From binary to dialogic: Chinua Achebe's critique of colonial stereotypes in Things fall apart, No longer at ease and Arrow of God

Abstract

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.