Character Analysis Of Olunde - 1323 Words

Olunde attempts to reveal to Jane the greatness of his father s sacrifice for his peace and the peace of his own people, his father is going to commit suicide to save his community from destruction. However, Jane cannot understand the implication of that sacrifice which she regards as a barbaric custom or even feudalistic. Olunde s long conversation with Jane reveals the arrogance, vulnerability, disintegration and hypocrisy of the English people. He expresses the terrible conditions of war he underwent during his stay in England. As a medical student there, Olunde has seen the West on its own grounds, complete in its wartime vulnerabilities. He attends to English soldiers wounded on World War II and has therefore†¦show more content†¦On his journey on the boat, he went through the rites again and again in his mind as his father taught him; Olunde does not want to do anything wrong, something that might jeopardize the welfare of [ his ] people (62). To his asto nishment, Olunde discovers that his father is still alive; he is arrested by Pilkings who is responsible for security particularly during the visit of the Prince of Wales. Olunde is paralysed by the shock: Elesin Olunde? ( He moves his head, inspecting him from side to side. ) Olunde! ( He collapses slowly at Olunde s feet. ) Oh son, don t let the sight of your father turn you blind! Olunde ( He moves for the first time since he heard his voice ,brings his Head slowly down to look on him ) I have no father, eater of left-overs. He walks slowly down the way his father had run.[ †¦ ] Elesin, sobbing into the Ground. (66) Elesin begs Olunde to acknowledge him but in vain; Olunde, who has respected his tradition, disowns his father. It is noteworthy that initially Elesin disowned Olunde because of abandoning his tradition and leaving for England. The situation is reversed; Olunde now casts off his father who has failed in the central duty and meaning of his life ( Plastow, Notes 88 ). Olunde, who has realized the greatness of his culture, sticks firmly to it and decides to take his father s place by committing the ritual suicide so asShow MoreRelated Conrads Heart of Darkness and the Dehumanization of Africans2989 Words   |  12 Pagesprimitive, irrational behavior and assuming that it is the norm in Africa. He is an ignorant man who cares nothing about the people. A more detailed description of the DCs motivations cannot be given because the novel does not give basis for such an analysis, but we can assume that at the best, he feels it is his duty to help the primitive tribes become more li ke the sophisticated Europeans. Ironically, we see exactly what happens when Igbo culture mingles with British culture to produce the environment