Authors share their works with the world in order to spread their personal beliefs and biases with people, as books always have diverse layers of meaning which reflect writers’ perception of things. Once readers submerge in the novels, they connect uniquely with the author’s ideas and narratives, which can influence the way they think and evaluate whether they are aware of it or not. Thus, it is fair to claim that because of the open and creative expression of one’s beliefs in books and readers’ general engagement with the novels, writers’ works generally have a meaningful impact on their target audience.
Following this thought, the comparison between writing novels and making political statements can be clearly justified. Essentially, the characters in books represent various social and political situations from an identified perspective. The element of fiction and defined narrative of characters makes the reader relate to diverse ideas that might be expressed in the books more easily, which allows an indirect communication between the author’s perspective and the reader. Similarly, political acts consist of communication and reinforcement of ideas to the people. Hence, despite the obvious differences between writing novels and doing politics, the core idea of spreading a certain perspective is present in both, which makes it possible to compare one to another.
Within the work, A Man of the People, Achebe explores various topics related to classism, feminism, and colonization. Nevertheless, the major focus of the book remains on the theme of politics. Thus, the author’s evident interest in the topic is reflected in the plot of his story, which emphasizes the unique connection between the writer’s bias and the way it gets shown in their works.
When it comes to politics, it is the area within which certain people tend to abuse power, others try to confront it, while some people prefer to stay ignorant of the overall dynamic. Ignorance is a major factor that surrounds politics, and it is present in different variations. For instance, people tend to look at the big picture, which is built according to a given political situation, and therefore let tiny details about it slide. It is not only an issue of ignorance but also an issue of defining the priorities within one’s political view.
In A Man of the People, there is an illustration of the common type of ignorance. It occurs multiply, yet a bright example would be the moment when the protagonist gets sent away from a friend’s place because of the actions of his father. Although there are no obvious links to the politics at first, in the exchange between a friend’s parent and Odili, the protagonist refers to his father as “a retired District Interpreter” (Achebe 19). Further in the story, the author does not clarify the circumstances of these fathers’ conflict, and because of this, the focus remains on the position of Odili’s father specifically. This might be a reference to a kind of ignorance that makes people avoid individual aspects of others while judging them. Hence, it explores the way people tend to disregard people as individuals in the context of politics and perceive them more as the general public.
Other subtle references to politics are traceable in the part where Nanga and Odili meet Jean and John in chapter 4. There, Americans call Nanga by the name which none of the local people dare to use (Achebe 28). It is a reference to the often-occurring abuse of power in politics, and it is presented within a friendly setting intentionally to enhance the sense of commonness. Thus, the way it is casually presented within the scene intends to mirror the political environment, where major figures intentionally create an image that appeals to people, and they proceed with overall ignorance. The protagonist’s surprise and confusion reflect the way people step out of ignorance and notice the things which remained hidden from them within the political situation before.
Additionally, once a third party within the same setting starts to give countless promises, the author points out that “probably none of it was genuine” (Achebe 29). This way, he completes the constructed association with politics by highlighting the often-occurring factor of empty promises that political figures give. This parallel subtly mocks both the intentions of such politicians and the ignorance of people who trust their words.
Essentially, Achebe uses subtle references throughout the whole book in order to communicate his view on many things, including politics. By making the comparisons unobvious and by creating a complexity of layers of meaning, the author encourages readers to think deeper and to draw parallels themselves. He does not simply create a story but also submerges his own view on politics inside it and leaves the space open for the readers to evaluate the ideas. He encourages critical thinking and rejection of ignorance by consuming somebody else’s words without a single doubt, no matter if it would be a speech of a politician or a simple book. This way, writing a novel truly becomes a political act, as the ideas within it directly impact readers’ judgment and encourage them to be more conscious in all areas of life, especially politics.
Work Cited
Achebe, Chinua. A Man of the People. Heinemann, 1988.