. In
the beginning, he states that only old African takes bribes and he will not take any
bribes but as the story progress he changes. In the end, Obi Okonkwo decided to
take bribes because he has financial problem.
According to Murphy (161-173), there are nine ways of characterization.
They are personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life,
conversation of others, reactions toward the various situations and events, direct
comments, thought and mannerism. Usually a character can be described using
some ways of characterization which are proposed by Murphy. That is why Obi
Okonkwo’s character is analyzed by using some of the ways of characterization.
1. Smart
Obi Okonkwo is a smart person. We can see this from Obi Okonkwo’s
background before his going to England. He went to England because he got a
scholarship from Umofia Progressive union.
Six or seven years ago Umofians abroad had formed their Union with the aim of collecting money to send some of their brighter young men to study in England. They taxed themselves mercilessly. The first scholarship under this scheme was awarded to Obi Okonkwo five years ago, almost to the day. (8)
Obi Okonkwo does not have any difficulty to get the scholarship. The
Umofia Progressive Union chooses Obi because they have a good reason for it.
They think that Obi is smart because they know that Obi Okonkwo has good
achievements in his school.
The selection of the first candidate had not presented any difficulty to the Union. Obi was an obvious choice. At the age of twelve or thirteen he had passed his Standard Six examination at the top of the whole province. Then he had won a scholarship to one of the best secondary schools in Eastern Nigeria. At the end of five years he passed the Cambridge School Certificate with distinction in all eight subjects. He was in fact a village celebrity, and his name was regularly invoked at the mission school where he had once been a pupil. (8-9)
Obi Okonkwo is known as a smart pupil in his school. Obi Okonkwo
always get good result in every subject and always at the top of the class. That is
why his teacher used to say that someday Obi Okonkwo will go to England
because of his smartness.
Besides Obi Okonkwo’s background before his going to England, there
are some reasons why Obi Okonkwo is considered as a smart person. After his
return from England, there is a reception to welcome Obi Okonkwo. On this
occasion, the welcome address states that the Umofia Progressive Union state that
Obi Okonkwo has great success in education. “Sir, we the officers and members
of the above-named Union present with humility and gratitude this token of our
appreciation of your unprecedented academic brilliant. . . .” (36).
Obi Okonkwo’s smartness is proved by his speech on the occasion. On the
occasion, Obi Okonkwo has a chance to give a speech to the audience. Obi
Okonkwo uses this chance to give the audience the idea of the value of education.
Obi Okonkwo speech about education shows that Obi Okonkwo is smart because
he has a wide view of education.
He told them about the value of education. “Education for service, not for white-collar jobs and comfortable salaries. With our great country on the threshold of independence, we need men who are prepared to serve her well and truly.” (37)
From the author’s direct comments, character as seen by another, and the
character’s speech, it can be seen that Obi Okonkwo is a smart person. He is smart
so that he deserves the chance to study in England. In addition, his smartness
enables him to be considered as an excellent and brilliant person. Obi Okonkwo is
a smart and knowledgeable person.
2. Dishonest
Obi Okonkwo is considered as a dishonest person even though he did it
a very religious person so that he asks Obi Okonkwo to have worship in a church.
Obi states that it is not necessary and finds any reason for it because he is no
longer religious. However, Obi Okonkwo does not tell the truth to his father. Obi
thought: “What happen if I stood up and said to him: “Father, I no longer believe
in your God?’ He knew it was impossible to do it, but he just wondered what
would happen if he did it (65).
Obi is not only dishonest about being unreligious but also tells a lie to his
father when his father asks him whether he read Bible or not while he was in
England.
“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 the truth. Obi knew why the question had been asked. He had read his verses so badly at prayer that evening.
“Sometimes,” he replied, but it was the Bible written in the English language.” (65)
Obi Okonkwo thinks that sometimes being dishonest is good. He thinks so
not to make another person knows that he is in a difficulty even he does not let his
lover knows about it. Obi Okonkwo’s being dishonest makes him quarrel with his
lover, Clara.
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. Clara’s way of getting anything from him was not to argue but refuse to talk. And as she usually did three-quarters of the talking when they were together, the silence soon became too heavy to bear. Obi would then ask her what the matter was, which was usually the prelude to doing whatever she wanted. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked when he had told her about the overdraft.
“I wasn’t in difficulty. I wouldn’t have mentioned it if you hadn’t pressed me.” (116)
Obi Okonkwo thoughts and his speech help the readers to find out that Obi
Okonkwo is a dishonest person. Here, the reader can also understand the reasons
why Obi Okonkwo is dishonest.
3. Idealistic
Obi Okonkwo is an idealistic person. He states that only old Africans
corrupt but he believes that if the old Africans are replaced by the young who are
educated, corruption will end. That is the reason why he stands against corruption
and he says that he will not take any bribes.
“The civil service is corrupt because of these so-called experienced men at the top,” said Obi.
“You don’t believe in experience? You think that a chap straight from university should be made a permanent secretary?”
“I didn’t say straight from the university, but even that would be better than filling our top posts with old men who have no intellectual foundations to support their experience.” (22-23)
His idea about only old Africans taking bribes is opposed by his friend,
Christopher but Obi Okonkwo has his own reason to convince that his opinion
about it is correct.
“What about the Land Officer jailed last year? He is straight from the university.”
“He is an exception,” said Obi. “But take one of these old men. He probably left school thirty years ago in Standard Six. He has worked steadily to the top through bribery - an ordeal by bribery. To him bribe is natural. He gave it and he expects it. 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?”
it’s simply that they can afford to be virtuous. But even than kind of virtue can become a habit.” (23)
Obi Okonkwo is pretty sure that he will not take any bribes. That is why
he feels upset when in his job interview the chairman asks Obi Okonkwo’s reason
why he wants a job in the 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 a very useful question.” (46)
Obi Okonkwo’s idea in not taking bribes is proved by refusing the offer of
taking bribes from Mr. Mark who wants to apply for a Federal Scholarship for his
sister to study in England.
“You want application forms?” asked Obi.
“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 forms, but you know what our country is. Unless you see people . . .”
“In this case it is not necessary to see anybody. The only . . .”
“I was actually thinking of coming round to your house, but the man who told me about you did not know where you lived.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Mark, but I really don’t understand what you are driving at.” He said in English, much to Mr. Mark’s concentration. Miss. Tomlinson pricked up her ears like a dog that is not quite sure whether someone has mentioned bones.
“I’m sorry – er – er- Mr. Okonkwo. But don’t get me wrong. I know this is wrong this is the wrong place to –er . . .”
“I don’t think there is any point continuing this discussion,” Obi said again in English. If you don’t mind, I’m rather busy.” (98-99)
Obi Okonkwo feels proud because he successfully refuses the bribes. It is
so because he knows that it is hard to make that kind of decision. The decision in
After his encounter with Mr. Mark he did feel like a tiger. He had won his first battle hands-down. Everyone said it was impossible to win. They said a man expects you to accept ”kola” from him for services rendered, and until you do, his mind is never at rest. (100)
Obi Okonkwo’s idea against corruption is again to be tested. Mr. Marks’s
sister, Miss. Elsie Mark comes to Obi Okonkwo’s house. She approaches Obi and
tries to offer a bribe. She offers her body to Obi Okonkwo in order to get the
scholarship. Again, Obi refuses it firmly.
“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.
“I’m sorry, terribly sorry, but I don’t see that I can make any promises.” (105)
Obi Okonkwo’s idea seems to be broken up when he starts to receive
bribes. Obi Okonkwo does that because of the fact that he is in big problems and
he is in financial difficulties. However, Obi Okonkwo’s idea about corruption
makes him feel guilty. “This is terrible!” he muttered. “Terrible!” he said aloud.
He woke up with a start in the middle of the night and he did not go to sleep again
for a long time afterwards (192).
Obi Okonkwo’s idea about corruption also becomes his standard in taking
bribes. Obi Okonkwo firmly holds the standard and requirements in getting the
scholarship. Therefore, Obi does not receive any kinds of bribes from anyone who
wants to apply for the scholarship. But Obi stoutly refused to countenance anyone
who did not possess the minimum educational and other requirements. On that he
was unshakeable (193).
Obi Okonkwo feels guilty and unhappy even though his financial
the Hon. Sam Okoli, M. H. R. The worst was now over, and Obi ought to have felt
happier. But he didn’t (193).
People say that taking bribes is not a big thing and they used to do it but
Obi Okonkwo feels that he does not like taking bribes; he feels that he is
uncomfortable doing that. People say that one gets used to these things, but he had
not found it like that at all (193).
The author’s direct comments, Obi Okonkwo’s reactions toward the
various situations and events, and his thought give explanation that Obi Okonkwo
is an idealistic person. Even though in the end of the story Obi Okonkwo is not as
idealistic as in the beginning of the story because he decides to take bribes but his
feeling guilty, unhappy and uncomfortable has shown that he is still an idealistic
person.
4. Responsible
Obi Okonkwo’s thought about his family condition shows that he is a
responsible person. Since Obi Okonkwo’s family live in a poor condition, his
parents work hard in order to survive. Even though Obi’s parents work hard, they
do not have enough money to make a living. When Obi Okonkwo comes home,
he cannot sleep because he keeps thinking about his family condition. He realizes
that his parents are old now so that they are not strong enough to work hard in
order to survive. Obi Okonkwo feels that he is responsible for his family.
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. (69)
Obi Okonkwo makes a decision that he will help his parents. He feels that
it is important to help his parents so that his family can live in a good condition
and his brother can continue his school. Therefore, he decides to give some of his
salary to his family.
“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 Umofia Progressive Union. Then there was John’s school fees.
“We’ll manage somehow,” he said aloud to himself. “One cannot have it both ways. There are many young men in this country today who would sacrifice themselves to get the opportunity I have had.” (69-70)
Since Obi Okonkwo is responsible for his younger brother’s school fee, he
pays it when he has much money because he thinks that he might not be able to do
it if he has no money for it.
But sixteen pounds ten shillings was to go into brother John’s school fees for second term, which began in April. Obi knew that unless he paid the fees now that he had a lump sum in his pocket he might not be able to do so when the time came. (143)
Obi Okonkwo’s sense of responsibility is also proved by his unwillingness
to receive money from Clara to cancel his overdraft. Obi feels that the overdraft is
his responsiblity. At the beginning he does not tell Clara about the overdraft but
finally Clara knows it. Obi tells Clara that it is not important to tell her about his
overdraft. “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 months installments.”
From the statements, it is known that Obi does not want to give any burden
to Clara and he feels that he is the one who is responsible for that overdraft. After
knowing that Obi is in difficulty, Clara wants to help him so she gives Obi a
parcel that contains fifty pounds so that Obi can cancel the overdraft. However,
Obi does not want to receive 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. (123)
In the end, Clara’s fifty pounds was stolen. Obi feels that he has to change
the money. After Clara’s abortion Obi makes a decision that he has to find money
and give it to Clara.
He had taken a firm decision about Clara’s fifty pounds. He must find it in the next two months and pay it into her bank. Perhaps they would get over the present crisis, perhaps not. But whatever happened, he must return the money. (176)
It is clear that from the author’s direct comments, Obi Okonkwo’s
thoughts, and speeches the reader can see that Obi Okonkwo is a responsible
person. Obi Okonkwo’s way of thinking, including his willingness to help his
family shows that he is a responsible person.
5. Educated
Obi Okonkwo is an educated person. Obi Okonkwo is an educated person
who got his degree from a western education. We have brought him Western
education (4). It is not difficult to find out that Obi Okonkwo is an educated
