The Madman- Chinua Achebe

 

The Madman

-Chinua Achebe

About the Author

            Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist, poet and critic was born on 16 November 1930 in British Nigeria. His first novel Things Fall Apart occupies a pivotal place in African Literature. He died on 21 March 2013 in Boston.

            The Madman is published in the collection Girls at War and Other Stories in 1991. It criticises the quest and longing of human to become popular. It is about a man called Nwibe who has worked hard, long, earned success. He wants to rise to be the headmen in his village and that was his greatest goal.

Summary

            The story is in third person narrative and the narrator starts the story by giving the description of Eke market. The madman used to roam in the market where women gossip and purchase ogili for evening soup. The madman had discovered two markets, Afo and Eke which are linked by highway. From the Afo market it took two days for the madman to move to Eke, but he got accustomed to it. He had placed his belongings in the market and so was chased by the men to be away from the market hut.

             On the next day, the madman started to move to Eke in the distant town of Ogbu. He walked on the middle of the road and ignored everything. He got a slap from a wagon driver and was scared by of the noisy Lorries. When he neared the Eke market he saw young ladies with water- pots on their heads and he was thirsty at that time.

            Nwibe is high standing in Ogbu. He has given notice to all men of the ozo tribe. He was willing to draw the attention of the ozo men by making himself wealthy and showing himself to be luxuries.      

            On the particular day, Nwibe woke early and moved to his farm before going to the market to buy roofing bundle for his wives’ huts. He had two wives named Mgboye and Udenkwo and he has planned to weave the roof of their huts at a time. Udenkwo was the junior wife with provoking tongue and accused Mgboye for behaviour of the little dog. Nwibe intervened and stopped the quarrel between them. He has a thought of moving to the stream to bathe.

             As it was the market day, there were none in the stream. He has placed his clothes on a boulder. The madman noted him in the stream and realised that this was the man who whipped and chased him from the Afo market. He picked the clothes of Nwibe and wrapped it round his waist to make Nwibe naked in the stream. Nwibe immediately came out of the stream naked and started chasing the madman who flew away his clothes and disappeared. The people started felt that Nwibe is a madman running naked through the highway. In the crowd, Nwibe was shouting to hold the madman was running naked. Few men from his village recognised him and stopped him. He was covered by clothes torn from Udenkwo.

            Nwibe explained that the madman has taken away his clothes. However, his relatives think that it was a worst kind of madness. He was cured by a practitioner who did a miracle and was called as Sojourner to the Land of the Spirits. Nwibe isolated himself from the men and after two years he thought to join the community of title man.

 

CHARACTER SKETCH OF NWIBE

            Nwibe is a farmer in the town of Obgu. He is a rustic African. He has married several times as it is the custom in his place and he has fathered many children. He has all his assets in the village and its surroundings and he is bound to his environment. He has several wives and has to interact with them every day. He is fearful of breaking the traditions and must live by the code of his people and his village. So, in effect, even though Nwibe is a man, society has placed some constraints on him.

            Nwibe has a dream of only being elected as the headman. He is content with his huts and surroundings and he has even got a zinc sheet cover for the roof and to him that is the epitome of advancement in his village.

            Nwibe’s wives Mgboye and Udenkwo while the former was quiet and ready to accept her fate and the other wife Udenkwo was a woman of fiery temper, she was being scolded and chastised by Nwibe. She was shouting in her anger and complaint loudly. It can be understood that she resents the other wife Mgboye who she feels is more loved by their common husband and she is unhappy with her lot.