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Chapter 16
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in No Longer at Ease, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Corruption
Western Influence and Alienation
Language, Literature, and Communication
Prejudice and Discrimination
Summary
Analysis
Back at work, Mr. Green condemns Obi for taking two weeks’ leave, calling it a sign of Nigerians’ laziness and entitlement. Marie Tomlinson somewhat backs up this claim, which Obi forcefully denies. He later decides that no matter what happens with Clara, he must refund her £50, and so he goes to his coworker Mr. Omo about a salary advance. Mr. Omo says it can be done under “special conditions.”
Obi needs to pay back Clara to maintain his pride, but in order to do so, it seems that he may have to compromise his moral integrity anyhow. It’s not clear what “special conditions” Mr. Omo refers to, but it’s implied that some kind of backhanded deal will be involved.
Themes
Obi once again reckons with the terrible financial situation he is in. He decides to stop repaying his scholarship debt to the Union. While going over finances in his head, a messenger arrives to return to Obi a letter he wrote to Clara, in which begged her to keep their relationship alive. The letter is still unopened.
When Clara returns the florid letter Obi wrote to her in a final effort to win her back without having read what he wrote, it symbolically conveys how Obi’s education and investment in Western culture have alienated him from his community and their shared values. Language is supposed to aid in communication and understanding, but for Obi, it only deepens his sense of alienation.
Themes
