Prophetic Wisdom in A Man of the People

Set in a fictional postcolonial African state, Chinua Achebe's A Man of the People is both a chronicle of despair and a beautiful social critique with a high prophetic connotation. It highlights the effect of corrupt government on the common people of Nigeria. The protagonist of the novel, Odili Samalu dislikes the government service and favours the job of a teacher in the rural area to save himself from licking the boots of politicians. Ironically, he gets drawn in politics by his welcome into Chief Nanga's mansion. At first Odili admires him and then is moved to vengeance when Nanga beds his girlfriend, Elsie. However, Odili rapidly matures and is associated with his idealist friends Maxwell Kulamo and Eunice who devotedly work for the welfare of their people. This paper underlines that Achebe not only portrays a anguish caused by the corrupt politicians following the euphoria with which his people welcomed independence but also predicts the fact that there is no end to the positive potential in this world. Firstly, he proves it by showing the triumph of the good over the evil and secondly, by giving a very important role to Eunice who becomes the guide of her people.