The Theme Of Obi In No Longer At Ease By Chinua Achebe

In the novel, No Longer at Ease, written by Chinua Achebe, the author uses a fictional character named Obi to enlighten readers with the struggles facing many developing African countries and villages. Obi becomes stuck between the modernized European world and the developing Nigerian village in which he was born. Obi’s village, called Umuofia, elects to pay for Obi’s education in Europe. Soon after, Obi finds himself in an identity crisis between his traditional heritage, and the modern European society. Achebe attempts to teach readers about a very complex issue by separating Africans and Europeans with sharp contrast. Umuofia is presented using great native imagery and dialect, while European ideas seem impossibly different and out of place …show more content…
Returning from Europe, Obi stands strongly against those who receive cash and sexual bribes, but throughout the novel he becomes the person he once spoke against. Achebe uses the downfall of Obi as an opportunity to justify corruption. Political corruption in Umuofia usually comes from politicians prioritizing a family’s child for subsidized education programs. Obi becomes conflicted because he does not know if staying true to his modern anti-corrupt beliefs, or if accepting bribes to help his village get educated is the morally correct thing to do. And after reading the novel, the reader asks themselves the same question. Achebe is successful in his proposition of this idea, because he writes Obi as a character that evolves from one side of the argument to the other – while never giving the reader an idea that Obi is wrong in doing so. As time passes after Obi’s return to Africa, many of his fellow village members come to him asking them to favor their child. Obi feels extreme pressure from his village to help them and their children, even though it technically makes him corrupt. Obi is in an identity crisis. He originally follows his initial desire to not fall into corruption, like the modern world taught him, however he is faced with his heritage demanding him to stay traditional; and therefor help his village. Achebe uses the …show more content…
Achebe successfully uses the juxtaposition of modern and traditional values to make readers think about complex issues facing many African villages. Although Achebe did not propose any solutions to the many questions he rose, readers still understand enough of the conflicting arguments to formulate their own opinion. However, Achebe should have provided some of his own opinion to guide readers who become lost in the complexity. Even though Achebe misses some opportunities to clear confusion, No Longer at Ease is a fantastic novel that blurs the line between what is morally correct and