World Literature

“Elesin: Life has an end. A life that will outlive.”

In Elesin’s culture, tradition is vital, it gives their people a sense n how to live their life “properly”. Because of the traditions established in his culture, Elesin has to kill himself, however, he doesn’t associate his death with sadness, regrets or fear. Instead, it’s an honor because his legacy will leave on, just like it “should be”. Moreover, the traditions established give Elesin an unconventional perspective on death. Instead of seeing death as a tragic and mournful event, he celebrates it with a wedding. These traditions, in a sense, give Elesin comfort and motivation, this is most noticeable when he says, “Life has an end. A life that will outlive.” These customs could be seen as ridiculous and unfair to anyone outside of this culture, however, Soyinka portrays it as something worth being proud of because you are honoring your ancestors and those who come after you will honor you as well. Therefore, Soyinka embraces this tradition because it is what makes their life meaningful, they have a goal to fulfill.