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What news disappoints Michael Obi's wife in "Dead Men's Path"?
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Nancy, Michael Obi's wife, is disappointed to learn that the other teachers at Ndume Central School are unmarried. She had envisioned herself as a trendsetter and a social leader among the teachers' wives. Her disappointment stems from realizing there will be no other wives to bolster her social status. However, her dismay is brief as she becomes excited about her husband's influential role in modernizing the school and village culture.
Nancy is disappointed to hear that the other teachers at the school aren't married. She isn't disappointed for long, however.
When Michael is talking about his appointment to be headmaster at the Ndume Central School, Nancy is excited to hear about his plans to revitalize the place. She agrees with his methods and ambitions. It also suits her to imagine herself a queen among the other women there. Chinua Achebe writes:
The wives of the other teachers would envy her position. She would set the fashion in everything. . . . Then, suddenly, it occurred to her that there might not be other wives. Wavering between hope and fear, she asked her husband, looking anxiously at him.
When he reveals—with happiness, because he thinks it will make them better teachers—that the men are unmarried, Nancy is disappointed. The vision of herself that she had there is shattered. She isn't even...
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sure about his job when she realizes that there won't be other wives.
Nancy quickly gets over her disappointment, though. She's too excited about the opportunity for her husband.
In the story, Michael Obi is the newly appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School. While her husband looks forward to modernizing what he considers an antiquated school system, Nancy is excited about her new position in society. She wants to be known as a trend-setter among all the other schoolteachers' wives.
It never occurs to Nancy that there may not be any other wives to bolster her dubious position as a society matron. When she expresses her concerns to her husband, he does not appear perturbed. In fact, Michael Obi happily asserts that all the schoolteachers are 'young and unmarried.' He considers this 'a good thing,' as it means that his subordinates' inherent energies will be concentrated on implementing his philosophical ideas about education. Nancy is disappointed to hear that she will not be a highly positioned society wife among a bevy of other wives. However, her dismay is short-lived when she considers the powerful influence her husband will exert on the culture of the school and surrounding village.