African Literature

LITT 221

Jehron Bentham

0090141

The impact of colonialism or neocolonialism in The Dilemma of a Ghost & Things Fall

Apart
 Authors Chinua Achebe and Ama Ata Aidoo in their respectively written novels Things
2
Fall Apart and The Dilemma of a Ghost incorporate the themes of Colonialism and

Neocolonialism through the usage of symbolism and the development of the main characters.

Achebe, as a young child, grew up in a village named Ogibi, found in Eastern Nigeria. The

inhabitants there consisted of both Christians and traditionalists of the African culture found in

that particular area of the continent; these groups finding and upholding a divide between

themselves due to their opposing natures. He campaigned extensively for the Biafran cause

during the Nigerian Civil War, which was brought about by the Igbo people leading the

secession, called the Republic of Biafra, due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions

among the various peoples of Nigeria. Aidoo, whom pens her novel with an audience hailing

from Ghana in mind, tells of the many corrupt natures present in her country. The society in

which The Dilemma of a Ghost stands upon is matrilineal, placing much of its emphasis on the

process of rearing of child, and in large numbers. She tells well of the abuse and ignorance of the

many cultural traits committed by the main characters throughout the text, namely and especially

Ato and Eulalie, the married couple whom come together seeking to engorge each other in the

others culture and heritage.

Firstly, the title of Aidoos novel first indicates the ghost, a symbol often reoccurring

throughout the text, and first mentioned and symbolized in act three in the song sung by the two

little children, The ghost is very indecisive and seemingly confused as to where he shall choose

to go, singing to himself, Shall I go/To Cape Coast,/or to Elmina/I dont know, I cant tell./I

dont know,/ I cant tell. This represents a sense of cultural confusion. A matching sense of
confusion is shown by Ato near the end of Act Four who stays in the middle of the junction,
3
crying out for his mother in a childish, vulnerable manner, longing for direction. Esi Kom, Atos

mother, has at this point in time, become privy to the fact that all the strain put on the

relationship between Ato and Eulalie, as well as Atos disconnect from his heritage was due to

Atos strong yearn to acquire knowledge of the American culture and society. She comforts

Eulalie in sympathy for what she had been put through during the course of Ato and Eulalies

marriage and leaves her son in his vacillating state.

Secondly, the idea/rumour spread through/around Atos family/community of his wife,

Eulalie, being barren. The Odumma Clan consist females of fertile nature, who produce a lot of

children. They value the birth of children, especially in large abundance. Ato goes against a

natural inherent/trait of his family by abstaining from having children by the use of

contraception. His family assumes, due to their practices and heritage, that Eulalie is infertile, or

barren. Ato is accepting the death or dying state of his culture by refraining from having any

children. The 1st woman gives a quote in Act Two foreshadowing the humiliation Eulalie will

face for the inconsiderate decision her husband Ato makes in not having children upon their

marriage. In Act Four, the two women, carrying their market goods bought in preparation for

fufu, question the possibility of her barrenness. Ato, being Eulalies, and as well as his clans

leader, life and its situations play out in favour of Ato, forcing Eulalies dreams and wishes to

be put on the backburner. The unofficial introduction of prophylactics, which came along with

the exploitation of countries through colonialism, takes Atos clan by surprise and shock, as the
purpose of said products strictly attest and oppose the standards and traditions of their African
4
culture.

Lastly, the rumbling of the drums of Act startles Eulalie as she is not yet ready to fully

accept the culture and lifestyle which comes with living in Africa. In spite of this, feeling as

though she does not belong in the American society, she seeks for the sense of belonging she had

always craved. She is also not accustomed to the ordeal of marriage, and alienated by her

husbands wavering cultural demands, not knowing whether he wants a wife whom represents

the American society or who conforms to his homeland and its heritage.

Being that Achebe was brought up in said rural environment, he was easily able to

convincingly portray the situations which took place in his novel, Things Fall Apart, analyzing,

critiquing and interpreting the Igbo societal setting present, without having actually taken part in

or experienced the occurrences found throughout the book. This society is patriarchal, thus, the

characters in the novel are found to exhibit practices which display the dominance in which men

have over women. The main character of his novel, Okonkwo, is a representation of this society,

seen as hardworking, and also respects the values of his society. As a young child, he had

resented his father's failure and weakness as found in Chapter Two, yearning to never walk in

the footsteps of his father, Unoka, whom was seen as agbala. The term agbala was used to

refer to the female of their society, but also carried the meaning of a man who had taken no

title. Okonkwo does not want to show his emotional side as does not want to appear as weak to

his community, believing that only the women should display such effeminate traits, and as he

looks to never be seen in the gentle and idle light of his father. He, in doing so, alienates relating
to his son Nwoye on an emotional level, whom, from a young age, had already shown
5
characteristics akin to his grandfather. Okonkwo resorted to corporal punishment as a manner of

correcting him, but this instead forced him into sadness more than it did place him on a pathway

seen as ideal by his father.

Okonkwo carries an image of a roaring flame representing anger in his community,

dubbed the Roaring Flame as mentioned in Chapter seventeen. Due to his sons opposing

nature, he questions the likelihood of Nnoye truly being his, asking how he could have a son akin

to Nnoye. He soon finds within his pondering that his actions would instill a sense of

powerlessness on those around him as opposed to an uplifting. He, representative of living fire

forsakes his cold, impotent ash.

When Okonkwo gets back to his village after a leave of seven years, everything has

changed, realizing that if he had returned 3 years earlier, he would have two sons with positions

would have been knighted. Upon his return, he also realizes a change in the clan: a breaking up

and falling apart. This refers to the title of the novel.

Okonkwo sees the Christians as outsiders only here to interfere as well as effeminate

"clucking hens". He views them to be contemptuous of what they represent. Enoch, a priest's

son, newly having become a Christian had unmasked a egwugwu in public. This act was rare or

blasphemous in the African culture, also seen as one of the greatest crimes a man could

commit, which only stood against using the mouth or commit an action in the attempt to destroy

something sacred to the people, looking for praise and approval of the church and its people.
Subsequently, his clan burnt down his home and the church. The elders whom committed said
6
crime were thrown into prison. The District Commissioners declare that the people should go to

Umuofia and tell the people that they have to pay with 200 bags of cowries but get 250 bags

instead, pocketing the extra 50. This action indicates the beginning of the age of corruption.

The Whites are more powerful than the clan, whereas when one White is killed, an entire

village is obliterated, stressing how inferior the African communities where in comparison to

their oppressors. The Europeans introduced the weapons of mass destruction to the lives of the

Africans in Ghana.
 7

Research/ Works Cited

The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo: Polylectics and Reading Against Neocolonialism

Odamtten, Vincent O.

Published by Gainesville, Florida, U.S.A.: Univ Pr of Florida, 1994 (1994)

Culture, Tradition and Society in the West African Novel

Obiechina, Emmanuel N.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975

A Handbook for Teaching African Literature
8
Gunner, Elizabeth

Heinemann in association with the Extramural Division of the School of Oriental and African

Studies, 1984

An Introduction to the African novel

Palmer, Eustace

Africana Pub. Corp., 1972

9