No Longer at Ease

This section explores Corruption in the Nigerian Colonial State during Obi’s interview for a job in the civil service. Obi is enraged when a Nigerian representative in the commission insinuates that he is corrupted and wants the position to take bribes. Obi continues witnessing the persistent corruption of the state when, on his trip home, the driver bribes a policeman. Obi remains firm in his conviction that education is the way to plan Nigeria’s future, wondering: “[W]hat kind of democracy can exist side by side with so much corruption and ignorance? Perhaps a half-way house—a sort of compromise” (23). Still, he realizes that the issue is more complicated and evades further thinking. Obi lacks organized sociopolitical thought to envision the country’s postcolonial reality.

Achebe examines Western Culture Versus African Tradition via the cultural conflict evident upon Obi’s visit to his village. People of the community often argue with Obi’s father about traditional practices, which Isaac has rejected since becoming a Christian. Obi, though embracing Western education and choosing to study English instead of law, is not completely Westernized. He is proud of his own language, which he tried to speak with fellow Nigerian students. Obi opposes a colonial mindset and believes that Nigerians “knew how to live,” that their “joy of life had not yet been killed by those who claimed to teach other nations how to live” (26). The dynamics of cultural conflict are also evident in the relationship between Obi’s parents. His mother, Hannah, was faithful to the Igbo tradition, but obeyed her husband, who made her stop teaching Igbo stories to the children.

Achebe explores The Crisis of Postcolonial Male Identity. The Igbo community relies on men to ground a national identity. They do not want young Igbo men to marry English women, who they believe alienate Black men from their people. While they welcome Obi back with pride, Obi’s economic responsibilities toward his struggling family contribute to his downfall. Obi experiences an identity crisis when navigating the debt he owes the Union and through the conflict that develops with his family when he wants to marry Clara, an osu.

The presence of Mr. Green, Obi’s boss, illustrates the authority of the British over the Nigerian state, even in the years leading up to the country’s independence. Mr. Green reminds Obi that he should address him as “sir,” affirming his hegemony and control. Through Mr. Green, the novel shows how the system is based on socio-political and economic inequality. Taxation, determined by the British colonial state, is high. However, Obi is initially optimistic and does not realize the effect of such policies on economic autonomy. The start of Obi’s career in the civil service is ominous.

Through Obi’s relationship with Clara, Achebe examines Western Culture Versus African Tradition. Their story reflects the conflict between Igbo and Western cultural values. Obi defies traditional Igbo practices when declaring that he will marry Clara, in spite of her being an osu. Through him, the novel puts aspects of Nigerian culture into question, such as the importance of social castes.

Through Western influence, Obi has developed an individual identity that he is not able to align with traditional Igbo values. While asking for a four-month grace period to repay his debt to the Umuofia Union, he clashes with the men who warn him about the dangers of city life and disapprove of his relationship with Clara. Obi tries to define boundaries between his communal and personal life. The novel begins to explore Obi’s fatal flaw of pride when he tries to counter the Union, exacerbating his financial struggles.