No Longer at Ease

by Chinua Achebe

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How does Achebe represent Nigerians in "No Longer at Ease"?

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In "No Longer at Ease," Chinua Achebe represents Nigerians as proud individuals with a rich cultural heritage eroded by colonial influences. Through the character of Obi, Achebe illustrates the cultural clash and its impacts, showing Nigerians' struggle to maintain their identity while adapting to imposed values. Obi's journey from idealism to disillusionment highlights the corruption and loss of integrity resulting from colonial rule, reflecting the broader societal changes faced by Nigerians.

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In No Longer at Ease, Chinua Achebe portrays Nigerians as proud and honorable people with a rich cultural heritage that has been devalued by the colonial power-mongers who forced their European ways on the people of Africa. In Achebe’s view, as the colonial governments gained control, the Nigerians lost connection to their culture. As their environment was transformed, their traditions became buried, and over time, the people adopted new traditions, and with them new values—values that reflected European views that were much different from their own.

Achebe conveys the clash between cultures and the effect it had on his people. Despite the desire to cling to their culture, the Nigerians felt a need to conform, and in doing so, they fell prey to corruption. Achebe views Nigerian values as superior to European values, and he sees the Nigerian people as victims. They were forced to lower their standards in...

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order to assimilate into a new culture—one that values profit over integrity and community. The Nigerian people, as Achebe knows them, are both humble and honorable, yet under subjugation by white rulers, they have become self-serving, and they have lost their sense of pride. In the novel, Achebe contrasts the lively life in the Nigerian communities of the past to the soulless life under colonial rule. He emphasizes the plight of his people and acknowledges their descent into corruption, and he mourns for the loss of his culture, which comes with the hypocrisy of his people's actions.

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How does Achebe convey Obi's changing feelings toward Nigeria in No Longer at Ease?

The answer to your question has to do with Achebe's ability to use both direct and indirect characterization. Achebe uses these methods of characterization to highlight the character of Obi and how he changes throughout the course of No Longer at Ease. Achebe sometimes directly tells us about Obi’s changing feelings about Nigeria (which is part of direct characterization). Other times, Obi speaks and acts accordingly (which is part of indirect characterization). With direct characterization, we are told about the personality of the character. With indirect characterization, we are shown the personality of the character.

Obi is enamored with Nigeria at the beginning of the novel. Achebe uses both indirect and direct characterization to show this to the reader. Obi is happy to be in London studying to better his life and his education; however, he misses his homeland. The narrator directly tells us about Obi’s feelings:

Four years in England had filled Obi with a longing to be back in Umuofia. This feeling was sometimes so strong that he found himself feeling ashamed of studying English for his degree. He spoke Ibo whenever he had the least opportunity of doing so. Nothing gave him greater pleasure than to find another Ibo-speaking student in a London bus. But when he had to speak in English with a Nigerian student from another tribe he lowered his voice.

Through this direct characterization, the reader can see that Obi "longs" to be back in Nigeria. This example of direct characterization is especially pertinent in that Achebe actually uses the word “feeling” multiple times in regards to Obi. Obi even feels "ashamed" when he considers himself to be studying English instead of Law. Obi is so proud of his idealistic Nigerian ideals that he lowers his voice when speaking English to another Nigerian student. This is an example of direct characterization. Achebe tells us of Obi’s exact feelings here. Achebe describes all of this to the reader instead of using Obi's own words. However, there are some examples of indirect characterization when Obi recites his own poetry about Nigeria. These poems reveal Obi’s idealism about Nigeria through Obi’s own word choice. In these poems, Obi focuses on Nigeria's natural beauty and the honorable values among its people. At this point in the book, Obi truly wants to believe that the corruption among the learned in Nigeria can be overcome.

By the end of No Longer at Ease, Obi has lost his idealism completely. Obi has gone back to Nigeria and become one of those corrupt academics by accepting bribes. Obi has set aside his idealistic poetry and has just tried to "get by." Obi tries to convince himself that his financial situation excuses the "necessary" practice of accepting bribes. At one point, Obi tells the reader about his disillusionment and lack of idealism that he once had:

The impatient idealist says: "Give me a place to stand and I shall move the earth." But such a place does not exist. We all have to stand on the earth itself and go with her at her pace.

Obi, in fact, is only an idealist at the beginning of the novel. His poetry and his actions at university prove this. However, here we are shown Obi’s feelings only through his own words instead of being told directly that Obi has lost his idealism. However, with the help of Obi’s own words and indirect characterization, he tells us that this idealistic "place" actually "does not exist." Obi has given up and become a passive character who accepts the corruption as it comes. The rationalization here is that Obi attempts to "stand on the earth" by going "with her at her pace." In this case, the earth's "pace" now requires Nigerian academics to participate in the corrupt practice of bribery.

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How does Achebe convey Obi's feelings toward Nigeria in No Longer at Ease?

The answer to your question is that Achebe uses both diction (word choice) and characterization (both indirect and direct) to convey Obi's feelings about Nigeria in No Longer at Ease.

At the beginning of the novel, Obi is enamored with his homeland and speaks about it very idealistically. The best example of this is Obi's own words within his poetry. Through Obi's own words (and Achebe's use of diction here) the reader learns about Obi's feelings quite vividly. This is Achebe's use of indirect characterization in that the narrator does not tell us directly about Achebe's feelings; instead, we learn about these feelings of idealism through Obi's own poetic words. Achebe also uses direct characterization to convey Obi's vivid idealism. There are times when Achebe tells us directly how Obi is feeling.

Obi [longed] to be back in Umuofia. This feeling was sometimes so strong that he found himself feeling ashamed of studying English for his degree.

In this use of direct characterization, Achebe shows that Obi's feelings for his native Nigeria are vivid.

Later in the novel, Obi is discouraged with Nigeria. Obi now knows that escaping corruption seems to be impossible for a public official. We learn this through Obi's actions. In short, Obi begins to accept bribes (a practice he was vehemently against earlier in the novel). Due to these actions (and the use of Achebe's indirect characterization), the reader discovers that Obi's feelings have changed about Nigeria. Obi's vivid feelings of discouragement are also shown through his own words against idealism:

The impatient idealist says: "Give me a place to stand and I shall move the earth." But such a place does not exist. We all have to stand on the earth itself and go with her at her pace.

In yet another piece of indirect characterization, Obi shows his discouragement with Nigeria by admitting that idealism "does not exist." Unfortunately for Obi, going "with [the earth] at her own pace" now means accepting bribes.

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