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Anthills of the SavannahChinua Achebe
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Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................1
Author Biography.........................................................................................................2
Plot Summary................................................................................................................4
Part I......................................................................................................................4
Part II....................................................................................................................5
Part III...................................................................................................................5
Part IV...................................................................................................................6
Chapter 1.......................................................................................................................7
Chapter 2.....................................................................................................................11
Chapter 3.....................................................................................................................14
Chapter 4.....................................................................................................................16
Chapter 5.....................................................................................................................19
Chapter 6.....................................................................................................................22
Chapter 7.....................................................................................................................24
Chapter 8.....................................................................................................................27
Chapter 9.....................................................................................................................30
i
Table of Contents
Chapter 10...................................................................................................................31
Chapter 11...................................................................................................................32
Chapter 12...................................................................................................................34
Chapter 13...................................................................................................................35
Chapter 14...................................................................................................................36
Chapter 15...................................................................................................................37
Chapter 16...................................................................................................................38
Chapter 17...................................................................................................................39
Chapter 18...................................................................................................................41
Characters....................................................................................................................43
Abdul..................................................................................................................43
Adamma..............................................................................................................43
Agatha.................................................................................................................43
Elewa..................................................................................................................43
General Ahmed Lango........................................................................................44
Emmanuel Obote................................................................................................44
Beatrice Okoh.....................................................................................................44
Professor Reginald Okong..................................................................................45
Christopher Oriko...............................................................................................45
Ikem Osodi..........................................................................................................46
ii
Table of Contents
Characters
Major Johnson Ossai...........................................................................................47
Sam.....................................................................................................................47
Themes.........................................................................................................................49
Overcoming a History of Suffering....................................................................49
Individual Power.................................................................................................49
Storytelling.........................................................................................................50
The Role of Women............................................................................................50
Style..............................................................................................................................52
Point of View......................................................................................................52
Setting.................................................................................................................52
Language.............................................................................................................53
Blending of Old and New...................................................................................53
Historical Context.......................................................................................................54
Political Instability..............................................................................................54
The Role of Women............................................................................................55
Oral Tradition.....................................................................................................55
Literary Heritage........................................................................................................56
Critical Overview........................................................................................................57
Criticism.......................................................................................................................59
iii
Table of Contents
Critical Essay #1..........................................................................................................60
Critical Essay #2..........................................................................................................65
Critical Essay #3..........................................................................................................71
Topics for Further Study............................................................................................76
Compare & Contrast..................................................................................................77
What Do I Read Next?................................................................................................78
Further Reading..........................................................................................................79
Sources.........................................................................................................................80
Copyright Information...............................................................................................81
iv
Introduction
After a twenty−one−year hiatus from writing, Chinua Achebe published Anthills of the
Savannah in Great Britain in 1987. It was published in the United States the following
year. The novel just prior to Anthills of the Savannah was A Man of the People, a book
that foreshadows the military coups that would figure largely in Nigerian politics in
the coming years. To many of Achebe's readers, Anthills of the Savannah is the logical
extension of this novel as it depicts the inner workings and consequences of such a
coup.
Critical reception was overwhelmingly positive, and many critics regard this novel as
Achebe's best to date. Achebe was already respected as one of the founding fathers of
Nigeria's literary comingof− age, so the success of Anthills of the Savannah only
confirmed his place among Nigeria's leading intellectuals. In 1987 Anthills of the
Savannah was a finalist for the Booker Prize, Britain's most prestigious literary award.
Anthills of the Savannah tells the story of three schoolmates who become major
figures in a new regime in the fictional West African land of Kangan. Achebe
addresses the course unbridled power often takes and demonstrates how the fierce
pursuit of self−interest comes at tremendous cost to the community as a whole. Critics
note that this novel is a departure for the author in that he creates fully developed
female characters and suggests that the women are sources of moral strength, tradition,
and hope in the face of violence and deception.
Introduction 1
Author Biography
Born in eastern Nigeria on November 16, 1930, Chinua Achebe was deeply influenced
by the Ibo (one of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria) and by the British colonial
and post−colonial elements of contemporary African society. His father, one of the
first Christian converts in the village, was a member of the Church Missionary Society
and strongly discouraged his son from accepting native, non− Christian belief systems.
Still, Achebe was drawn to the traditional beliefs and mythology of the Ibo. He began
to learn English at the age of eight, and at fourteen he was selected to attend the
Government College at Unuahia, one of West Africa's best schools. In 1948, he
became a student in the first class at University College in Ibadan. Although intending
to study medicine, he soon changed in favor of English coursework.
One year after graduating with honors in 1953, Achebe went to work for the Nigerian
Broadcasting Company. His radio career ended, however, in 1966, when he left his
position as Director of External Broadcasting in Nigeria during the political and
religious unrest leading to the Biafran War, a civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970.
Achebe joined the Biafran Ministry of Information and became involved in
fundraising and diplomatic endeavors, a role similar to that of Chris Osodi in Anthills
of the Savannah. In 1971, Achebe became the editor of Nigerian Journal of New
Writing. Achebe is also a respected lecturer and teacher. From 1972 to 1975, he was
Professor of English at University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and in 1987 he
accepted a year−long position as Professor of African Studies at University of
Connecticut at Storrs. In addition, he has been Professor Emeritus at University of
Nigeria at Nsukka since 1984.
Achebe began to exercise his writing ability while still working in radio, but it was not
until he left broadcasting that he began to pursue writing seriously. His work includes
poetry, short stories, children's writing, and novels. Achebe was one of the first to
write in English about the contours and complexities of African culture. His first
novel, Things Fall Apart, published in 1958, remains his best−known. Upon its
Author Biography 2
publication, Achebe earned a reputation as a writer with a uniquely African point of
view who could write honestly about British colonialism in Nigeria. Achebe published
No Longer at Ease, The Sacrificial Egg and Other Stories, Arrow of God, and A Man
of the People, then waited twenty−one years to publish Anthills of the Savannah in
1987. His work since then includes Hopes and Impediments: Selected Essays
1965−1987 and Beyond Hunger in Africa.
Regarded as one of the founders of Nigeria's literary development, Achebe uses his
work to call for an end to oppression and a return to order, integrity, and beauty. He
continues to combine his role as a storyteller with a sense of responsibility to write
with purpose and to instruct his readers.
Author Biography 3
Plot Summary
Part I
Set in the fictitious West African country of Kangan, Anthills of the Savannah opens
with a meeting of the regime's president and his Cabinet. The government has been in
place for two years, since a coup overthrew the former dictator. Three men, friends
since childhood, have assumed important positions in the new system. Sam is the
president, Chris Oriko is the Commissioner of Information, and Ikem Osodi is the
editor of the government controlled newspaper, the National Gazette. Ikem is an
intellectual and a poet who is very outspoken about the need to reform the
government. Chris acts as a mediator between Ikem and Sam.
Sam has become a leader without regard for his people, seeking only to acquire more
power for himself by any means necessary. Chris and Ikem realize that Sam is rapidly
becoming a dictator. They helped get him appointed to the position, even encouraging
him when he felt that his military background was inadequate preparation for a
position of such importance. Now, Chris and Ikem regret their previous support of
their friend and seek to control Sam in their own ways. Meanwhile, Sam's obsession
with power has made him paranoid and temperamental. When Sam decides he wants
to be elected "President−for−Life," a national referendum is called but the region of
Abazon refuses to participate. Sam in turn denies the region access to water despite a
drought, expecting that without water or food the people will give in. When delegates
from Abazon arrive at the capital on a mission for mercy, Sam suspects that they are
actually planning an insurrection. In fact, his paranoia leads him to believe that the
insurrection is being assisted by someone close to him.
Although Chris is aware of how dangerous Sam is becoming, he believes that by
staying in his government position he can serve his country. Meanwhile, Ikem's
editorials are becoming more radical, and Chris tries to convince him to tone them
down.
Plot Summary 4
Ikem has a girlfriend, Elewa, who is semiliterate and works in a shop. She is pregnant
with his child. Chris's fiancee, Beatrice, is a well−educated woman who holds a
position as administrator for one of the state offices. She has known Ikem since youth
and works for Sam, so she has connections to all of the major characters. She observes
the government's activities and Chris's and Ikem's reactions, and feels that she is the
only one sensitive enough to truly understand the situation. She expresses to Chris and
Ikem that they are approaching the problem incorrectly because they are not really
connecting to the people and the land.
Part II
Sam commands Chris to fire Ikem from his position as editor, at which point Chris
responds in a highly unusual way—he refuses to obey Sam's order. Sam believes that
Ikem is involved in the "protest" staged by the delegates of Abazon, but Chris knows
better. Still, Ikem is fired and soon after addresses a student group at a university.
Never one to hold his tongue, he is very vocal about his criticism of the government.
He makes a joke about the regime minting coins with Sam's head on them, which is
turned into propaganda claiming that Ikem has called for the beheading of the
president. Ikem is taken from his home in the middle of the night and shot and killed
by the state police.
Part III
Chris realizes just how dangerous Sam has become and goes into hiding after using his
contacts within the international press to publicize the truth about Ikem's murder. With
the help of Emmanuel, a student leader who greatly admires Chris; Abdul, a
sympathetic cab driver; and a small covert network of supporters, Chris is able to
escape the capital city of Bassa by bus and head for Abazon. Meanwhile, the
government orders Chris's arrest and threatens anyone found to be withholding
information about him.
Part II 5
On the bus trip, Chris begins to feel reconnected to his native land and Emmanuel
meets a beautiful student named Adamma. The bus is stopped by a mob caught up in a
drunken frenzy. They are celebrating the news that Sam has been killed and his regime
overthrown in another coup. As Chris and the other bus passengers make their way
through the crowd, gathering bits of information, Chris sees Adamma being dragged
off by a soldier to be raped. Chris rushes to her rescue, and the soldier shoots and kills
him.
Part IV
Emmanuel, Abdul, and Adamma return to Bassa to tell Beatrice and the others what
has happened. Although grief−stricken, Beatrice hosts a naming ceremony for Ikem's
baby girl, born after his murder. Men traditionally perform the ceremony, but Beatrice
fulfills this role, naming the child Amaechina, a boy's name that means "May the Path
Never Close."
Part IV 6
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 Summary
This story takes place in the fictional African state of Kangun, in the late 1980s. The
opening scene takes place in the government headquarters, during a meeting between
Christopher Oriko, the Commissioner of Information and the Kanganese heads of
state. The novel begins with a disagreement between Oriko and the President for life,
over a trip to travel the Abazon. Both he and Oriko fall silent. The narrator, Oriko,
apologizes to the President, insincerely.
Oriko describes his relationship with the President, over the past two years, since the
coup, which is steadily growing sour. He is unable to point to a particular event or
time, when their friendship began to dissolve. He studies eleven of his colleagues, who
are present at this meeting, and wonders why they have let the President, formerly
their friend, become so difficult.
Oriko blames himself, as he was personally responsible for many of their government
appointments. He studies the faces of his colleagues, as they sit around the table, in
moody silence. They realize that it is going to be one of 'those days,' meaning a 'bad
day.' Oriko explains that days are judged, 'good,' or 'bad,' depending upon what sort of
mood the President is in. On a bad day such as this, he continues, all that one can do is
to wait it out, as quietly as possible.
Oriko describes the other government ministers, who are present at the meeting. The
Honorable Commissioner for Education, Oriko comments, is the most frightened
individual in the room. As soon as he sensed an impending disagreement between the
President and Oriko, he tuned himself out. He realizes that the President is in a bad
mood, and, out of habit, he gathers his papers into his folder, and accidentally drops it,
spilling sheets of paper everywhere. Everyone in the room gasps, and in his panic,
instead of collecting the papers, he only scatters them further. He looks about the
Chapter 1 7
room, embarrassed, and his eyes meet those of the President. There is a great deal of
tension in the room, as everyone is unsure as to how the President will react. Much to
everyone's surprise, the President speaks.
The President addresses Oriko in a friendly and pleasant manner. The mood of the day
changes in an instant. Oriko imagines the many compliments that the others will pay
their leader, when his back is turned.
The President asks Oriko if he understands what he is asking the President to do.
Oriko shakes his head, and the President continues with his questioning. He defends
his position, by reminding his staff that he is a soldier first, and a politician second. He
is first attacked by the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney−General, and then by
everyone else.
The Attorney General reminds the President that it is his duty to serve the people for
life, and all in the room applaud. The President and the Attorney General continue
arguing over whether it is the duty or not of the President to travel to the Abazon
region. The President asks if there is any other business to attend to. The Chief
Secretary replies that there is nothing more to discuss. The meeting adjourns. Silence
pervades the room. The President silently gathers his papers and leaves.
The Chief Secretary remarks that their leader is not in a good mood. A noise wells up
in the room. Everyone turns to the East window, which overlooks the gardens of the
Presidential Palace. The Chief Secretary opens the window, allowing the melodic
chants of a crowd to enter the room. The President runs back into the Council
Chamber. The Inspector−General of Police agrees to investigate the matter. The
President's mood shifts, and he chastises the Inspector−General. He orders his cabinet
to sit down.
A half an hour later, the doors swing open, and an orderly announces that the
President wants Professor Okong, one of the councilors. Upon leaving, Okong jokes
that he will keep the most comfortable jail cell for his self.
Chapter 1 8
Oriko describes Okong's personality and history. Reginald Okong was a secondary
school teacher, who was ordained by American Baptist missionaries, when he was 26
years old. He travels to Ohio, where he earned his Ph.D.
We learn that the narrator was the editor of the National Gazette, when Okong was
abroad. Okong approached Oriko, for a plan for a weekend current affairs supplement,
who reluctantly agreed, and began to build Okong up as a leading African political
scientist. Okong's column was mildly amusing, and did not upset the politicians, until
they were overthrown and Okong added fuel to the fire by preaching their excesses.
We learn that when the President came to power, and approached Oriko for
references, Oriko nominated Okong.
Oriko describes his friendship with the President; they had known each other since
they were young boys of thirteen or fourteen, when they met at school. Therefore, it
was Oriko's job to counsel the new head of State, the President, who was terrified of a
civilian uprising. The narrator ends the chapter by expressing hopes that all will turn
out well.
Chapter 1 Analysis
Chinua Achebe was born Albert Chinualumogu Achebe, on November 16, 1930 in
Ogidi, Nigeria. He attended the government college for three years, before going on to
earn a B.A. degree, granted from the University of London, in 1956. After graduating,
he went on to study broadcasting at the British Broadcasting Corporation, in London.
From the 1950s, Achebe was part of the Nigerian literary movement, which fused
governmental politics with that of postcolonial culture. He wrote Anthills of the
Savannah after a 21−year break from writing, and the work was published in 1987,
winning the coveted Booker Prize, the leading British literary award.
In order to understand the works of Achebe properly, the social and political climates
in Nigeria, in the 1980s need to be considered. Up until the nineteenth century, the
area that comprises modern Nigeria was split into various kingdoms, mainly the
Chapter 1 9
Kanem−Bornu Empire in the north, and the Oyo and Benin kingdoms, located in the
southwest and southeast, respectively. Europeans established trade in these areas in
various ports, in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In 1886, the
British government created the Royal Niger Company, which negotiated treaties for
trade, in exchange for a guaranteed payment of an annual tribute. Nigeria formally
became a British protectorate in 1901 and formally a colony, in 1914, but it was
granted self−rule, following the Second World War, and gained full independence in
1960.
In 1966, there were two political coups, or uprisings, which brought the country under
military rule. The leaders of the second rebellion tried to bring Nigeria under stricter
military government, replacing the twelve regions with twelve state governments. A
year later, dominant cultural group, the Igbos, declared their independence as the
Republic of Biafra, which sadly resulted in a violent and bloody civil war, which
ended in their defeat in 1970.
The 1970s did not offer any more stability for the people of Nigeria, than did the
1960s; in 1975, there was a bloodless rebellion, in which brought Murtala Ramat
Mohammad to power, who fought for a return to civilian rule. Sadly, he was killed in
yet another political coup, and was replaced by a member of his own party, Olusegun
Obasanjo, Mohammad's former Chief of Staff. In 1977, a new constitution was
drafted, and in 1979, elections were held, which Shehu Shagari won. In 1983, Nigeria
returned to a military−led government, called the Supreme Military Council. It was in
this political and social upheaval of the 1980s that Achebe wrote Anthills of the
Savannah.
The introductory chapter is often the most important one of the text, for it usually
establishes the setting. We learn through Oriko that the novel is set in Kangun, a
fictionalized state, similar to Achebe's native Nigeria. Like Nigeria, Oriko tells us that
there has been a government coup, and his childhood friend has taken power. The
introduction often sets the tone for the work. The tone is the way in which the author
tells the story.
Chapter 1 10
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 Summary
Professor Okong is brought in to see the President. He asks Okong to receive a
delegation, which is waiting for him. He reprimands Okong, for a past political
mistake. We learn that the crowd that is assembled outside of the Presidential Palace is
a delegation from Abazon, the region that the President has refused to visit. Okong
becomes indignant, while the leader states that they are only a goodwill delegation,
and nothing to fear. The President points out, however, that the crowd wishes to
petition him, to raise awareness of the drought that is affecting Abazon. He explains
why he does not wish to meet with them. He asks Okong to address the crowd for him,
to explain to the people of Abazon that the President is tied up with other matters of
state. He gives him further instructions, as to how to handle the situation.
Okong takes this opportunity to apologize graciously to the President, on behalf of
himself and his colleagues. This irritates the President further; Okong warns him that
there are those within his cabinet who are capable of planning a rebellion against the
current administration. The President dismisses the Professor. After Okong leaves his
chambers, the President worries over what his councilor has told him about rising
dissent in his government. He chastises the commissioner to himself, for not showing
loyalty to his colleagues.
The Attorney General is summoned and the President tells him that he has received
intelligence suggesting that the Commissioner for Information is not entirely loyal to
him. He asks the Attorney General's opinion. The lawyer slyly replies− after a short
passage describing his elation at having been taken into the President's confidence−
that he, a humble servant, can only give advice based upon hard evidence. The
President asks him again, joking that he− the President− is a general, not a lawyer.
The lawyer laughs a little too loudly at the President's joke. He replies that Oriko, the
Commissioner for Information, is not supportive of the leader. The lawyer explains
Chapter 2 11
that since the two− the President and Oriko− are boyhood friends, Oriko does not take
the President seriously. The lawyer makes a reference to Jesus; he, too, faced
opposition from those who knew him as a child.
This places a great deal of doubt in the President's mind about Oriko, for he had been
warned by the previous General to never trust his old friends, and advised him to keep
them at a distance.
The lawyer continues his sycophantic praise of the President. The President asks the
Attorney General to keep what was said in confidence and never to mention it to
anyone.
Chapter 2 Analysis
As a storyteller, Chinua Achebe voices his criticism of the unequal distribution of
political power and wealth with storytelling devices such as irony, characterization,
style, ethos and setting.
Characterization is the way in which a character is developed throughout a story. A
character may be described as dynamic or static. A flat character is a person that does
not change or develop throughout the course of a work; likewise, a static character is
one that develops or undergoes a change in the text. Additionally, characterization
greatly enhances the setting and tone of a novel, as well, for it allows the author to
give the reader a more comprehensive impression of the message that the book is
trying to convey.
Achebe's narrative technique, however, in this work is very important. The
point−of−view is crucial to a reader's understanding of the text. Point−of−view
describes how the story is being narrated, and can vary from text to text. For example,
Anthills of the Savannah is told through several different characters, which lets the
reader have several different perspectives of the same events, or people. Chris Oriko
tells the first chapter, and Achebe utilizes the third person vantage point to achieve
Chapter 2 12
this. In the second chapter, however, the narrator shifts to tell the story from third
person, objective; that is, the narrator is unaware of what the characters are thinking,
and can only relay information as it occurs in the plot. Achebe will shift this vantage
point several times in this novel.
Chapter 2 13
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 Summary
Oriko phones Ikem Osodi to arrange for a photographer to cover the goodwill
delegation from Abazon. He requests that he approve the copy that will accompany
the article; the photographer asks why he needs to have his article approved by the
Honorable Commissioner of Information. Ikem refuses, because it will be his name
that will be printed in the Gazette, and he is afraid of government retribution, if what
he writes is deemed seditious, or treasonous. Oriko reminds the journalist that Chapter
Fourteen of the Newspaper Amendment Decree grants the Commissioner of
Information specific powers over what is printed in the Gazette.
Oriko hangs up, and calls in his secretary. The phone rings, and Oriko instructs his
secretary to notify his callers that he is not in the office. It is Ikem. The secretary
informs him that the Commissioner is unavailable; Ikem does not believe her, as he
has just been speaking to him on the phone. The secretary coolly informs him that the
Commissioner could have been speaking to him from any phone in the city. Ikem
slams the phone down on her.
The chapter continues with Ikem traveling to the Presidential Palace. He has hit a
great deal of traffic. He describes his battle with the other vehicles and taxis. In
gratefulness, that night he writes, 'Hymn to the Sun.'
Chapter 3 Analysis
This chapter also illustrates a common technique, that of storytelling, which Achebe
relies on in this novel and in his other writing. Achebe sets the semi−religious
traditions of Nigeria, which is represented by Ikem's, 'Hymn to the Sun,' against
modernity, which is represented by the bustle of the city traffic, which Ikem
encounters on the way to the Presidential palace. One of the main themes, or ideas, of
Chapter 3 14
the novel, is the clash between western, British Imperialism and the traditions of the
indigenous peoples.
Yet again, Achebe shifts the point−of− view in this chapter, which is again being told
by both Oriko and Ikem, using the third person. This again gives the reader a different
insight into the motivations of the characters. It is not always clear who is telling the
story, and the events described are not always in chronological order. Sometimes we
learn about past events, with the narrator telling these events from memory.
One of the most prominent features of Achebe's writing style is his ability to weave
traditional elements into his narratives. This is illustrated by Ikem's impromptu poem,
"The Sun God," which laments the political corruption and natural threats to the
people, like drought and the heat, in Kangun, Achebe's fictional Nigeria. The author
also utilizes the technique of verbal irony in this chapter and throughout the rest of the
work.
Chapter 3 15
Chapter 4
Chapter 4 Summary
This chapter begins with an argument between Ikem and his girlfriend, Elewa, a
Kanganese woman. During their argument, Ikem notices a car, with a broken taillight,
pulling into the garage, which is shared by all of the tenants of the apartment complex.
Ikem thinks that it is his neighbor, whom he calls Mr. So Therefore. Elewa is upset
because Ikem is sending her home in a Taxi at night; she is afraid that robbers in the
area will attack her. Ikem tries to convince her that she is safe; however, she wants to
know why he will not take her home himself, if it is safe to travel at night.
Ikem describes a previous argument between the two. The taxi arrives and Ikem tries
to frighten the driver, by informing him that it is illegal to operate a vehicle without
interior lights. Elewa bundles herself into the back of the cab and leaves.
Ikem explains that he does not believe that men and women should share the same
bed. He is very fond of Elewa, but believes that his job writing editorials must come
first. We learn that he is a friend of Chris Oriko, who cautions Ikem about his writing.
Ikem is an activist, committed to government reform.
Ikem tells us that when he first joined the Gazette, he was not a crusader, but that
changed one afternoon, when he witnessed an execution. He finds is unbearably cruel
and barbaric. He describes the four prisoners who are to be executed, and he marvels
at their individualism. Ikem finds the hypocrisy of the executions unforgivable; the
murders and thieves are being executed by a state that is as equally guilty of theft and
murder. Ikem's most pleasant memory from that afternoon was the woman, who was
seated in front of him, vomiting on the man in front of her.
On the day after the execution, Ikem wrote his first crusading editorial against capital
punishment. His friend, Oriko, criticized him for the editorial. Much to Ikem's
Chapter 4 16
surprise, the President agrees with the editorial and decides to refuse all the unpopular
acts of the civilian regime. Ikem continues writing these stories, ignoring his friend's
repeated warnings.
Ikem arrives at Chris's office; Oriko is irritated with him. Ikem explains why he was
not present in the cabinet. Oriko questions him about the morning's editorial. Ikem
informs him that as long as he remains the editor, he will not seek the permission of
anyone, in what he prints. Oriko tells his friend that he refuses to defend him any
more.
Ikem describes the frustration that Chris feels in his job as the Commissioner of
Information. For example, the President had agreed to visit the Abazon region, and
Oriko began to relay this news; the President, however, changed his mind, after taking
a nap, and his plans are immediately cancelled. Oriko is not told.
Ikem explains Chris's theory on military government. Oriko believes that military life
attracts two different types of people: strong individuals and those who want to strong.
The former often make good soldiers and often good people. The remainder is there
for the lifestyle.
Ikem describes the President, a military dictator named Sam. According to Ikem, the
only flaw that the man had was an almost foolish admiration of the English. For
example, when the English headmaster of their school proclaimed that the only proper
vocation for a man was that of a soldier, Sam immediately decided to enter the army,
giving up his dream of becoming a doctor. He entered Sandhurst, and attempted to live
the lifestyle of a British Army officer. Ikem remembers his gradual transformation, but
he did not take it seriously. Ikem believes that the change that came over Sam
occurred after his first OAU meeting. He and Chris were summoned to the
Presidential Palace, when Sam was Head of State; both noticed that he was not the
same as he was the week before, when he had taken a trip to Bassa, to spend time with
the then President Ngongo. Sam admired him greatly, and let it be known that he
wished to be more like him. This worried Chris and Ikem. Ikem remarks that he felt
Chapter 4 17
that he and Chris were no longer welcome to pay Sam social visits.
Chapter 4 Analysis
This is an important chapter in the novel, because it provides some background
information to the story. We learn that the main characters had been educated in the
UK, which is important to understand the story. One of the main themes of the text is
the tension between modernity− symbolized by the British educational and military
systems, and the traditional African cultures and heritages, represented by Elewa. This
tension comprises a very important part of postcolonial literature.
Achebe also utilizes the literary technique known as foreshadowing. This is a process
through which the author creates dramatic tension in the text, by hinting or suggesting
something is going to occur further along in the plot. In this chapter, we first learn that
the name of the President is Sam. Achebe's choice of name for this character is very
interesting; it is not really the sort of grand name that one would expect for a military
dictator. Additionally, we also learn that the other characters were initially very
friendly with Sam, before he became the President−for−life; this friendliness contrasts
greatly with the tension of the opening scenes of the book, in which he intimidates the
characters. As we learn more about him in this chapter, we begin to realize that he has
undergone a change in his personality, which suggests that this will lead to a climax or
high point in the book.
Chapter 4 18
Chapter 5
Chapter 5 Summary
The next chapter begins with Mad Medico, Ikem and Chris Oriko drinking together.
Elewa is there as well. This chapter is told through the eyes of Chris Oriko. Mad
Medico's real name is John Kent, but his friends rarely call him that: he is usually
called Mad Medico or MM, for short. He is not a doctor, but rather a poet. He is very
friendly with Sam, who made him hospital administrator and saved him from being
deported.
Elewa finds MM's home very interesting. She is there with Beatrice, Chris's girlfriend.
They notice a poem written above the bar. We learn that MM has a strange mania for
graffiti cost him his job and residence around a year ago.
MM inquires about Sam. A man named Dick, MM, Chris, and Ikem sit around the bar
of MM's home. They discuss the delegation from Abazon; none of them knew that
they were coming, and the President is mad at them. MM humorously sums it up: the
delegation has arrived to ask the President to give them rain. Dick is English and does
not understand what MM meant.
Dick complains about how he is treated; he has been called a 'Red Neck' and
'Imperialist,' because he is Caucasian. He asks MM if he would have scrawled the
offensive graffiti, which cost him his job, if it were an English hospital. MM says that
he would not have.
We learn that Dick is the founding editor of a new literary magazine in Soho, London,
called, Reject. Mad Medico prompts him to tell his story. Dick started his magazine by
simply placing ads in literary journals for manuscripts that had been rejected. The
magazine is a success. Dick prides himself on the fact that he has managed to unnerve
the British literary establishment.
Chapter 5 19
The party splits into two: Ikem and Dick at one end of the bar, and MM, Beatrice and
Chris, at the other end. MM recalls how much he had enjoyed associating with Sam.
Oriko points out that he is probably the only person in the country, who still calls the
President by his given name. MM replies that he will never refer to the President as
'Your Excellency,' a title that he finds ridiculous. Oriko argues that the name, 'Sam,' is
an even sillier name than 'your Excellency.'
Oriko is frustrated with the country's glamorization of all things English. Beatrice and
Chris reminisce about one of Chris's previous lovers. Dick attempts to regain control
of the conversation, and continues lauding his publishing efforts. Ikem jumps in and
jokes that when Chris finally fires him, he can run Double Reject. MM credits Ikem's
editorials as being his saving grace during his graffiti phase. We learn that Ikem is also
a respected poet. MM also points out that Beatrice was awarded a degree in English
from London University. Dick remarks that he is not surprised, as Africans and
Indians are writing the best English literature.
Oriko describes to the audience the importance of his relationship with Beatrice. He
also describes one of his first dates with her. Beatrice comments on Ikem's
relationship with his then girlfriend, Joy. She foretells that there will be a great deal of
trouble ahead for Ikem and Chris's friendship. She tells Oriko that Ikem resents him;
Chris replies that this is because Sam and he were promoted, making Chris Ikem's
boss. He believes that he is jealous of Chris. He explains to Beatrice that Ikem was the
best student at Lord Lugard College, or secondary school. He never failed at anything.
Naturally, he is upset that Oriko was promoted over him.
Chris explains that Ikem was the intellectual, Sam the socialite, and he was just
average. The chapter concludes with Oriko and Beatrice discussing the Sam's sexual
relationship with his white girlfriend.
Chapter 5 Analysis
Chapter 5 20
Make sure to discuss foreshadowing again, point of view, characterization and
flashback. Key theme is the power of writing: this is evident in the power of Ikem's
editorials, which was discussed in the previous chapter. In this chapter, it is MM's
writing that is controversial. We learn that he had scrawled inappropriate graffiti on
the walls of the hospital, where he worked. Achebe is arguing that words have the
power to help bring about change, as well as cause harm.
This chapter also continues the character development of Sam, the President, which
Achebe began in Chapter 4. Again, Ikem, Chris and others comment on how Sam has
changed, a change, Achebe insinuates, is due to Sam's excessive admiration of the
British system. This suggests, as did the earlier chapter, that Sam's excesses may well
suggest a fall, later in the book.
Chapter 5 21
Chapter 6
Chapter 6 Summary
This chapter is told through the point of view of Beatrice Okoh, Chris Oriko's
girlfriend. She receives a phone call from the President, who invites her to dinner. She
tells us that she used to visit him quite frequently, with Ikem and Chris; but since
during the last year, she had kept a distance from him. She is irritated by his invitation,
and Oriko's insistence that she take it. She arrives at the party; she is introduced to
members of the American United Press. The President introduces her, and we learn
that she is the Senior Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Finance; she graduated
from Queen Mary College.
Beatrice quarrels with a reporter. She regrets having been so unkind and admits to
herself that she is feeling uncomfortable about the nature of the President's invitation,
and remembers Oriko's advice to remain calm. She describes various government
officials, such as the Director of SRC, who is youngish looking. She also meets the
Chief of Army staff, who she finds agreeable. She comments on the women, who are
present at the party. She feels that they are all overdressed. She also describes the food
that is served.
The President is an excellent host, but everyone around him only agrees with him and
is insincere. She finds it difficult to connect with the other guests. The American girl
drinks too much, and becomes difficult. She becomes overbearing and rude to the
President, lecturing him on the country's need to maintain its current level of foreign
debt, so that the U.S. government will send more aid for the drought effected regions.
Beatrice asks her if she has read any editorials from the Gazette: the American replies
that she has heard that the editor is some sort of Marxist. The President basically
agrees, which upsets Beatrice.
The President, now a bit drunk, asks Beatrice to sit beside him, and she again wonders
Chapter 6 22
why she has been invited. She dances with him, in an attempt to seduce him. He is
angered by a comment that she makes, and invites her to leave.
Chapter 6 Analysis
Achebe shifts the vantage point in this chapter yet again. We now learn about events
through the eyes of Beatrice. The events in this book only take place over a course of a
few months; however, the narration explains events that have happened over a period
of several years.
Chapter 6 23
Chapter 7
Chapter 7 Summary
Beatrice also tells this chapter; it opens with her formally introducing herself to the
reader. Beatrice explains that her house girl, Agatha, belongs to an evangelical church,
a movement that is gaining popularity in Kangun. She cannot cook or do any work on
Saturday.
Her friends also call Beatrice either B or BB. She points out that she, like the
privileged and powerful, had enemies. She describes her feelings about those who
dislike her. She refutes claims that she has sought attention and is overly ambitious.
She describes her childhood; especially how she found comfort in her native language.
Her father was a very stern man. He was a deacon at the village church, and was
famous for his whippings of village children. She suspects that her father had flogged
her mother, although she had never witness it happen. One day, her mother comes out
of a room, wiping her eyes; Beatrice runs to comfort her, but her mother pushes her
away. Beatrice realizes now that her mother resented her because she wanted to have a
boy. She tells us that she was also given another name at birth, Nwanyibuife, which
translates as, 'a female is also something.'
She recalls when she met Chris; he was not a commissioner, but rather the editor of
the National Gazette. Beatrice explains that she was not keen to get involved in a
relationship, as she had witnessed enough chauvinism living with her father. However,
Chris is different; he is very good−looking and very kind. She wants to become
involved with him, but is fearful of getting hurt.
She fears that Chris has a wife, and asks Ikem about her; he replies that Chris is not
married. She and Ikem remained good friends, with the friendship occasionally
teetering on romance. Beatrice remarks on his full−length novel and the play that he
Chapter 7 24
has written about the Women's War of 1929. Beatrice illustrates how compassionate
Ikem is by retelling the story of the time that he saved her at the Nigerian Christmas
dance, in London.
Beatrice has not seen much of Ikem in the past year. The last time she has seen him
was last August. She and Agatha were home, and heard a noise outside of the flat.
Agatha, Beatrice complains, is terribly naïve; Beatrice has to shout at her to remain in
the kitchen. She stands safely behind the kitchen door, and tries to ascertain who was
banging on her door. After a several minutes, she realizes that it is Ikem.
They discuss the weather; a thunderstorm continued to rage in the distance. Beatrice
wonders why Ikem is there; she remembers how, as a little girl, she would hide during
rainstorms. She and Ikem discuss the rain and their childhoods.
Ikem finally explains why he has come to Beatrice: To thank her for the gift of insight.
Ikem reads a 'love poem,' which he has written, which defines his beliefs on the
subjugation of women, or chauvinism. He believes that women are the most oppressed
group of people. Beatrice and Ikem argue over his feminist theories.
Ikem announces suddenly that he must leave. He gives Beatrice the love poem. He
kisses her passionately, and she politely asks him to go. He leaves.
Chapter 7 Analysis
Chapter 7 continues to provide background information. Beatrice refers to the
Women's War of 1929. When an author refers to a particular historical event or
person, it is called an allusion. Achebe alludes to the Women's War of 1929. In Igbo
society, one of Nigeria's native tribes, Igbo women have a great deal of personal
freedom. In 1929, when Nigeria was still under British rule, the Crown wished to
impose a personal tax on both Igbo men and women. The Igbo women protested
against the ruling, demanding that the British leave Igboland; sadly, the British killed
many of the protestors. The theme of political protest is apparent in this chapter. The
Chapter 7 25
characters of Beatrice and Ikem argument over feminism, and much of the sexual
tension between them is heightened by their political beliefs.
The thunderstorm that looms in the distance during most of the chapter, is not only
atmospheric, but is also an example of symbolism, or the literary method by which a
writer uses an object or action to represent an idea. For example, a candle may not
only suggest a physical light, but also represent knowledge, or enlightenment. Achebe
uses the thunderstorm to suggest several ideas. For example, the storm may suggest
the passion that Beatrice and Ikem feel for another; it may also hint at impending
doom, in the characters' futures. However, Achebe's use of this storm also helps to
create the appropriate setting and mood, for the next chapter.
Chapter 7 26
Chapter 8
Chapter 8 Summary
This chapter is entitled, 'Daughters: Idemili.' Achebe describes the birth of Idemili, the
daughter of the Sun and the festivals that are held in commemoration. The lake, out of
which she came, was designated as a shrine to her worship; however, urbanization and
development forced the locals to create shrines further and further away from the lake.
The narrator laments the fact that the more man tries to capture the divine, the more
unobtainable the Divine becomes.
There is a folk tale that tells the story of a handsome man who sought the attention of
Idemili. She refused him, and he went away, to perform an ancient rite of seclusion.
He lives in an isolated hut, away from his many wives. Rather than sleep in the hut,
however, he would travel at the dead of night to gaze into the window of Idemili, only
to travel home at dawn. One morning, when he was going home, he came across
Eke−Idemili, the royal python, who acted as messenger of the Daughter of God. The
man dies.
The narrator tells the reader that Beatrice Nwanyibuife was not aware of this folktale,
or of any of her folk culture, but rather, was made very aware of all major cultures and
histories, except her own.
The next section of the chapter, simply entitled, 'Nwanyibuife,' reverts to the early
scene, in which she is a guest of the President's party; she is escorted back to the
chauffeured car. She is very fearful, afraid that she may be tortured. She sleeps, and
awakens before dawn. She hears a bird outside her balcony; Beatrice goes out to
investigate. She is touched by the bird's chirping and recalls a saying of her mother.
Beatrice has breakfast, and then the phone rings. It is Chris, inquiring how the dinner
party with the President went. He notes the concern in her voice, and he comes over to
Chapter 8 27
her apartment. They sit in silence. Finally, Chris asks her why she is acting so
strangely, she replies angrily.
The two quarrel about Oriko's motives for sending Beatrice to the President's party the
night before. She is insulted because she feels that Chris had expected her to sleep
with Sam. They make up.
They lunch together; Agatha, the religious maid, is irritated by Beatrice's intimacy
with Chris. When he queries about the maid's disapproval, Beatrice replies that she is
very religious. Beatrice states that she is from the house of the 'unknown god.'
Chris and Beatrice discuss Ikem; Beatrice is deeply concerned for Ikem's safety. She
describes to Oriko how the editor was tried and convicted at the party, and that it is no
longer safe for him.
Chapter 8 Analysis
Achebe shifts the focus of the narration back to the present, and the story resumes,
with Beatrice returning home, after attending the President's dinner party. She is
worried about her friend, Ikem, who was labeled seditious, or traitorous, by the
government, and she asks Oriko for help and advice.
The previous chapter introduced the idea of primitive religion. Igbo traditional religion
revolves around Chukwu or Chineke, the supreme god; there are also intermediary
gods that are venerated. Ancestral reverence is also an important part of Igbo life, but
is not necessarily encouraged in the religion by purists. In recent years, however,
almost every major world religion has come to be represented in Nigeria, ranging from
Islam to Catholicism.
Beatrice comments that she feels that she is not one, but two women: the Kanganese
women, who tells part of the story of the novel, and she who is from the house of the
'unknown god.' This comparison forms a dichotomy, or, in other words, Achebe draws
Chapter 8 28
a parallel between the ancient primeval religion of the indigenous culture, and that of
contemporary Nigeria. Beatrice, therefore, becomes symbolic of the struggle against
impending modernity, which was brought to the region by Britain's colonial rule. For
many years, the Western world viewed Africa as the 'dark continent,' a statement that
suggested that Africa− and its people− were both primitive and unknowable, at least to
non−Africans. This idea is best illustrated by Joseph Conrad's classic novel, The Heart
of Darkness. It may be argued that Achebe is commenting on this belief and
stereotype in Anthills of the Savannah, with the inclusion of the unfathomable,
unknown god, represented by Beatrice.
Chapter 8 29
Chapter 9
Chapter 9 Summary
This chapter again focuses on Ikem. He travels to the Presidential palace, where he
sees the delegation from Abazon, at the palace, eating and discussing their visit. Ikem
is well received by the group, although the spokesperson for the group is disappointed
that Ikem has not had the opportunity− or the inclination− to attend their monthly
meetings. One of the men from the delegation defends Ikem with a long speech.
Ikem returns to the hotel, where he has parked his car; a traffic cop is issuing the
vehicle a ticket. He is ordered to appear before the court on Monday morning.
Ikem appears at the Traffic Police Office, on Monday morning. He had made an
appointment with the Superintendent of Traffic. The Superintendent is pleased− and
awed− to meet Ikem, and he reprimands the constable who issued him the ticket.
Ikem returns to his office, and issues the week's editorial meeting late. He tells the
story of the ticket, to everyone's amusement, everyone, that is, except Ikem's
second−in−command, who has recently begun to find fault with the editor.
Chapter 9 Analysis
In this chapter, Achebe again illustrates the ridiculous nature− and far−reaching
aspects− of political corruption, in Nigeria. In doing so, however, Achebe reinforces
the theme that words are indeed weapons, and those who voice their opinions and
criticize political regimes are indeed seen as threats. There is also a sense of
impending trouble, which is foreshadowed by Ikem's assistant, who is growing
increasingly critical of the editor.
Chapter 9 30
Chapter 10
Chapter 10 Summary
This chapter begins with a poem, entitled, 'Africa,' and written by David Diop. Ikem
and Elewa are at Ikem's, getting ready to leave to go to MM's. The doorbell rings, and
Ikem is met by a group of taxi drivers, who wish to congratulate him. One was the cab
driver, who drove Elewa home, the week before, and who had cut Ikem off in traffic
not too long ago. He has come to apologize to Ikem. This surprises the editor. The
chapter concludes with Elewa's opinion of the taxi drivers.
Chapter 10 Analysis
This short chapter serves as a transition from the previous chapter, which comments
on the nature of African politics, leading up to the next chapter, which highlights the
changes, that power brings to an individual. Achebe uses the taxi drivers to give a
voice to the common African man, and how he interprets those in power. The drivers,
while outwardly impressed by Ikem's status, they are also critical of the Editor's
reluctance to live opulently, like the government ministers. There seems to be a certain
code, or model, by which one should live, in order to stay in power; a rejection of this
certain way of life can− and will, in Ikem's case− be misconstrued as sedition, or a
traitorous attitude.
Chapter 10 31
Chapter 11
Chapter 11 Summary
Ikem contemplates his meeting with the taxi drivers. He interprets the events of the
past week as having awakened a renewed interest in his culture, and he describes his
feelings about public affairs and politics. He considers the failure of his government:
the massive corruption, and the acceptance of foreign manipulation. He accuses the
government of ignoring the country's poor, the lifeblood of the nation.
The scene shifts to the President, who is in his office. He has summoned Chris for a
meeting. The President informs Chris that he has launched an investigation into Ikem's
relationship with the 'Abazon agitators,' and, as a result, Ikem no longer to edit the
Gazette.
Oriko questions the President as to what the charges are against Ikem. He replies that
intelligence has revealed that Ikem was sympathetic with the delegation, which the
President claims was made up of drug dealers and other criminals.
Chris does not believe the President and refuses to bar Ikem access to the newspaper.
Sam then claims to have knowledge that Ikem was involved in a previous attempt to
overthrow the government, two years ago, and reminds Chris that he, too, had been
implicated. Oriko replies that he has no idea what the President is talking about.
Oriko still refuses and offers his resignation; the President laughs at him, reminding
him that Kangun is not Westminster or Washington, but is instead a backward military
government.
After Oriko has left the meeting, he receives a phone call from the leader, stating that
he has reconsidered his offer, and will instead take the matters into his own hand.
Chris is to be interviewed about the failed coup, two years earlier.
Chapter 11 32
Ikem is hand delivered a letter, relieving him of his duties at the Gazette; he promptly
goes to Oriko's house. Ikem is not entirely surprised, but realizes that the President has
it in his mind to have Ikem and Oriko tried and hanged. It comes out the President had
expressed doubts about Chris and Ikem, after the failed political referendum. Beatrice
is upset that this information had not been brought up sooner, as the two could have
resigned then.
Oriko urges Ikem to remain silent until the crisis is over; Ikem refuses to do so.
Beatrice urges Ikem to head Chris's warning. A taxi arrives at the gate; it is Elewa. She
is deeply upset and bursts into tears, which embarrasses the men. She tells them that
his suspension is all over the news, which prompts Oriko to turn on the TV. Ikem
watches the broadcast, and becomes irate, when the newsreader comments that six
leaders from the delegation from Abazon had been arrested for protesting without the
appropriate license.
Chapter 11 Analysis
This is an important chapter in the novel, for it leads to the climax, or highpoint, of the
story. Achebe is commenting on the finicky nature of political power and corruption.
The President threatens those who disagree with him, forcing those with a voice out of
power.
Achebe also uses this chapter to bring together the two female characters, to comment
on colonial and post−colonial attitudes. Beatrice is representative of the rational,
educated women of a post−colonial Africa, which is desperately seeking to re−invent
itself. Elewa, and her broken English, on the other hand, translates as a commentary
on the colonial Africa. Elewa is perceived as acting in a manner that is inappropriate,
embarrassing the other, more educated, individuals in the room, with her raw
emotions. Both women are fiercely independent, but each exhibits this independent in
different ways.
Chapter 11 33
Chapter 12
Chapter 12 Summary
Ikem Osodi arrives at the University of Bassa, where he is to give a lecture. Over two
thousand are present. Ikem delivers his speech, in which he argues that the storyteller
is often seen as a threat. His speech lasts twenty minutes.
Ikem describes his methodology for giving speeches. He states that he must always be
what the audience is not; in other words, if the audience is radical, he must be
conservative; likewise, if the audience is conservative, he is liberal.
Ikem entertains questions from the students and faculty. The question and answer
period shifts from a discussion of a proletariat−run state to jokes made about market
women and peasants. Ikem comments on the state of the people who are in power in
the government. He urges the students to try to pressure the government to put an end
to corruption.
Chapter 12 Analysis
This chapter shows Ikem trying to reconnect with the common man. However, Achebe
is also commenting on the dangers of political analysis as a mere theoretical and
intellectual exercise. He believes that storytelling is the people's true weapon, for it
allows ideas to be spread, which can lead to great political and social changes. This is
indeed true, for it is this speech at the University that sets off the events that lead to
the President's downfall.
It is interesting to note Ikem's methodology, however; he is not entirely committed to
any particular cause, except his own. His independent spirit− and arrogance− is
essentially his downfall, as he will be unwilling to listen to those around him, who
offer him advice.
Chapter 12 34
Chapter 13
Chapter 13 Summary
The National Gazette declares in its headlines that Ikem is planning regicide. The
narrator explains that Mad Medico, or John Kent, has been brought in for questioning.
He is deported. Chris hears the news about MM's deportation, and he tried to phone
Ikem, but he gets no answer. He phones Beatrice and asks her to come over. In the
meantime, he learns that Ikem is not in his flat, although he went to sleep there last
night.
Beatrice and Oriko go over to his apartment, which has been ransacked. Ikem's
neighbors arrive to tell Oriko that two army jeeps had arrived earlier that morning.
Oriko makes some phone inquiries, as to Ikem's whereabouts, but his government
contacts deny everything. That evening, during a special news report, Oriko learns that
Ikem has been shot and killed, during a scuffle with security officials. He and Beatrice
hastily pack their belongings. Oriko goes into hiding and meets with his contacts in
the foreign press. Beatrice informs Elewa of Ikem's fate.
The news correspondents are deported the next day; the President of the Students'
Union was apprehended; the police beat and rape the students. The university is closed
until further notice. The State Security threatens Beatrice, who has decided to look
after Elewa. They arrive and search her flat.
Chapter 13 35
Chapter 14
Chapter 14 Summary
Beatrice receives an anonymous phone call informing her that the State police know
where Chris is hiding. She is afraid to trust the caller, fearing it a trap. She continues
on her daily errands. She locks herself out of her car while shopping and takes a cab
home to get a spare key. When she returns home, Oriko phones her to let her know
that he was still safe. She is angered by her servant's refusal to serve Elewa.
Beatrice receives another anonymous phone call, suggesting that the city is not safe
for Oriko; later in the day, there was a statement from the police notifying the public
that Christopher Oriko is wanted for questioning, by the police.
Chapter 14 Analysis
This chapter builds dramatic tension; we know that Chris is alive, but we are not told
whether he is safe or not. Likewise, we do not know whether we can trust the
anonymous caller.
Chapter 14 36
Chapter 15
Chapter 15 Summary
This chapter describes Chris's time in hiding. He is relying on a network of friends,
who hide him in spare rooms; but as they were beginning to worry that they
themselves would be implicated, they advise him to move out of the city. The
President of the Student Union has joined Chris. They try to escape the city by
walking through a police checkpoint, disguised as common laborers.
Chapter 15 Analysis
Again, Achebe is building dramatic tension. He moves from safe house to safe house,
attempting to evade the police. The final words in the chapter are prophetic, 'To
succeed as small man no be small thing.' While Oriko is at ease acting within the
capacity of a government official, he finds it difficult to behave as a common man,
and it is this inability to remain inconspicuous which partly leads to his death.
Chapter 15 37
Chapter 16
Chapter 16 Summary
Chris and his companion start their journey to the North to the Abazon region, which
was Ikem's homeland. Beatrice and Elewa travel to join them, before the fugitives
leave for their journey. She announces that she will stay the night with Oriko, at their
waypoint. She feels guilty, because her overnight stay will infringe upon the kind
family who is sheltering Chris.
Oriko is attracted to the unknown Goddess in Beatrice during their intimacy, and he
tells her a folk tale about the origins of bedbugs. The bedroom is cramped and
mosquitoes plague the couple.
Chris and his companions travel north by bus instead of by Taxi, as was originally
planned. The narrator describes Oriko's reaction to the giant bus, which, to the ousted
government minister, suggests that there has been progress made in the provinces. The
chapter concludes with a description of Chris's opinion of the bus and the various bits
of graffiti that are scrawled on some of its walls.
Chapter 16 Analysis
Again, Beatrice is portrayed as the priestess of the unknown god, which lends an air of
religious rite to the couple's sexual act. As the chapters progress, we see Beatrice
assuming this role more and more, thus weaving together traditional elements of
African culture with that of urban, post−colonial Africa.
Chapter 16 38
Chapter 17
Chapter 17 Summary
Chris Oriko contemplates his life and the choices that he has made. He wonders
whether life could have been different for him. Chris and his two companions travel to
the north of the country. They make a rest stop, where they eat in a small café. They
raise suspicion about their identity, when they are offered a bowl of water after their
meal, in which to clean their hands. However, it is clear that the greasy water has not
been cleaned in some time. When Braimoh, Chris's travel companion asks for clean
water, the waitress is offended.
The bus finally arrives in Abazon. The area is dry, almost desert−like. Oriko
experiences another bout of anxiety, when they go through a checkpoint on the border.
The journey continues and Chris pulls out of his bag a copy of Ikem's poem, 'Pillar of
Fire: A Hymn to the Sun.'
After the town of Agbata, the bus is mostly empty, allowing Chris and his travel mates
to sit together and talk. The bus comes to another checkpoint. Upon further inspection,
however, the crowds and people in uniform appear to be celebrating something. The
President has gone missing and the government has fallen. Oriko tries to get
information from the locals who have gathered in celebration. He goes to look for
Emmanuel, the Student Union ex−President. He learns that Sam has been kidnapped,
and that the Chief of Staff has taken control of the government in his place.
Oriko exclaims that they must return to Bassa straight away; a scuffle breaks out in the
crowd. A police officer was dragging a young girl and Chris demands that the officer
let this girl go. He threatens to report the officer to the Inspector−General. The officer
shoots Oriko in the chest. A man from the crowd rebukes the officer, pointing out that
he has just killed the Minister of Information. The policeman runs away.
Chapter 17 39
Chapter 17 Analysis
The chapter contains the climax, or dramatic highpoint, of the novel. Oriko has
traveled to the Abazon region, to avoid being arrested and tortured. He contemplates
the life that he has chosen to live, and as part of this retrospective process, Oriko reads
Ikem's poem. Again, by referencing Ikem's poem, Achebe is underlining the
importance of storytelling in African culture and the potential threat of the written or
spoken word. Ikem's poem laments Africa's political fate, in light of the country's
current political climate.
Achebe also utilizes the literary technique of irony, in this chapter. Irony refers to the
situation in which a person or situation is not how it seems. For example, in this scene
we are encouraged to assume that Chris has not been recognized while traveling to
Abazon. However, after he is shot, we learn that the villagers knew exactly whom he
was.
Chapter 17 40
Chapter 18
Chapter 18 Summary
The chapter opens with Beatrice planning to host a baby naming celebration for
Elewa's infant daughter. The narrator describes the events that have taken place in the
months after Oriko's death. We learn that the President was kidnapped and shot,
issuing in a new Military government. The new government gives Chris a grand State
funeral.
Beatrice continues a friendship with Emmanuel and Braimoh. She also has had the
opportunity to meet Colonel Abdul Medani, the anonymous caller, who had told her
where Oriko had been hiding. Beatrice ponders the deaths of Ikem and Oriko, in an
attempt to understand them. Emmanuel is resentful of the Colonel; Beatrice trusts him,
but Emmanuel sees him as a representative of the military system that killed his
friend.
The traditional baby naming ceremony continues. They choose to name the girl, 'May
the Path Never Close.' Elewa is very sad that Ikem is not there to witness the naming
of his child, but her guests remind her that she has brought life into the world.
Agatha, Beatrice's servant begins to sing, and is joined by Aina, a Muslim, and
Beatrice, 'the priestess of the unknown god.' Elewa's elderly relatives arrive and are
stunned by the name for the baby. They argue over the lack of protocol and comment
on the young people's way of doing things. The uncle continues the service. After the
elders leave, the remainder of the guests reminisce about Oriko and Ikem. Beatrice
finally thanks Emmanuel for making Oriko smile as he was dying.
Chapter 18 Analysis
This is the concluding chapter of the book. It employs the literary technique known as
Chapter 18 41
denouement, literally, the untying of the action or plot. Achebe tells the reader that in
the months since Oriko's death, the President has been killed and the government has
fallen. Ikem's girlfriend, Elewa, has given birth to their child and Beatrice has resumed
work.
The birth of the child and the name that it has been given suggests that Achebe feels a
sense of hope for Africa's future; he is suggesting that peace and stability may well be
achieved by the next generation.
Chapter 18 42
Characters
Abdul
A cab driver and family man sympathetic to Chris's plight, he uses his cab to help
Chris get out of the city and works with Emmanuel to make the plans to get Chris up
north.
Adamma
One of the passengers on the bus taken by Chris, Emmanuel, and Abdul as they leave
Bassa and head north to safety, Adamma is about to be raped when Chris steps in to
save her. As a result, Chris is shot and killed, and Adamma returns to Kangan with
Emmanuel.
Agatha
Agatha is Beatrice's flighty, religious, and judgmental house girl. She is a devout
Christian who attends services regularly and does not hide her disapproval of
Beatrice's allowing Chris into her bed. Beatrice is often impatient and short with
Agatha, but as the novel progresses, she begins to feel more compassion for her.
Elewa
Ikem's pregnant girlfriend, Elewa represents the common people. Unlike Chris, Ikem,
and Beatrice, she is semiliterate and works in a shop. She is highly emotional and
expressive. Through Elewa, Beatrice comes to understand that coming from humble
origins does not necessarily make a person frail or insecure. On the contrary, Elewa's
emotional displays belie her resilience and self−confidence.
Characters 43
General Ahmed Lango
General Lango is a duplicitous man who works his way into Sam's inner circle, only to
lead the coup that will overthrow and kill him.
Emmanuel Obote
Emmanuel is a student who is a leader at his university and a great admirer of Chris.
When Chris flees for his life, Emmanuel accompanies him and helps make the
complex plans involved in trying to get Chris out of danger. He is also with Chris
when he is killed and returns to tell Beatrice of his dignity even at the moment of
death. Emmanuel stands in contrast to the typical students described by Ikem during
his speech at the university, in which he referred to students and workers as the most
derelict in their civic duties. Achebe seems to suggest that Emmanuel will continue
Chris's work in encouraging people to think for themselves regardless of
environmental hardship.
Beatrice Okoh
Chris's fiancee, Beatrice is one of Achebe's most fully developed female characters.
She works for Sam and is an old friend of Ikem's, so, through her connections to
Chris, Ikem, and Sam, she plays a significant role in the action of the novel. She was
born the fifth daughter to her parents (one sister has died). Her father had been hoping
for a son, so she was named Nwanyibuife, which means "A Woman Is Also
Something" As an adult, Beatrice is welleducated, having earned a degree with honors
in English from the University of London, and she holds an important civil service
position as an administrator in a state office. She also enjoys writing short fiction,
which Ikem reads and admires for its "muscularity" and "masculine" qualities.
Beatrice is characterized by sophistication, intelligence, and independence, but she is
General Ahmed Lango 44
also attuned to the common people on an intuitive level. Never having planned on a
career in the government, she is very disturbed by accusations that she is ambitious. In
reality, she desires what she has desired since childhood—to be left alone in her
peaceful solitude and not attract any attention. Achebe places her firmly in the mythic
tradition of the people, making her a sort of manifestation of Idemili, a goddess sent to
Man to oversee morality. Although Beatrice is unaware of the myths regarding this
goddess, she grows into a woman possessed with wisdom, selfknowledge, and
compassion as she connects with the culture of her land. At the end of the novel, she
participates in the naming ceremony for Ikem and Elewa's baby girl by naming the
infant Amaechina, a boy's name meaning "May the Path Never Close." This is bold
not only because she has given a boy's name to a girl, but also because the
responsibility of naming traditionally belongs to a man.
Professor Reginald Okong
A former Baptist minister and political scientist, Professor Okong was one of the first
people Chris recommended for Sam's Cabinet. Chris comes to regret this decision,
however, when he sees that Okong "has no sense of political morality."
Christopher Oriko
In his youth, Chris attended Lord Lugard College with his friends Ikem and Sam.
Even then, he served as the "buffer" and mediator between the athletic and outgoing
Sam and the intelligent and pensive Ikem. As adults, the three occupy promi nent roles
in Kangan's new military regime, and Chris's role as Commissioner for Information
again puts him in the position of go−between as Sam and Ikem engage in a contest of
wills. Chris stepped down as editor of the National Gazette to accept his position on
Sam's Cabinet, after which Ikem became the newspaper's editor. Chris is now Ikem's
boss, but he himself reports to Sam, which puts him in the uncomfortable position of
trying to get Ikem to comply with Sam's will. Although Chris sees Sam becoming mad
with power, he is reluctant to give up his position in the Cabinet. Chris finally asserts
Professor Reginald Okong 45
himself when Sam orders him to fire Ikem, thus beginning a harrowing series of
events. Fleeing for his life, Chris comes into contact with the "people" and begins to
understand his country better. Chris is killed trying to save a girl from being raped at a
chaotic party, and his last words are, "The last green." This is a reference to a running
joke he, Ikem, and Sam shared in the early days, when they imagined themselves as
three green bottles arrogantly situated on a shelf, each bound to fall.
Ikem Osodi
Ikem is the outspoken and reform−minded editor of the state−owned National
Gazette, a position that often puts him in conflict with his boyhood friend, Sam, who
is the president of Kangan. Part of his duty is to broadcast Sam's messages to the
people, which are Sam's way of feeling that he is radiating power from the capitol out
to the people. Ikem, on the other hand, believes strongly that the press should be free
and independent of government regulation. He and Chris often debate the
effectiveness of Ikem's editorials, but Ikem feels that even if they are futile, he should
continue publishing them.
Despite the fact that he is a London−educated intellectual, Ikem is very sensitive to the
needs of the common people. His editorials are often harsh in their criticism of the
new ruling regime, which makes Sam regard him as treacherous. Ikem states that the
best weapon against ineffective or unjust governments is not facts, but passion. Unlike
Chris, Ikem is an extremist who is not interested in working gradually toward progress
and so uses his powerful position as a journalist to call for change. Speaking to a
group of students, Ikem discusses the role of the storyteller in depth, insisting that it is
the role of the writer to ask questions and make challenges. He concludes his speech to
the students by proclaiming, "Writers don't give prescriptions. They give headaches!"
Ikem also makes a joke about putting Sam's head on the country's coins, which leads
to false reports that Ikem called for the beheading of the president. His fate already
orchestrated, Ikem is taken in the night by government secret police and killed. Still,
his presence continues to be felt among the people and his friends—a presence
Ikem Osodi 46
strengthened by the fact that he leaves behind a girlfriend close to giving birth to their
child.
Major Johnson Ossai
Major Ossai is the head of Sam's security force, the State Research Council (SRC). He
is a brutal, menacing, and evil man who calms Sam's insecurities whenever possible.
Among his methods of torture is using a simple stapler on the hands of those from
whom he needs information.
Sam
Sam is the new president of the military regime in power following a coup, a position
he holds due in no small part to the efforts of his schoolmates Chris and Ikem. He is
described as being very athletic and very charming, having adopted the ways of an
English gentleman. Early in the novel, Ikem comments on Sam's "sense of theatre,"
adding that Sam "is basically an actor and half of the things we are inclined to hold
against him are no more than scenes from his repertory to which he may have no sense
of moral commitment whatsoever." Although he attended the prestigious Royal
Military Academy at Sandhurst, Sam is fully aware that he is unprepared for his new
government leadership role. However, he soon becomes blinded by power, insisting
on being called "Your Excellency" and seeking to be elected "President for Life."
Military school trained Sam and his fellow cadets to remain aloof from political
matters, and Sam was, at first, quite terrified in his new role. His solution was to
gather together his friends and give some of them government positions from which
he could seek their advice. Once he overcame his fear, however, he began to relish his
power, becoming extremely upset at even the mildest demonstrations against him.
Chris can see that Sam is now a dictator−in−themaking and considers him a "baby
monster," but Sam is only concerned about securing as much power for himself as he
can without interacting with the people of the country. In fact, he is starving a
Major Johnson Ossai 47
dissident province in hopes of forcing them to comply with his authority. He soon
becomes consumed with paranoia, anger, and insecurity, and when his political
ambitions are disappointed, he recalls being told how dangerous boyhood friends can
be. After he arranges for Ikem's murder and Chris has fled, Sam himself is killed
during a coup and buried in a shallow grave.
Major Johnson Ossai 48
Themes
Overcoming a History of Suffering
The end of the novel offers a little hope but also shows that the political unrest of
Kangan cannot be addressed by simple solutions. The people want change and peace
but are unsure how to attain a suitable system of government, especially when each
successive regime is made up of members of the coup that overthrew the last regime.
It is a system driven by sheer might and strength as opposed to justice, philosophy, or
respect for the land. The novel also portrays a strong and enduring sense of
community among the people, despite the fact that they have no political rights.
Achebe suggests that this unity is what keeps the community and its heritage and
culture intact even when it is ravaged by unjust political regimes.
Individual Power
In its depiction of Sam, Anthills of the Savannah provides a perfect example of the
saying, "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Unprepared for
leadership beyond the military realm, Sam finds himself occupying the position of
president of Kangan. Relishing his power, he insists on being called "Your
Excellency" and decides that he wants to be elected President−for−Life. At the same
time, he makes little effort to connect with the people of Kangan and relies heavily on
his Cabinet while simultaneously belittling them. In the end his obsession, paranoia,
and insecurity get the better of him, and he goes so far as to have a childhood friend
(Ikem) killed because he is perceived as a threat.
At the beginning of the novel, Sam is still a "baby monster," but as the action unfolds,
Sam grows into a full−fledged evil dictator. Achebe shows the dangers of blindly
pursuing power at the expense of the community. Sam has no regard for the people he
is supposed to be leading, and for that they suffer.
Themes 49
Storytelling
Throughout Anthills of the Savannah there are references to stories, narratives, and the
storyteller. Achebe writes that "the story is everlasting" and that "storytellers are a
threat." Three of the novel's main characters are writers: Ikem is a writer and
newspaper editor, Beatrice writes short stories, and Chris is a former journalist who
left his post as editor of the National Gazette to accept the position of Commissioner
of Information. The elder from Abazon speaks at length about the important and
lasting role of the storyteller. He argues that in his youth he would have said that the
battle was most important, but now that he is older and wiser, he understands that the
story is more powerful. Through stories, a community can retain its sense of history
and tradition and seek guidance for the future. He explains, "Because it is only the
story that can continue beyond the war and the warrior. . .The story is our escort;
without it, we are blind." Later, as Ikem addresses a group of students, he expresses
his belief that the role of the writer is to ask questions, not to propose solutions. Critics
have observed that this is perhaps what Achebe is doing with this novel.
The power of writing is shown after Ikem is taken away in the dark of night and killed.
To get the truth about the event into public awareness, Chris uses his contacts within
the international press as a means of informing the world about what happened to
Ikem.
The Role of Women
Anthills of the Savannah is often noted for portraying strong, believable female
characters. In the midst of political strife and injustice, the women maintain a
connection with their heritage and culture, and stand for moral strength and sensitivity.
Ikem converses with Beatrice about his newfound respect for the position and
relevance of women in contemporary society. He explains that women are the most
oppressed group of people worldwide and that they must be respected as important to
the future of a nation.
Storytelling 50
At the end of the novel, the naming ceremony takes place for Elewa's infant girl.
Although men traditionally name children, Beatrice does so in this case. In this scene,
Achebe portrays women as the keepers of tradition, even if tradition must be altered to
accommodate modern life. To further blur the lines between masculinity and
femininity, the baby is given a boy's name that means "May the Path Never Close."
Many critics have commented that Achebe's portrayal of women in Anthills of the
Savannah suggests that they are critical in the growth of new African societies.
Storytelling 51
Style
Point of View
Anthills of the Savannah provides a complete view of the action of the novel by
offering multiple points of view. Achebe allows the reader to see the situation from
the points of view of Ikem, Chris, and Beatrice, and also, in some passages, from that
of a third−person, omniscient narrator. This technique enables the reader to make
judgments for him/ herself rather than relying on a narrator or a single character to
supply descriptions of people and events. This also is a way in which Achebe retains
the part of his African literary heritage that focuses on the community rather than on
the individual.
Setting
The novel takes place in the fictitious West African land of Kangan. Its borders were
arbitrarily drawn by the British colonialists. Some critics maintain that the country is
modeled after Achebe's native Nigeria, while others see it as a version of Idi Amin's
Uganda. Regardless, Kangan is a contemporary African nation struggling to find
stability in postcolonial times. Although the setting is contemporary, there are
elements of tradition that reflect consistency in the community and among the people.
Tradition is perhaps the strongest source of security and gives the people a feeling of
unity.
The setting also takes the reader into the government headquarters—a privilege not
afforded to the citizens of Kangan. Whereas the public is forced to rely on hearsay and
the press to learn what is happening within the government, the reader can see
first−hand how the regime is being run, how it is changing, and how the various forces
work together or against each other in the unstable military regime.
Style 52
Language
Most of the dialogue of the ordinary people of Kangan is written in the dialect of
Pidgin English. The unusual grammar and unfamiliar words of this dialect can be
difficult for Western readers, but its inclusion gives the novel a strong sense of
realism. In addition, it is easy to identify a character's level of education or social
standing based on his or her manner of speech. Chris, Beatrice, and Ikem are
sympathetic as characters, as they are able to interact with common people by
speaking Pidgin English and with powerful political figures by speaking British
English. Rather than distance themselves from the ordinary citizen, as Sam does,
Chris, Beatrice, and Ikem routinely abandon their British English in favor of being
able to communicate in a meaningful way.
Blending of Old and New
Achebe is often praised for his skillful blending of folklore, myth, proverbs, and
customs with modern Western political ideologies and Christian belief systems. By
presenting these two approaches, Achebe asserts his belief in the power of the past to
ease the excesses and confusion of the present.
In a similar vein, Achebe was the first Nigerian writer to apply the conventions of the
novel to African storytelling. Well aware of the strong oral tradition of African
literature, Achebe found a way to write honestly about Africa in a way that is
accessible for an international audience. Anthills of the Savannah was originally
written in English, and by adopting a structure that is familiar to his English−speaking
audience, he makes his African storytelling available without compromising the
integrity of his heritage. At the same time, Nigerians can benefit from his writing
because English is their official language.
Language 53
Historical Context
Political Instability
Growing up in Nigeria, Achebe saw for himself how disruptive social upheaval and
political instability are and how they affect every facet of a society. He was born
during Nigeria's colonial years, a period of tremendous conflict and sociopolitical
change. Achebe grew up during the ensuing period of nationalist protest. Once Nigeria
gained independence in 1960, vestiges of the colonial years remained, including
borders and new political ideas and structures.
When Achebe left his position with the Nigerian Broadcasting Company in 1966, he
accepted the position of Biafran Minister of Information. (It is likely that this
experience informed his creation of Chris, the Commissioner of Information in
Anthills of the Savannah .) The Republic of Biafra was a short−lived Ibo state created
upon secession. The Ibo decided to found their own state after witnessing the massacre
of 10,000 to 30,000 of their people by Islamic Hausa and Fulani people, rival ethnic
groups. Anticipating further bloodshed, the Republic of Biafra announced its
independence in 1967. Unfortunately, the announcement was not accepted, and a civil
war ensued that lasted until 1970, when Biafra surrendered. A food shortage caused by
the war brought about the deaths of close to a million people.
At the time Anthills of the Savannah was published, political unrest continued to
dominate Nige ria. In August of 1985 a military coup, responding to the growing
discontent of the people, overthrew the existing authoritarian military regime. The
new leader accepted the role of president, banning members of certain past regimes
from political involvement for a period of ten years. A few years later, the first
tentative steps toward civilian rule were taken.
Historical Context 54
The Role of Women
Even before Europeans arrived during the colonial period, Achebe's native Nigeria
was a maledominated society. Ikem explains to Beatrice that their culture initially
regarded women as lowly and unworthy of respect and then elevated them to a
pedestal, where they could remain beautiful and admired but inconsequential.
Similarly, the worship of goddesses was an important part of a village's spiritual life
but had little to do with decisions regarding power structures. The colonial period
widened the gender equality gap by providing African men with educational
opportunities while African women received schooling in utilitarian skills to prepare
them for domestic work. Anthills of the Savannah, published in 1987, came at a time
when women around the world had made great strides in asserting their relevance in
and value to society.
Oral Tradition
As central as the oral tradition is to African cultures, the widespread use of the printed
word, radio, and television threatens to render this important tradition obsolete. With
Anthills of the Savannah Achebe offers a story of the people told by the people (by
using multiple viewpoints) and emphasizes the central role of the storyteller in African
society. This message comes from various sources, ranging from the village elder of
Abazon to the erudite and well−educated Ikem. Achebe reconciles the tension between
the oral tradition and the printed word, demonstrating that one does not have to yield
to the other as both make worthy contributions to contemporary African society.
The Role of Women 55
Literary Heritage
Typical of African cultures, Nigeria's storytelling comes from a long oral tradition.
This tradition allowed generations to benefit from African literature despite
widespread illiteracy. Folktales, legends, verse, myths, and proverbs were preserved in
the memories of the people and communicated by performance or simple recitation.
As in other societies, myths in African culture explain the wonders of nature, provide
creation narratives, and relate the activities of divine beings. Legends, on the other
hand, generally describe the actions of people and often commemorate heroes. The
purpose of oral literature is not only to entertain, but also to instruct and honor.
The strong oral tradition in Africa is a major influence for twentieth−century Nigerian
writers such as Amos Tutuola, Chinua Achebe, and Nobel Prize−winner Wole
Soyinka. Achebe, for example, writes in the traditional novel form in a personalized
way that draws from the deep resources of his Nigerian heritage. In her book Long
Drums and Cannons: Nigerian Dramatists and Novelists, Margaret Laurence observed
that beginning in the 1950s Nigeria experienced "the flourishing of a new literature
which has drawn sustenance both from the traditional oral literature and from the
present and rapidly changing society."
Literary Heritage 56
Critical Overview
Achebe is revered as one of the founders of modern Nigerian literature for his
historically sensitive and insightful novels about his native land and its people. He is
praised for his ability to artfully combine traditional folklore and tradition with
Western ideologies, and critics are quick to note that Achebe's writing is relevant to a
multitude of societies, not just those of Africa. Still, Achebe is first and foremost a
contemporary African writer writing novels that carry important messages about and
for his people.
Upon the release of Anthills of the Savannah, critics responded by praising the author's
refined insights and discipline, often attributing them to his twenty−plus−year hiatus.
Nadine Gordimer of New York Times Book Review commented that the novel "is a
work in which twenty−two years of harsh experience, intellectual growth,
self−criticism, deepening understanding, and mustered discipline of skill open wide a
subject to which Mr. Achebe is now magnificently equal." A. Ravenscroft of Literary
Criterion commented on the cross−country bus trip taken by Chris and his
sympathizers in which Chris comes to appreciate the depth of his heritage.
Ravenscroft wrote that if Achebe had ended the novel at this point, "it would have
meant that in the twenty−one years since A Man of the People, Achebe had learned
only to confirm the rather bleak, intellectually cynical vision of political Africa that
the earlier novel tends to project. Now, however, the urban masses comprise people
with individual lineaments. And the final chapter, even with its acrid question: 'What
must a people do to appease an embittered history?' is about the unorthodox, strangely
ecumenical naming ceremony for Ikem's child, performed by Chris's woman−friend
Beatrice."
Achebe's presentation of the corrupting nature of power is admired by readers and
critics alike. Fellow Nigerian Ben Okri noted in Observer, "This is a study of how
power corrupts itself and by doing so begins to die." Other critics view the senseless
deaths of the three former schoolmates as representative of a generation willing to
Critical Overview 57
sacrifice its selfknowledge in exchange for power. Related to this idea is Okri's
observation that the end of the novel implies that power is better left within the
"awakened spirit of the people" than given to the political elite. Similarly, in Research
in African Literatures Neil Kortenaar described Sam as an illustration of the dangers
of a regime or government system that is disconnected from its citizens.
As for most of his novels, Achebe is commended for his use of language in Anthills of
the Savannah. According to Joseph Swann in Crisis and Creativity in the New
Literature in English, Achebe's use of multiple narrative voices indicates that history
is more than a set of events in the past to be told; it is also the feelings and ideas that
different people have about the events. Critics also agree that Achebe writes in
Western English without sacrificing the integrity of his characters or their African
settings and is capable of writing dignified speech as well as he writes dialect when
necessary. The frequent use of Pidgin English in the novel, however, posed a problem
for a few critics who felt it might alienate Achebe's international readers. Ravenscroft,
on the other hand, found that its inclusion represents unity in diversity: "With political
orthodoxies side−stepped, the sounds of hope come through across a range of diverse
language levels—the sophisticated English of the educated elite, the demotic
[everyday] Pidgin of the people, the proverbial and parable−like cadences of the
Abazon elder, the liturgical incantation of Ikem's 'Hymn to the Sun,' the lyricism of
Beatrice's temple−priestess lovemaking with Chris, the transformation of traditional
kolanut ritual into litany for blessings not only upon the infant being named but upon
all life of Kangan."
To many critics, Achebe offers in Anthills of the Savannah the message that Nigeria
herself must take responsibility for her state of disarray. Certainly, the colonial period
ushered in a host of problems, he seems to say, but ultimately the country itself must
pick up its own burden and cure its own ills. In New York Review of Books Neal
Ascherson wrote, "In this new novel . . . Chinua Achebe says, with implacable
honesty, that Africa itself is to blame, and that there is no safety in excuses that place
the fault in the colonial past or in the commercial and political manipulations of the
First World."
Critical Overview 58
Criticism
Critical Essay #1• Critical Essay #2• Critical Essay #3•
Criticism 59
Critical Essay #1
Bussey holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and a master's degree in
interdisciplinary studies. She is an independent writer specializing in literature. In the
following essay, she explores spirituality as a source of hope in Anthills of the
Savannah.
Many critics and readers of Anthills of the Savannah are left with a sense of
hopelessness at the end of the novel. Three of the novel's four main characters have
died senseless deaths, and the country is left in the throes of instability. Free of one
military regime, it faces another, with no reason to believe that this one will be any
better than the last two. Even so, Achebe weaves a story that is not completely devoid
of optimism; there are elements of hope and unity, but the reader, like the people of
Kangan, must search for them. There is a subtle spirituality running through the novel,
and Achebe seems to suggest that the spirit of the people cannot be defeated, even by
a series of dictators and corrupt governments. This enduring spirit is what binds the
people together and maintains a sense of community that offers the weary Kangans a
degree of stability and buoyancy.
Achebe is the son of a missionary and has spent much of his life in Western cultures.
Therefore, he is fully aware of the significance of the number three to the Christian
belief system, and he uses it twice in Anthills of the Savannah. There are three male
figures who dominate the novel: the dictator, Sam; the editor, Ikem; and the
Commissioner of Information, Chris. The three men met in their early teenage years
while attending the same school, yet each took a very different path in adulthood.
They came from similar backgrounds, which illustrates that predicting the course of a
person's life is not a simple task: Tossing three seeds in the same soil may result in
three differing plants. Achebe's group of three main characters do not represent
religious figures, but they are three aspects of the same entity, and therefore comprise
a sort of trinity. They make up a political system that will not work and is destined to
fail. Sam represents power driven by self−interest. Ikem represents the desire for
Critical Essay #1 60
reform. He is outspoken and admired by the people, and prefers to do things his way
without compromising. Chris represents efforts to work for good within the system.
He is a good man in a bad regime, and he is idealistic enough to believe that by
staying in the government he can serve his people. By the end, of course, the regime
has been toppled, replaced by another that will surely be just like it. When a system
dies, so do its components, and as representatives of different aspects of the failed
system, each of the three men is killed—Sam by another just like him, Ikem by his
own peers, and Chris by an evil man who would rather murder than behave honorably.
The story also contains a female trinity in the characters of Beatrice, Elewa, and
Amaechina. Beatrice is well−educated, sophisticated, and independent, and she holds
an administrative position in the government. Beatrice represents the positive aspects
of the present. Elewa is a common woman who is highly emotional and uneducated.
She supports herself by working in a small shop. Elewa represents the past.
Amaechina is Elewa's infant daughter, and although she does not appear until the end
of the novel, she is potential embodied. As Ikem's daughter, she represents the
meaning of her name, "May the Path Never Close." She is hope for the future, even
though the future currently looks grim.
Beatrice and Elewa do not seem to have much in common, and readers may be
surprised by their friendship. Their commitment to each other, however, is undeniable.
Upon receiving the news of Chris's death, Beatrice is in complete shock. Achebe
wrote, "In spite of her toughness Beatrice actually fared worse than Elewa in the first
shock of bereavement. For weeks she sprawled in total devastation. Then one morning
she rose up, as it were, and distanced herself from her thoughts. It was the morning of
Elewa's threatened miscarriage. From that day she addressed herself to the well−being
of the young woman through the remaining weeks to her confinement." Despite their
differences, Beatrice and Elewa have a few important qualities in common, most
notably that they have lost the men they loved deeply yet remain connected to each
other and to the spirit of the community.
Critical Essay #1 61
Amaechina's naming ceremony is significant because it demonstrates the women's
unwillingness to allow tradition to die simply because the father is not present to
conduct the ritual. Beatrice resists the trappings of ceremony and takes the place that
would normally be filled by a man, that of naming the infant. When Elewa's drunk
uncle witnesses this, he responds not by reprimanding the women but by cheering for
them. He says, "Do you know why I am laughing like this? I am laughing because in
you young people our world has met its match. Yes! You have put the world where it
should sit. . .You gather in this. . .house and give the girl a boy's name. . .That is how
to handle the world!" The women signify the refusal to let go of the traditions so
critical to their culture and in doing so they honor their heritage and maintain a
meaningful link to the spirit of the people.
Beatrice is the novel's single most spiritual character. Achebe identifies her strongly
with the goddess Idemili, who was sent to Earth by the Almighty to moderate Power.
When the Almighty saw how Power was raging across the Earth, he decided to send
Idemili "to bear witness to the moral nature of authority by wrapping around Power's
rude waist a loincloth of peace and modesty." She was sent to Earth in a Pillar of
Water connecting heaven and earth and has been worshipped ever since. On the night
Ikem visits Beatrice and they discuss his newfound respect for the important role
women should be given in society, Ikem tells her that it was not raining at his house
but that when he started out to see her, it "was literally like barging into a pillar of
rain"—a clear reference to the goddess. In another scene, Beatrice is summoned to the
palace for a dinner. As the evening progresses, she notices that an American reporter
is becoming overly familiar and suggestive with Sam. Although Beatrice is not an
admirer of Sam's, she is a patriot to her country and cannot stand to see its leader the
object of such shameless overtures by a foreigner. In order to avert his attention, she
throws herself at him, dancing with him "like the dancer in a Hindu temple." Once
Sam is fully aroused and no longer thinking of the reporter, Beatrice leads him outside
and explains her actions to him. Sam calls her a racist and sends her home
immediately. This scene shows that Beatrice, like Idemili, is compelled to uphold
peace and morality by wrapping a loincloth, so to speak, around Power's rude waist.
Critical Essay #1 62
There are other, more subtle clues that Beatrice is much more than an everyday
government employee or citizen of Kangan. The name Beatrice comes from the Latin
root "beatus" meaning "happy," from the past participle "beare," meaning "to bless."
Other words with these roots are "beatify," "beatific," and "beatitudes," all related to
blessedness and joy. Beatrice is known by this name, not the name her father gave her,
Nwanyibuife, meaning "A Woman Is Also Something." Another wellknown Beatrice
in literature is Dante's guide through heaven in Paradiso, the last of the three books in
his Divine Comedy. As Achebe's Beatrice grows into the fullness of her identity, she
acquires wisdom and a presence that commands respect. Her experiences have shown
her that the real strength of her people is in their unity and enduring spirit because
these are not crushed, even when the land is ravaged by political instability and social
upheaval.
Chris comes to grasp the spirit of his community when he embarks on his bus trip to
Abazon. Although the purpose of the trip is his flight to safety, he finds himself
reconnecting with the people who have committed to helping him. Looking out the
bus window, he has the opportunity to revisit the landscape that was so distant to him
from the capitol building where he worked. His experiences help him realize that
Beatrice was right about his alienation from his own people, and as he reaches into the
deep reservoirs of his own culture, he finds that he is on a journey of self−discovery.
In his heritage, he begins to find himself. As Chris comes to realize that Bassa is far
removed from the rest of Kangan, "the ensuing knowledge seeped through every pore
in his skin into the core of his being, continuing the transformation, already in process,
of the man he was." Failing to undergo such a reconnection with the land, or even to
accept that he was disconnected, was Sam's undoing. By reaching for something so
fleeting and fickle as power, he was doomed.
One of the most striking features of the landscape, Chris notices, is the anthills.
Achebe offers little guidance as to the significance of the anthills, although the title
suggests that they symbolize an idea at the core of the novel's message. Anthills
survive the droughts every year, and when fires sweep across the savannah, they are
often all that is left on the scorched landscape. To many critics, the anthills represent
Critical Essay #1 63
survival when faced with the harshest of circumstances. Their presence suggests an
ongoing life force that endures in the face of the knowledge that another fire is
inevitable. For these reasons, the anthills are a fitting symbol for the enduring spirit of
the people and their culture.
Source: Jennifer Bussey, in an essay for Literature of Developing Nations for
Students, Gale, 2000.
Critical Essay #1 64
Critical Essay #2
Bily teaches writing and literature at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan. In the
following essay, she examines writers and writing in Anthills of the Savannah.
When Chinua Achebe published Anthills of the Savannah in 1987, it was his first new
novel in more than twenty years. During that time, Nigeria had been governed by a
succession of corrupt and greedy rulers, and Achebe had dedicated himself to political
activism rather than to his writing. Still, he continued to consider the role of the writer
in a nation under severe stress. What might be the best way for a writer to work for
change? How should an African writer—or any African—balance the uses of the
traditional and the modern, the local and the international, in his work? By populating
Anthills of the Savannah with a variety of writers, readers, and speakers, Achebe looks
at these questions from different angles.
Early in the novel, Achebe sets up a distinction between those who take their direction
from literature— either oral or written—and those who pay too much heed to other
forms of communication, including print and broadcast journalism. (It is intriguing to
speculate on how the availability of the internet would have changed Ikem's crusade,
had Achebe written twenty years later.) What emerges is not a strict opposition; the
novel is not making a case for old ways over new, or art over objectivity. Nations and
individuals must learn to combine old and new, to find a place for adapted tradition in
the modern world. But the novel warns against the over−reliance on the so−called
truth and objectivity of news, and against making important decisions based upon how
the media will describe them.
His Excellency the Head of State is the first to demonstrate his concern for his public
image, for how his actions will be reported. In the second chapter he worries that
demonstrators might lead Kangan to an episode like the Entebbe Raid, in which Israeli
soldiers descended swiftly on the airport at Entebbe, Uganda, to free French hostages.
The president tells Professor Okong that he does not rely on his advisors, because if
Critical Essay #2 65
disaster happens he will be the only one blamed: "Yes, it is me. General Big Mouth,
they will say, and print my picture on the cover of Time magazine with a big mouth
and a small head." There is, of course, other evidence that the president is not fit to
govern a country, but the fact that he is more concerned with how he appears to the
outside world than with how his own citizens perceive him is emblematic of his rule.
The president is far removed from his people, more concerned with being seen by
outsiders as a powerful figure than with actually being one.
Though the president does not perceive how the international news media, and his
desire to look good for them, influences him, he has (or thinks he has) a clear sense of
how to use the press to manipulate others. He sends Okong to meet with the Abazon
delegation, rather than speaking directly with them himself, but he believes he can
appease them by giving them a moment of celebrity. He tells Okong, "Before you go,
ask the Commissioner for Information to send a reporter across; and the Chief of
Protocol to detail one of the State House photographers to take your picture shaking
hands with the leader of the delegation." The president has no intention of heeding the
Abazon request, and he orders Okong to "make sure that nothing about petitions gets
into the papers. . .This is a goodwill visit pure and simple." The reporter and the
photographer are only for show, to make the Abazon leader feel important.
The president makes his own decisions based on how he will look in Time magazine,
and he expects that others share his motivation. He wants the Abazon delegation to
have the illusion of being media celebrities for a moment, because he thinks the
illusion will distract them from their duty. But he cannot allow their petition to
become public knowledge. Particularly, he warns against television coverage: "Before
you know it everybody will be staging goodwill rallies all over the place so as to
appear on television. You know what our people are." The president deludes himself
on two counts in this brief speech. Although he is condescending about how "our
people are," he is one of them, as dazzled by the spotlight as he believes them to be.
And he appears to have forgotten that he was the one, only minutes before, who
labeled the protest a "goodwill visit." In his mind, the connection with television news
has already made the label a fact.
Critical Essay #2 66
Frequently in Anthills of the Savannah , Achebe presents a scene featuring one of the
three old friends, and then in the next scene shows another of the three saying or doing
something that echoes the first. When Chris phones Ikem to request the photographer
for the goodwill delegation, he also asks to see Ikem's text before it is printed. Ikem
protests, in language that echoes the president's earlier complaint: "You seem to be
forgetting something, namely that it is my name and address which is printed at the
bottom of page sixteen of the Gazette."
Though the language is similar, the concerns of the two men are different. The
president is willing to make a dishonorable decision rather than appear foolish in print.
Ikem is unwilling to act dishonorably— to have his reporting censored or edited—
because he is proud of the name that appears on his work. Both men believe in the
power of the press. The president believes that his control of the press can help him
shore up his power. Ikem believes that his editorials can help bring the presidency
down. As it turns out, both men are wrong.
Achebe demonstrates more than once that being in print or being broadcast is not the
same thing as being true or solid or valuable. Although Ikem does his best to tell the
truth, Chris as Minister of Information "owns all the words in this country." Or does
he? After Chris has fled Bassa, Emmanuel the university student manages with
"incredible ease" to plant a story in the newspaper with a simple anonymous phone
call, and Chris is forced to admit that "the affair put the journalistic profession in
Kangan in a very poor light indeed." All of the characters agree that the Voice of
America radio broadcasts are not to be trusted, and the women at the president's dinner
choose their inappropriate attire based on what they have heard from "raving
American and American−trained preachers on sponsored religious programmes
nightly on television."
Separate from journalism and propaganda, Achebe considers literature—poetry,
fiction, drama, proverbs, and myths. Chris, Ikem, and Beatrice are all readers and
writers, sprinkling their conversation with allusions to the Bible or to great Western
writers like Graham Greene and Walt Whitman. Beatrice has drawn praise from Ikem
Critical Essay #2 67
for the "odd short story and poem" she has written. Ikem is an admired poet as well as
a journalist, and his prosepoem "Hymn to the Sun" is held in higher regard by his
friends than all of his crusading editorials. Only Chris, the former editor of the
Gazette, does not produce literature (this is only one of the ways that Achebe shows
that Chris does not see what is happening around him). Not until he is on the bus
heading north and he looks at Ikem's "Hymn to the Sun" again does he begin to learn
how to read literature, and to see with the clarity of a writer. The poem reveals "in
details he had not before experienced how the searing accuracy of the poet's eye was
primed not on fancy but fact."
But even literary writing can be corrupted if the desire for fame overrides the desire to
express truth. The most pointed commentary on mass media and its influence is the
poetry magazine Reject, edited by Dick in Soho, London. Reject was intended to
publish only poetry that had been rejected by other magazines. The editors soon
learned that many people were so hungry to appear in print that they were willing to
write fake rejection slips to accompany their submissions. Even a magazine designed
to offer rejected work cannot be trusted to be genuine.
As he demonstrates in all of his novels, Achebe reveres oral literature and the honest
spoken word. Many critics of Anthills of the Savannah have pointed out that the lines
spoken in pidgin by various characters of less education often contain the essential
wisdom and truth of the culture. Proverbs, snatches of song, and the myth of the
priestess Idemili all are presented as demonstrating the goodness and strength of the
Kangan people, far removed from the sophisticated upper−class Westernized
government officials.
In the often−cited ninth chapter, the Abazon elder honors Ikem for his work on behalf
of his people, although he has not read Ikem's writing "because I do not know ABC."
The elder praises those who "tell their fellows that the time to get up has finally
come," and also those who, "when the struggle is ended. . .take over and recount its
story." With his editorials and his poetry, Ikem is prepared to do both. The elder
continues, "The sounding of the battle−drum is important; the fierce waging of the war
Critical Essay #2 68
itself is important; and the telling of the story afterwards—each is important in its own
way. . .But if you ask me which of them takes the eagle−feather I will say boldly: the
story."
Three chapters later, Ikem delivers his own oration, before a large crowd at the
University of Bassa. He has been fired from the newspaper, but follows Beatrice's
suggestion that "if you can't write you can surely get up and talk." Like the Abazon
elder, whose voice has "such compelling power and magic" that everyone is
captivated, Ikem gives a speech that is "so powerfully spoken it took on the nature and
scope of an epic prosepoem." It is this oral presentation, far more than anything he has
ever written in the Gazette, that moves the government to silence him.
Throughout the novel, Ikem is the one among the three old friends who has retained
the most of his youthful idealism and vision; the two others are played off him. Like
the president, Ikem respects the power of the media, and is aware of his role in the
spotlight. Although he has some of the president's sense of self−importance, Ikem tries
to use his public forum for the greater good. Like Chris before him, Ikem is editor of
the Gazette, and like Chris he initially approaches the job with no strong political
conviction. But Ikem is politicized when he goes to watch a public execution,
something Chris never did. Not until the end does Chris begin to see with "the poet's
eye." Ikem has a better perspective on the media than the president does, he is a more
effective journalist than Chris was, and he is a better poet than Beatrice. Ikem and the
others face similar choices, but Ikem chooses the most nobly. This idea is reinforced
by the novel's references to journalism and literature. He combines the best qualities of
the other two, but in the end all three die.
Anthills of the Savannah is not a repudiation of journalism or of the notion of
objectivity. Instead, Achebe calls for balance. Ikem writes dozens of impassioned
editorials, but it is finally through his prose−poem that he connects with Chris, and
through his speech that he poses a threat to the president. If Kangan is ever to be a just
nation, its rulers and its people must combine old and new, objective and subjective,
editorials and poetry. They must use both their heads and their hearts. The precise
Critical Essay #2 69
combination is beyond Achebe's ken to describe. As Ikem shouts to his audience,
"Writers don't give prescriptions. . .They give headaches!"
Source: Cynthia Bily, in an essay for Literature of Developing Nations for Students,
Gale, 2000.
Critical Essay #2 70
Critical Essay #3
In "Civil Peace," a story he wrote seventeen years ago, Chinua Achebe noted how the
violence of civil war inevitably outlives the actual conflict, and barely pausing for
breath, extends itself into peacetime. As a band of thieves threatens the protagonist's
family with automatic rifles, the leader dwells for a moment on this fine distinction:
Awrighto. Now make we talk business. We no be bad
tief. We no like for make trouble. Trouble done finish.
War done finish and all the katakata wey de for inside.
No Civil War again. This time na Civil Peace. No be so?
Anthills of the Savannah, Achebe's first major novel since Things Fall Apart appeared
thirty years ago, unfolds against a similarly euphemistic backdrop of civil peace. The
setting is the West African nation of Kangan, a fictional cousin to Achebe's own
Nigeria. During the last two years, Kangan has witnessed a scenario of depressing
familiarity: a revolution against the civilian government, followed by the rule of an
"interim" military government, whose leader soon undergoes a transformation into
President−for−Life, First Citizen, His Excellency or whatever job title happens to be
in fashion among sitting tyrants. In this case, the aspiring kingpin—a product of
Sandhurst Military Academy named Sam—has recently been frustrated in his
ambitions. The northern province of Abazon has failed to cast its vote in his favor,
spoiling his "unanimous" election. In return, he has refused to provide relief to the
drought−stricken province.
In the novel's opening scene, Sam reaffirms his refusal during a meeting of the
Cabinet, an assortment of toadies and flacks whose tone Achebe catches perfectly. The
meeting is recorded by one of Achebe's multiple narrators, Chris Oriko, Commissioner
for Information. A boyhood friend of Sam's, Chris can't help but approach him
irreverently; he's also conscious of how rapidly the regime's malevolence has
accelerated, "a game that began innocently enough and then went suddenly strange
Critical Essay #3 71
and poisonous." Why, then, does he remain in the Cabinet? Inertia, he speculates,
curiosity and "one last factor . . . namely that I couldn't be writing this if I didn't hang
around to observe it all. And no one else would."
His reportorial instincts notwithstanding, Chris is an insider, with an intelligence
faintly poisoned by accommodation. The opposite is true of his old friend Ikem Osodi,
poet and current editor of the government−owned National Gazette. Osodi continues
to fight the regime via the editorial page. When a perplexed Chris remonstrates with
him, Ikem replies, "But supposing my crusading editorials were indeed futile would I
not be obliged to keep on writing them?" This argument—pragmatism versus
idealism—resounds throughout the novel, and not unexpectedly, idealism gets the best
lines. Defending his activities on the basis of principle, rather than results, Ikem won't
dwell on the "many successes [his] militant editorials have had." Hard facts, he insists,
are beside the point:
Those who mismanage our affairs would silence our
criticism by pretending they have facts not available
to the rest of us. And I know it is fatal to engage them
on their own ground. Our best weapon against them is
not to marshal facts, of which they are truly managers,
but passion. Passion is our hope and strength, a very
present help in trouble.
The two friends' argument over how to respond best to a loathsome regime is
complicated by one of that regime's most loathsome features: its constant, theatrical
dissembling—government by euphemism. Ikem notes how Sam has turned his rule
into a species of performance: "He is basically an actor and half of the things we are
inclined to hold against him are no more than scenes from his repertory to which he
may have no sense of moral commitment whatsoever." (It's a performance, too, that
American readers can't fail to recognize in the eighth year of the age of Reagan.) With
an actor, albeit a dangerous one, at the helm of state, the language of state quickly
degenerates. Sam is simply the latest version of Auden's Ogre, for whom "one prize is
Critical Essay #3 72
beyond his reach, / The Ogre cannot master Speech."
Achebe passionately opposes this debasement of words by politics, turning upon it all
his wit and disgust. "The story," an Abazon tribesman tells Ikem, "is our escort;
without it, we are blind." But can any quality of language suffice to oppose the
linguistic rot that calls Kangan's head torturer "Director of the State Research
Council"? Achebe can answer this question only obliquely, by placing his book in our
hands. In the story itself, Ikem meets his death at the hands of that very same Research
Council. (In Idi Amin's Uganda, the state slaughterhouse bore a nearly identical title,
the State Research Bureau. And in fact, the account of Wycliffe Kato's incarceration
there, published in a recent issue of Granta, would fit seamlessly into Achebe's novel.)
Of course, opposing a tyranny, or even enduring it, involves more than precision of
language. At the same time as it records Ikem's and Chris's fall from political grace,
Anthills of the Savannah chronicles their rising consciousness, with respect to both
women and that ticklish entity, "the people." Both men begin the novel with
conspicuously retrograde attitudes toward women. The agent of their enlightenment,
and the novel's third major character/narrator, is one Beatrice Okoh, raised in an
Anglican compound, educated at the University of London and now a middle−level
bureaucrat in the Ministry of Finance. Beatrice senses Ikim's sexism as "the only chink
in his revolutionary armor." And under her prodding, Ikem finally comes around,
recanting his "candid chauvinism" in a four−page−long apologia. Indeed, after
confessing his crimes against the female principle Ikem widens his focus to all
oppressed groups. "Free people may be alike everywhere in their freedom," he tells
Beatrice, "but the oppressed inhabit each their own particular hell."
A fine epigraph. But Achebe's feminism, entirely laudable, doesn't always translate
effectively into fiction. In particular, he has resorted throughout to presenting Beatrice
as an embodiment of feminine wisdom, "the village priestess who will prophesy when
her divinity rides her abandoning if need be her soup−pot on the fire, but returning
again when the god departs to the domesticity of kitchen." Perhaps her divinity would
sit easier if she were as fleshed−out a character as the two men. Instead, the fuzziness
Critical Essay #3 73
of her portrait conspires with her divinity to keep her symbolic. Yet Achebe is too
gifted a novelist to let this mutation take place. He gives Beatrice passion, fear, grief.
Still, it's the only element of the novel in which polemic, or even its twin,
sentimentality, threatens to displace flesh and blood.
No such problems mar Achebe's treatment of the other target of raised consciousness,
the "people." For one thing, he gives them voice throughout Anthills of the Savannah
by turning again and again to the sprung rhythms of the local patois. (An example, in
which a policeman offers his solution to Kangan's problems: "Make every man,
woman and child and even those them never born, make everybody collect twenty
manilla each and bring to me and I go take am go England and negotiate with IMF to
bring white man back to Kangan.") Even Chris, Ikem and Beatrice shed their formal
speech during moments of intimacy or stress, temporarily lowering the barriers of
class and education.
For Ikem, though, these temporary connections aren't enough. How can a writer, in
particular, forge a deeper bond with "the poor and dispossessed of this country, with
the bruised heart that throbs painfully at the core of the nation's being"? Ikem's
compassion for this "bruised heart" is genuine and convincing. It doesn't shield him,
however, from the appalling contradictions housed in its chambers. In a brilliant
scene, Ikem attends a public execution on a beach near the capital city. A television
crew and a bleacher full of V.I.P.s have joined the vast crowd to observe the "ritual
obscenities." As he waits for hours in the hot sun, Ikem peers at the crowd around him
and wonders at its stamina. "How," he wonders, "does the poor man retain his calm in
the face of such provocation?" Answering his own question, he decides that "great
good humour" must explain it. Minutes later, though, he sees the thousands of
onlookers jeer as the four condemned men are led out and shot. The terrible
laughter—no longer a subversive tool of survival— strikes Ikem as a form of
self−mutilation:
But even the poor man can forget what his humour is
about and become altogether too humorous in his
Critical Essay #3 74
suffering. That afternoon he was punished most dreadfully
at the beach and he laughed to his pink gums and
I listened painfully for the slightest clink of the
concealed weapon in the voluminous folds of that
laughter. And I didn't hear it.
Ikem's reaction joins disgust, pity, terror, disappointment; characteristically, it doesn't
bar hope. The same can be said for Achebe himself. Anthills of the Savannah describes
a truly dreary historical moment, in which monstrous halfwits wield the instruments of
survival and destruction, the "yam and the knife." Yet Achebe establishes hope as a
given, as the only conceivable response to suffering, the only one that challenges its
permanence. It's a courageous act, urging such a thing upon us— neither pessimism
nor optimism but a running argument with despair. And one worth waiting thirty years
for.
Source: James Marcus, "Anthills of the Savannah," in The Nation, Vol. 246, No. 15,
April 16, 1988, p. 540.
Critical Essay #3 75
Topics for Further Study
Consider the rise to power of three dictators in world history and provide a
comparison and contrast to Sam's rise to power. In what ways is his background
different from those of other dictators? In what ways is it similar? How does each
figure handle power and relate to the public? Based on your findings, would you say
that Achebe paints a realistic picture of a dictator−inthe− making?
Read about Idi Amin and his regime in Uganda. Many critics maintain that this was
the model on which Achebe based his portrayal of Sam and the fictional land of
Kangan. Others believe Kangan is modeled after Nigeria. What are your conclusions?
Why do you suppose Achebe chose to create a fictional country rather than making the
setting for his novel an actual place?
Imagine that instead of being killed, Ikem is imprisoned. As an outspoken writer, he
will certainly continue his efforts as best he can from behind bars. Write a letter to the
people in Ikem's voice. For reference, you might read Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter
from a Birmingham Jail."
Amaechina is born into a time of tremendous upheaval and instability. Her father is a
wellknown figure who has been killed and her mother is a simple woman left to raise
the child on her own. Given Amaechina's environment, heritage, and family situation,
create brief sketches of what you imagine she will be doing at the ages of 20, 40, and
80. Be sure your speculations are supported by the material presented in the novel.
Research anthills and find out what happens to them during fires. Apply what you
have learned to the title and suggest the possible meaning(s).
Topics for Further Study 76
Compare & Contrast
1787: The United States wins its independence from Great Britain. Since then, politics
has been, among other things, a forum for debate among ethnic and religious groups.
At first there was little room for diversity in political office, but over the years this
imbalance has improved.
1960: Nigeria wins its independence from Great Britain. Since then, politics has been
characterized by rivalry and distrust between ethnic and religious groups.
1787: The United States Constitution is ratified and remains in place ever since. The
American system of government calls for the election of a president to a four−year
term and the election of representatives to Congress, made up of the House of
Representatives and the Senate. The United States also has a Supreme Court.
1978: The first Nigerian constitution is ratified. However, it is thrown out in 1983. A
new one is created in 1989, but in 1993 the 1978 version is called back to replace it.
Nigeria's system of government calls for the election of a president to a four−year
term and for a Supreme Court. The National Assembly, made up of a House of
Representatives and a Senate, is dissolved after the 1993 coup.
1704: The United States sees its first continuous newspaper, Boston News−Letter,
published. The First Amendment is ratified in 1791 and includes protection of
freedom of the press. Today, sixtythree million copies of various newspapers are
circulated every day.
1830s: Nigeria establishes its first newspaper. To this day, the federal government has
an interest in several of the major newspapers, although censorship is infrequent. By
the 1990s over twenty English−speaking daily newspapers are in circulation.
Compare & Contrast 77
What Do I Read Next?
Achebe's first novel, Things Fall Apart, was published in 1958. It is the story of
Okonkwo, an extremely proud and brusque man who is ultimately unable to adapt to
the collapse of village life as he has always known it.
A Man of the People was Achebe's last novel before his extended leave from
novel−writing. When he returned to the literary scene with Anthills of the Savannah
many critics viewed it as a logical continuation of A Man of the People, which predicts
the coups that would plague Nigeria.
A Good Man in Africa was published in 1981 by William Boyd. Set in West Africa, it
is the award−winning story of a man whose political ambitions are thwarted on every
front.
Grain of Wheat, James Ngugi's 1994 novel, is set in war−torn Kenya, where five
friends are forced to make choices for themselves, and each takes a very different
path. The novel suggests that politicians, not the people, enjoy the greatest benefits of
independence.
Harold Scheub's 2000 collection, A Dictionary of African Mythology: The Mythmaker
As Storyteller, contains 400 stories and myths gathered on his journeys throughout
Africa.
African Canvas: The Art of West African Women, published in 1990, features the
pottery, murals, and body art of West African women. The book features a foreword
by Maya Angelou.
What Do I Read Next? 78
Further Reading
Arua, Arua E. and Olusegun Oladipo, Two Perspectives on Chinua Achebe's "Anthills
of the Savannah," in Review of English and Literature Studies, 1989.
Two critics from Ibadan discuss their particular interpretations
of Anthills of the Savannah.
Gikandi, Simon, Reading Chinua Achebe: Language and Ideology in Fiction, James
Currey, 1991.
In this book, Gikandi explores fully the role of the
language and the storyteller in modern Africa as
depicted in Achebe's writing.
Holst Petersen, Kirsten, and Anna Rutherford, eds., Chinua Achebe: A Celebration,
Heinemann, 1991.
From Achebe's original British publisher comes this
volume exploring his life and work. Having been
published in 1991, it includes commentary on Achebe's
more recent publications.
Moyers, Bill, "Chinua Achebe," in Bill Moyers: A World of Ideas, Doubleday, 1989,
pp. 333−44.
In this chapter, Moyers recounts his interview with
Chinua Achebe.
Further Reading 79
Sources
Ascherson, Neal, "Betrayal," in New York Review of Books, Vol. 35, No. 3, March 3,
1988, pp. 3−4, 6.
Gordimer, Nadine, "A Tyranny of Clowns," in New York Times Book Review,
February 21, 1988, p. 1.
Laurence, Margaret, Long Drums and Cannons: Nigerian Dramatists and Novelists,
Praeger, 1968.
Okri, Ben, review of Anthills of the Savannah, in London Observer, September 20,
1987.
Ravenscroft, A., "Recent Fiction from Africa: Chinua Achebe's Anthills of the
Savannah—A Note," in Literary Criterion, Vol. 23, Nos. 1−2, 1988, pp. 172−75.
Swann, Joseph, "From Things Fall Apart to Anthills of the Savannah: The Changing
Face of History in Achebe's Novels," in Crisis and Creativity in the New Literature in
English, edited by Geoffrey V. Davis and Hena Maes− Jelinek, Rodopi, 1990, pp.
191−203.
ten Kortenaar, Neil, "'Only Connect': 'Anthills of the Savannah' and Achebe's 'Trouble
with Nigeria,"' in Research in African Literatures, Vol. 24, No. 3, Fall, 1993, pp.
59−73.
Sources 80
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This Premium Study Guide is an offprint from Literature of Developing Nations for
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The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of
Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary
Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites".
© 1994−2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature
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Introduction
Purpose of the Book
The purpose of Literature of Developing Nations for Students (LDNfS) is to provide
readers with a guide to understanding, enjoying, and studying novels by giving them
Copyright Information 83
easy access to information about the work. Part of Gale's“For Students” Literature
line, LDNfS is specifically designed to meet the curricular needs of high school and
undergraduate college students and their teachers, as well as the interests of general
readers and researchers considering specific novels. While each volume contains
entries on “classic” novels frequently studied in classrooms, there are also entries
containing hard−to−find information on contemporary novels, including works by
multicultural, international, and women novelists.
The information covered in each entry includes an introduction to the novel and the
novel's author; a plot summary, to help readers unravel and understand the events in a
novel; descriptions of important characters, including explanation of a given
character's role in the novel as well as discussion about that character's relationship to
other characters in the novel; analysis of important themes in the novel; and an
explanation of important literary techniques and movements as they are demonstrated
in the novel.
In addition to this material, which helps the readers analyze the novel itself, students
are also provided with important information on the literary and historical background
informing each work. This includes a historical context essay, a box comparing the
time or place the novel was written to modern Western culture, a critical overview
essay, and excerpts from critical essays on the novel. A unique feature of LDNfS is a
specially commissioned critical essay on each novel, targeted toward the student
reader.
To further aid the student in studying and enjoying each novel, information on media
adaptations is provided, as well as reading suggestions for works of fiction and
nonfiction on similar themes and topics. Classroom aids include ideas for research
papers and lists of critical sources that provide additional material on the novel.
Selection Criteria
Copyright Information 84
The titles for each volume of LDNfS were selected by surveying numerous sources on
teaching literature and analyzing course curricula for various school districts. Some of
the sources surveyed included: literature anthologies; Reading Lists for
College−Bound Students: The Books Most Recommended by America's Top
Colleges; textbooks on teaching the novel; a College Board survey of novels
commonly studied in high schools; a National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
survey of novels commonly studied in high schools; the NCTE's Teaching Literature
in High School: The Novel;and the Young Adult Library Services Association
(YALSA) list of best books for young adults of the past twenty−five years. Input was
also solicited from our advisory board, as well as educators from various areas. From
these discussions, it was determined that each volume should have a mix of “classic”
novels (those works commonly taught in literature classes) and contemporary novels
for which information is often hard to find. Because of the interest in expanding the
canon of literature, an emphasis was also placed on including works by international,
multicultural, and women authors. Our advisory board members—educational
professionals— helped pare down the list for each volume. If a work was not selected
for the present volume, it was often noted as a possibility for a future volume. As
always, the editor welcomes suggestions for titles to be included in future volumes.
How Each Entry Is Organized
Each entry, or chapter, in LDNfS focuses on one novel. Each entry heading lists the
full name of the novel, the author's name, and the date of the novel's publication. The
following elements are contained in each entry:
Introduction: a brief overview of the novel which provides information about its
first appearance, its literary standing, any controversies surrounding the work,
and major conflicts or themes within the work.
•
Author Biography: this section includes basic facts about the author's life, and
focuses on events and times in the author's life that inspired the novel in
question.
•
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Plot Summary: a factual description of the major events in the novel. Lengthy
summaries are broken down with subheads.
•
Characters: an alphabetical listing of major characters in the novel. Each
character name is followed by a brief to an extensive description of the
character's role in the novel, as well as discussion of the character's actions,
relationships, and possible motivation. Characters are listed alphabetically by
last name. If a character is unnamed—for instance, the narrator in Invisible
Man−the character is listed as “The Narrator” and alphabetized as “Narrator.” If
a character's first name is the only one given, the name will appear
alphabetically by that name. • Variant names are also included for each
character. Thus, the full name “Jean Louise Finch” would head the listing for
the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird, but listed in a separate cross−reference
would be the nickname “Scout Finch.”
•
Themes: a thorough overview of how the major topics, themes, and issues are
addressed within the novel. Each theme discussed appears in a separate
subhead, and is easily accessed through the boldface entries in the
Subject/Theme Index.
•
Style: this section addresses important style elements of the novel, such as
setting, point of view, and narration; important literary devices used, such as
imagery, foreshadowing, symbolism; and, if applicable, genres to which the
work might have belonged, such as Gothicism or Romanticism. Literary terms
are explained within the entry, but can also be found in the Glossary.
•
Historical Context: This section outlines the social, political, and cultural
climate in which the author lived and the novel was created. This section may
include descriptions of related historical events, pertinent aspects of daily life in
the culture, and the artistic and literary sensibilities of the time in which the
work was written. If the novel is a historical work, information regarding the
time in which the novel is set is also included. Each section is broken down
with helpful subheads.
•
Critical Overview: this section provides background on the critical reputation of
the novel, including bannings or any other public controversies surrounding the
work. For older works, this section includes a history of how the novel was first
•
Copyright Information 86
received and how perceptions of it may have changed over the years; for more
recent novels, direct quotes from early reviews may also be included.
Criticism: an essay commissioned by LDNfS which specifically deals with the
novel and is written specifically for the student audience, as well as excerpts
from previously published criticism on the work (if available).
•
Sources: an alphabetical list of critical material quoted in the entry, with full
bibliographical information.
•
Further Reading: an alphabetical list of other critical sources which may prove
useful for the student. Includes full bibliographical information and a brief
annotation.
•
In addition, each entry contains the following highlighted sections, set apart from the
main text as sidebars:
Media Adaptations: a list of important film and television adaptations of the
novel, including source information. The list also includes stage adaptations,
audio recordings, musical adaptations, etc.
•
Topics for Further Study: a list of potential study questions or research topics
dealing with the novel. This section includes questions related to other
disciplines the student may be studying, such as American history, world
history, science, math, government, business, geography, economics,
psychology, etc.
•
Compare and Contrast Box: an “at−a−glance” comparison of the cultural and
historical differences between the author's time and culture and late twentieth
century/early twenty−first century Western culture. This box includes pertinent
parallels between the major scientific, political, and cultural movements of the
time or place the novel was written, the time or place the novel was set (if a
historical work), and modern Western culture. Works written after 1990 may
not have this box.
•
What Do I Read Next?: a list of works that might complement the featured
novel or serve as a contrast to it. This includes works by the same author and
others, works of fiction and nonfiction, and works from various genres, cultures,
•
Copyright Information 87
and eras.
Other Features
LDNfS includes “The Informed Dialogue: Interacting with Literature,” a foreword by
Anne Devereaux Jordan, Senior Editor for Teaching and Learning Literature (TALL),
and a founder of the Children's Literature Association. This essay provides an
enlightening look at how readers interact with literature and how Literature of
Developing Nations for Students can help teachers show students how to enrich their
own reading experiences.
A Cumulative Author/Title Index lists the authors and titles covered in each volume of
the LDNfS series.
A Cumulative Nationality/Ethnicity Index breaks down the authors and titles covered
in each volume of the LDNfS series by nationality and ethnicity.
A Subject/Theme Index, specific to each volume, provides easy reference for users
who may be studying a particular subject or theme rather than a single work.
Significant subjects from events to broad themes are included, and the entries pointing
to the specific theme discussions in each entry are indicated in boldface.
Each entry has several illustrations, including photos of the author, stills from film
adaptations (if available), maps, and/or photos of key historical events.
Citing Literature of Developing Nations for Students
When writing papers, students who quote directly from any volume of Literature of
Developing Nations for Students may use the following general forms. These
examples are based on MLA style; teachers may request that students adhere to a
different style, so the following examples may be adapted as needed. When citing text
from LDNfS that is not attributed to a particular author (i.e., the Themes, Style,
Copyright Information 88
Historical Context sections, etc.), the following format should be used in the
bibliography section:
“Night.” Literature of Developing Nations for Students. Ed. Marie Rose
Napierkowski. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 234−35.
When quoting the specially commissioned essay from LDNfS (usually the first piece
under the “Criticism” subhead), the following format should be used:
Miller, Tyrus. Critical Essay on “Winesburg, Ohio.” Literature of
Developing Nations for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 4.
Detroit: Gale, 1998. 335−39.
When quoting a journal or newspaper essay that is reprinted in a volume of LDNfS,
the following form may be used:
Malak, Amin. “Margaret Atwood's “The Handmaid's Tale and the
Dystopian Tradition,” Canadian Literature No. 112 (Spring, 1987), 9−16;
excerpted and reprinted in Literature of Developing Nations for Students,
Vol. 4, ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski (Detroit: Gale, 1998), pp. 133−36.
When quoting material reprinted from a book that appears in a volume of LDNfS, the
following form may be used:
Adams, Timothy Dow. “Richard Wright: “Wearing the Mask,” in Telling
Lies in Modern American Autobiography (University of North Carolina
Press, 1990), 69−83; excerpted and reprinted in Novels for Students, Vol.
1, ed. Diane Telgen (Detroit: Gale, 1997), pp. 59−61.
We Welcome Your Suggestions
Copyright Information 89
The editor of Literature of Developing Nations for Students welcomes your comments
and ideas. Readers who wish to suggest novels to appear in future volumes, or who
have other suggestions, are cordially invited to contact the editor. You may contact the
editor via email at: [email protected]. Or write to the editor at:
Editor, Literature of Developing Nations for Students
Gale Group
27500 Drake Road
Farmington Hills, MI 48331−3535
Copyright Information 90
