No Longer at Ease (Penguin Modern Classics)

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This chapter heightens the tension between Obi and the UPU. The UPU is the symbol of the village and of the faith and expectations the village places on Obi. They look up to him and believe him to be wealthy because of his position, class, and education—an education which they have provided through a scholarship/loan. The car, like the fact of Obi's study abroad, is something that the Umuofians admire; it is a symbol for which they, literally, cheer. The brother of a young woman applying for a scholarship comes to his office with a bribe - about half of Obi’s monthly salary. He rejects the bribe. Now the attractive young woman appears at his house, offering herself to him. He rejects her advances but realizes that all he is doing is condemning her to go offer herself down the line to the scholarship committee members. (He has a discussion with his male friend who insists that accepting sex is not ‘taking a bribe.’) He knows she is one of the best-qualified to get a scholarship but she risks getting displaced by lower-ranking students who offer bribes or sex.

Yol temasi uzerinden hem bireysel degisme hikayesi, hem de Nijerya'nin dunu-bugunu seklindeki karsilastirmasiyla iki paralel okuma sunuyor kitap. Yollar katedilir; bunun sonucunda kisiler degisir, ulkeler degisir. Dun yerel dinin kati geleneklerine bagli Nijerya'nin yerini bugun Hiristiyan inancinin sekil verdigi Nijerya alabilir. Obi dropped Clara off and she and the doctor left, but he felt bad and tried to go after them. His searches for Clara finally led him to the hospital, where it turned out she had complications from the surgery. All in all, she was in the hospital for five weeks. She would not speak to Obi, and left Lagos. He misses Nigeria and is in fact nostalgic for her when he is away. He understands what he must do for his country and that she is important; however, his return is different from memory. Memory is, in many ways, shattered when he revisits Lagos and his old home of Umuofia. Furthermore, by the end he finds himself uneasy with his lot in life: he is broke, he has lost Clara and his mother and has given in to taking bribes. Finally he feels guilt for this but it is too late. The chairman asked Obi if he found a job, and Obi replied that he had an interview coming up. The vice president wondered if maybe Obi should have spoken to someone beforehand, and the president says white men do not take bribes. The others are unconvinced. We’ve all heard of (or read) the author’s most famous work, Things Fall Apart. This book, No Longer at Ease, is the second volume in what became a trilogy. The third volume is Arrow of God.NO LONGER AT EASE (1960) is the second part of Chinua Achebe's celebrated trilogy. In THINGS FALL APART, the first part, Achebe's main concern is mostly the pre-colonial life in late-19th century Nigeria. O: 'We must honor our forefathers who gave us strong medicine to protect our villagers from being killed by lightning. Obi's mind was mostly on Clara, whom he had started dating and planned to marry. She was very secretive and he did not know why he was not able to tell people about them. Chinua Achebe is gloriously gifted with the magic of an ebullient, generous, great talent.” —Nadine Gordimer

Obi's father, Isaac Okonkwo, is a Christian. He had left home at an early age, against the will of his father, because he wanted to join the other Christians. Isaac's Christianity is the most important aspect of his life, and it colors most everything he does and says. Hannah Okonkwo They talked of the Nigerian people and Joseph reminded Obi of the time when he had written a letter to Hitler during the war. Obi laughed and mused that he did not know what came over him.

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Obi’s love interest is Clara, a Nigerian nurse he met in London and was dazzled by. Unfortunately, she is an osu, or outcast, so customs forbid a marriage to Obi. Nonetheless, she accepts an engagement ring from Obi and they believe their love will prevail. Clara is a strong and hardworking woman and is devoted to Obi, yet not so certain their love is strong enough to see them through. An unforeseen event creates even more friction for the couple who are facing financial and familial difficulties. Love doesn’t always conquer all. Obi lived in Ikoyi, another part of Lagos. He asked Clara why she is moody. She responded that Obi needed to leave her alone. He knew why she was mad –she asked him to go to the movies with her but he did not like the violent films she does and had declined. She retorted to him that she lets him read his poems to her, so he ought to come to the films. She had also gone to a lunch with him and a friend of his, Christopher, whom she did not like. The men debated young men versus old men in politics, with Obi supporting the idea of more jobs being given to young men straight from university. He claimed they are less prone to bribes. Chapter 3