Chinua Achebe

Chike’s last name, Obiajulu, means “the mind at last is at rest” (Page 827) in the Igbo language. The meaning of this seems to be obvious to the people of his community, that he is his family’s only child or only son since his parents wouldn’t need to worry about having their family name die out. However, after reading the second page of this short story, the meaning of Obiajulu can instead refer to how the mind itself is at rest and no longer active. In Chike’s community, he is classified as an Osu, the lowest caste in the Igbo class system and would be expected to be looked down upon but he instead looks down on his neighbor and calls her a heathen for not following in the ways of the white man. Under any normal circumstance no four year old boy would dare call their neighbor a heathen let alone do so fully meaning it and even if the neighbor did not control herself, whatever actions she may have committed would have been justified. It is also interesting to note that during one of Chike’s classes they sang in honor of Caesar, a man who may have been ruler of his world at one point, but was ultimately backstabbed and murdered by those he trusted.

Ama Ata Aidoo

The two sisters Mercy and Connie, while having very similar lives, are so very different. On the one hand you have Connie, a married woman who has a baby with another on the way who works as a school teacher. On the other, you have Mercy, a typist who has affairs with rich, well-known, and older men. Although they have opposing personalities and beliefs, they are two sides of the same coin as their lives are actually nearly the same. While dutiful to her husband, Connie knows that her husband has affairs with many other women but is seemingly fine with this as she states : “Because I love James. I love James and I am not interested in any other man.” (Page 997) Mercy responds to this short excerpt with contempt as she does not understand why her sister lets the husband get away with having affairs while not indulging in the act as well. Although having many romantic pursuits, Mercy denies the men who truly appreciate her for herself as they all lack wealth and prestige and so she has affairs with those who will grant her expensive gifts. These two sisters are unique in that one is a woman who knows her husband has affairs with other women while the other is a woman who is the one having affairs with other women’s husbands. It is also surprising that Connie’s husband attempts to use the fact that Mercy is having affairs with influential men to his family’s own advantage. A story lacking morals, and two main characters in harsh conditions, would you rather be in Connie’s shoes or Mercy’s new shoes – gifted to her by Mensar-Arthur?