Freud’s Return of the Repressed and Conflict in Achebe’s Arrow of God

Chibuzo Onunkwo,Nwaka Caroline Olubunmi

doi:10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.8n.4p.26

Chibuzo Onunkwo, Nwaka Caroline Olubunmi

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.8n.4p.26

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Abstract

Chinua Achebe is widely acclaimed as the father of modern African Literature. His works of literature are read beyond the shores of Africa. Although Things Fall Apart, created renewed interest in the study of African Literature, Arrow of God, is affirmed by critics as the most complex of Achebe’s writing in terms of plot development, characterization and setting. Scholars have studied the text in terms of the demise of traditional African society by the imposing force of colonialism. For some of the critics, Ezeulu is seen as a representative figure that is destroyed while defending the cause of his community. This paper takes a different perspective on the various studies of the work. It attempts to discuss conflict in Arrow of God using Sigmund Freud’s idea of return of the repressed. Conflict is a situation in which people, groups, or countries are involved in a serious disagreement or argument. In this study we shall discuss the various shades of conflict under the following category: Ezeulu in conflict with himself, with his deity and the community using Freud’s concept of return of the repressed as a theoretical tool that controls this discussion.

Highlights

Many of the studies on Arrow of God revolve around the issue of European encounter with African civilization
For some of the critics, Ezeulu is seen as a representative figure that is destroyed while defending the cause of his community
The paper concludes that the source of conflict in Umuaro emanates from the unconscious return of the ‘man’ Ezeulu,who is suppressed by the priesthood of Ulu

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Many of the studies on Arrow of God revolve around the issue of European encounter with African civilization. There does not appear to be many available studies on conflict in Arrow of God based on Sigmund Freud‘s idea of return of the repressed, which this paper discusses. We never give anything up; we only exchange one thing for another.What appears to be a renunciation is really the formation of a substitute or surrogate. These substitutesFormations make possible the return of the repressed (154). The paper concludes that the source of conflict in Umuaro emanates from the unconscious return of the ‘man’ Ezeulu,who is suppressed by the priesthood of Ulu

ANALYSIS OF THE TEXT

CONCLUSION