This study examined Chinua Achebe’s representations of non-African characters in the African Trilogy, with
the goal of determining how Achebe’s representations of characters with whom he did not share a cultural
background shifted across the trilogy. These characters were examined using Fishelov’s typology, as well as
against a context of readings to determine the extent of binary readings of the cultural encounter in the
trilogy and finally according to Bakhtin’s theories of dialogism and polyphony. It was discovered that while
the characters of Things fall apart remain typical, according to Fishelov’s typology, and the novel is generally
monologic, using Bakhtin’s terms, there was a shift in the later novels; the study found that although No
longer at ease remained monologic within a Bakhtinian reading, the non-African characters were character ised using a wider range of types of characters on Fishelov’s typology, thus expanding the understanding of
the cultural encounter. Several interpretations of the cultural encounter in the novel also suggested a move
away from a binary view of the encounter towards one of “borderlands”, zones where multiple cultural ideas
can coexist with one another. Arrow of God made use of all four types of characters on Fishelov’s typology in
characterising the non-African characters; furthermore, Arrow of God demonstrates a profound degree of
polyphony and dialogism, according to a Bakhtinian reading. Aspects such as carnivalesque elements, the
autonomy of the characters’ consciousnesses and the lack of finalisation of the characters’ words suggested
that this can be classified as a polyphonic, dialogic novel.. It was therefore concluded that the representation
of non-African characters across the trilogy does move from one which is stereotypical to one which is dia logic, and it was postulated that this forms a useful model for moving from a binary approach to what is here
defined as a dialogic approach to characterising characters with whom an author does not share an ethnic or
cultural background.
Lolu cwaningo luhlolisise izethulo zikaChinua Achebe zabalingiswa okungebona bazase-Afrika kuyiTrayiloji
yase-Afrika, ngenhloso yokuthola ukuthi ukumelwa kwabalingiswa baka-Achebe angabelani nabo
ngemvelaphi yamasiko kudlule kanjani kuyitrayiloji. Laba balingiswa bahlolwa kusetshenziswa ithayipholoji
kaFishelov, ngaphakathi komongo wokufundwa ukuthola ubukhulu bokufundwa okwenziwe iziqu ezimbili
zokuhlangana kwamasiko kuyitrayiloji futhi ekugcineni ngokusho kwamathiyori kaBakhtin enkulumo mpendulwano kanye nepholifoni. Kutholakale ukuthi ngenkathi abalingiswa Things fall apart behlala
bejwayelekile, ngokusho kohlobo lweFishelov, futhi inoveli ngokuvamile iyimonoloji, isebenzisa amagama
kaBakhtin, kube noshintsho kumanoveli akamuva. Ucwaningo luthole ukuthi yize kungasekho ukuhlala
ngokukhululeka kuhlala kuyimonoloji ngaphakathi kokufundwa kweBakhtinian, abalingiswa abangebona
abase-Afrika zazibonakaliswa ngokusebenzisa izinhlobo ezibanzi zezinhlobo zabalingiswa ngokuya
kwethayipholoji kaFishelov, ngaleyo ndlela kwandise ukuqonda kokuhlangana kwamasiko. Ukuhumusha
okuningana kokuhlangana kwamasiko kule noveli kuphakamisa nokuqhela embonweni owenziwe iziqu
ezimbili obhekise kwelinye "lamaphethelo emingcele", izindawo lapho imibono eminingi yamasiko
ingahlangana khona. I- Arrow of God isebenzise zonke izinhlobo ezine zabalingiswa kuyithayipholoji
kaFishelov ekuboniseni abalingiswa abangewona ama-Afrika; ngaphezu kwalokho, i-Arrow of God ikhombisa
izinga elijulile lepholifoni kanye nenkulumo-mpendulwano, ngokusho kokufundwa kweBakhtinian. Izinto
ezinjengezakhi zekhanivaleskwi, ukuzimela kwemicabango yabalingiswa kanye nokuntuleka kokuphothulwa
kwamagama wabalingiswa kuphakamise ukuthi lokhu kungahlukaniswa njengenoveli yepholifonikhi,
neyinkulumo-mpendulwano.. Ngakho-ke kuphethwe ukuthi ukumelwa kwabalingiswa okungebona base Afrika kuyo yonke itrayiloji kusuka kokunye okunamandla kuya kuyilumo-mpendulwano, futhi kwabuye
kwabekwa ukuthi lokhu kwakha imodeli ewusizo yokuhamba isuka kunqubo yeziqu ezimbili iye kulokho
okuchazwa ngokuthi indlela yengxoxo yokufanisa abalingiswa umbhali angahlanganyeli nabo ngemvelaphi
yobuzwe noma yamasiko.
Hierdie studie het Chinua Achebe se uitbeeldings van nie-Afrikaan-karakters in die Afrikaan-trilogie bestu deer. Die doel hiervan was om te bepaal hoe Achebe se uitbeelding van karakters met wie hy nie ’n gemene
kulturele agtergrond deel nie, oor die trilogie heen verander. Fishelov se tipologie is gebruik om die karakters
te ondersoek. Dit is binne ’n vertolkingskonteks gedoen om die omvang van ’n binêre vertolking van die kul turele ontmoeting in die trilogie te bepaal en uiteindelik ook op grond van Bakhtin se teorieë oor dialogisme
en veelstemmigheid. Daar is vasgestel dat onderwyl die karakters in Things fall apart volgens Fishelov se
tipologie steeds tipies gebly het, en die roman oor die algemeen ’n alleenspraak is, daar ooreenkomstig Bakh tin, tog ’n verandering in die latere romans is. Die studie het bevind dat hoewel No longer at ease op grond
van ’n Bakhtiniaanse vertolking monologies gebly het, die nie-Afrikaan-karakters op grond van Fishelov se ti pologie deur die gebruik van ’n wyer reeks karaktertipes gekarakteriseer is. Laasgenoemde verruim dus die
begrip van die kulturele ontmoeting. Etlike interpretasies van die kulturele ontmoeting in die roman sug gereer ook ’n wegbeweeg van ’n binêre siening van die ontmoeting na een van “borderlands”, sones waar
veelvoudige kulturele idees naas mekaar kan bestaan. Arrow of God het van al vier karaktertipes in Fishelov
se tipologie in die karakterisering van nie-Afrikaan-karakters gebruik gemaak; Arrow of God demonstreer ook
voorts ’n diepgaande mate van veelstemmigheid en dialogisme ooreenkomstig die Bakhtiniaanse vertolking.
Aspekte soos karnavalagtige elemente, die outonomie van die karakters se bewustheid en die gebrek aan die
finalisering van die karakters se woorde, suggereer dat dit as ’n veelstemmige, dialogiese roman geklassi fiseer kan word. Die gevolgtrekking is dus dat die uitbeelding van nie-Afrikaan-karakters regdeur die trilogie wel
wegbeweeg van ’n stereotipiese na ’n dialogiese uitbeelding en die postulasie is dat dit ’n nuttige model vorm om
vanaf ’n binêre benadering te beweeg na wat hier gedefinieer word as ’n dialogiese benadering tot die karakter isering van karakters met wie die outeur nie ’n gemene etniese of kulturele agtergrond deel nie.
