Summary
Odili is embarrassed by the bicycle accident and thus is afraid to tell Edna about the feelings he has developed for her. However, after discovering that Edna will spend Christmas morning with Mrs. Nanga, Odili decides to pay another visit to Chief Nanga’s wife. When Odili approaches the house, he encounters a drunken man demanding that Mrs. Nanga give him alcohol. Odili observes as the drunk man begins commenting on Chief Nanga’s newest construction project. Eventually Edna arrives, and Odili decides to confess his feelings to the Minister’s new fiancée.
Odili tells Edna that she will “be making a big and serious mistake” if she rushes into marriage. Edna is hesitant as to why Odili would tell her such a thing. She initially believes that Mrs. Nanga desires to tarnish their engagement. However, it soon becomes clear to Edna that Odili has a personal interest in their prospective marriage. Although Odili points out the fact that Edna is too young to marry the “ancient man,” Edna passively replies that “[this] is the world of women” (99).
Edna grows frustrated at Odili, but her anger subsides after a few moments. Odili transitions from talking about Edna to discussing national politics. He tells the audience that after the first of the year, an import tax was imposed on textile goods. At the same time as the tax, a news publication released a story detailing Chief Nanga’s real estate fraud. Three weeks after these scandals, the Prime Minister announces his resignation.
Odili writes Edna a letter detailing why she should not marry Chief Nanga. At the same time, Odili officially announces that he will run against Nanga for the position of Cultural Minister. Mrs. Nanga reacts harshly to the news of Odili’s departure and campaign. Although Edna’s father has banned Odili from his home, the narrator makes his way to visit Edna once again. He is caught by Edna’s father and is quickly forced to leave.
Odili says that he wants Edna “for her own sake first and foremost and only very remotely as part of a general scheme of revenge” (109). He reflects on his upcoming political race and recognizes that “his new political ambition and the girl” are confusingly intertwined. When Odili realizes that the odds of winning against Chief Nanga are slim, he switches his focus to expose the Minister as much as possible in hopes that he will not be nominated by the Prime Minister.
Odili digresses to talk about his ideological shift during university. He explains that he was greatly influenced by a radical Irish lecturer. Years later, however, the professor was appointed in the governmental cabinet and became “a classic example of the corroding effect of privilege” (111). Odili reflects upon his own privileged life and realizes that he has followed a similar trajectory. He begins to worry about his safety, which foreshadows future events.
Edna responds to Odili’s letter and explains that he should feel pity for her marriage predicament. Meanwhile, Odili begins assembling his security team to protect him during the upcoming election. Later, Chief Nanga approaches Odili and his father while the two are walking. Odili’s father reveals that he has been asking the Chief for forgiveness on Odili’s behalf. It is revealed that Chief Nanga has come to meet with Odili to bribe him to stay out of the election. Chief Nanga tells Odili that Max has accepted the bribe. However, Odili rejects Chief Nanga’s offer and vows to defeat the incumbent candidate.
Analysis
Odili’s emotions surrounding his budding relationship with Edna reveal the narrator’s own insecurities as he grapples with his masculinity. For Odili, the bicycle accident symbolizes his inability to adequately control the events in his life. Although he unceasingly takes steps to advance his political and romantic standings, his plans are thwarted by events beyond his control. These hiccups greatly affect Odili’s confidence and cause him to take extreme measures to restore his sense of dominance.
When Odili finally musters the courage to confront Edna about his feelings for her, he is ultimately unable to be vulnerable. Rather than professing his love, Odili instead chooses to attack her current marriage offer. In this way, Odili again underscores his feelings of insecurity and inferiority when he compares himself to Chief Nanga. Edna’s reaction prompts the audience to further analyze the role of women in the story. While Odili blames Edna for being submissive to her arrangement, he fails to recognize the lack of control or power that women have in their society.
As Odili continues telling his story, the audience is prompted to evaluate the narrator’s acute self-awareness. Odili himself draws the connections between his quest for Edna and his pursuit for office. Odili’s narrative style reveals the parallels between these two storylines. When Odili realizes that his odds of winning the Minister’s seat are slim, he shifts his attention to Edna’s conquest. In this way, Odili’s pursuits are framed as a game, and the audience must keep score.
In these chapters, the motif of hypocrisy reappears. First, Odili describes the irony of Chief Nanga’s real estate fraud and construction projects. Then the narrator explains the contradictory behavior of his former professor. These stories all suggest the deep connection between the personal and the political. While politicians ostensibly aim to serve the people that they represent, Odili finds that even the most progressive candidates resort to selfishness once they are exposed to the privileges of political life. In turn, politics becomes a game, a way of seeking personal gain and nursing private grievances.
The chapter’s closing events foreshadow the gravity of the closing scenes. Chief Nanga’s attempt to bribe Odili out of the election is the first indication that the Chief is threatened by Odili’s actions. Additionally, the decision to involve Odili’s father further connects Chief Nanga and Hezekiah Samalu. By choosing to reject the Cultural Minister’s bribe, Odili must face his father’s wrath and disappointment. This connection highlights Odili’s feelings of inferiority and prompts him to feel emasculated in both his political and personal lives.
