Character of beggar in 'The Swamp Dwellers'

Assignment Paper 14

The African literature

Ajit A. Kaliya

M.A. Sem. 4

Roll No.1

Enrollment No. 2069108420170013

Batch: 2016-18

Email- kaliyaajitbhai@gmail.com
Department Of English, MKBU

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Introduction

The Swamp Dwellers is a play that was written by Wole Soyinka and was published in 1958. In this play, The Swamp Dwellers, the main conflict is between the old and the new way of life in the Nigerian society and Africa in general. In Southern Nigeria, the individual was tightly bound to his society, and with the introduction of more modern ideas, this relationship was not quite as cohesive as it used to be. There are three main categories of characters: parents, corrupt priests and their followers, and individuals who are always moving and changing. In The Swamp Dwellers, Soyinka explores the controversial themes of power, social injustice, hypocrisy, tyranny, and balance for a functional society. (Chen)

In this play characterization is done in such a way that one character contrasts with one or other characters. There are seven major characters. Alu,  Makuri,  Igwezu, Kadiye, The Beggar, Awuchike and Desala. The two sons Awuchike and Igwezu contrast with each other, Alu and Desala are different from each other and The beggar contrast with Kadiye.

In the novel character of the beggar is one important character. He keeps positive energy in house and village while Alu aMakuri’s both sons are outside and while there are corrupt priests like Kadiye. It is character of hope and by this character Wole Soyinka teaches many things.

Character of beggar

In the play character of the beggar is most wise, optimistic, hard working and the one who do not believe in any superstitions at all. Through the character of the beggar Soyinka has also given the culture of the Nigerian society that guests are treated as god.

About the beggar

The beggar is not a native of the swamp. He is from Bukanji in North Nigeria and a Muslim. He is tall and straight and blind. He loses his crops and walks to the south for land to cultivate. Though he is blind he believes in hard work instead of short cuts. (The swamp dwellers)

Blindness of the beggar: what is suggests?

Soyinka presented character of Beggar as a blind figure. His blindness can be read in many ways. It is the play focusing on life of one family so if beggar had been portrayed who can see, it would not have make much difference. But blindness, his thoughts and comparing it with others brings out some important ideas Wole Soyinka may wanted to convey to the readers.

The blindness of the beggar suggests high spirituality. Others have eyes but cannot see truth and are fooled by corrupt priest Kadiye while the beggar has inner eyes which can see the truth and do not believe in superstitions. He also explains others not to believe in Kadiye. There is a contrast between Makuri and the beggar. Though Makuri has eyesight, he cannot detect the mystery that his family is being beguiled, deceived by the corrupt Priest. But though the beggar is deprived of eyesight, his spiritual light is so powerful and penetrative that, he can detect the bulk of the Priest out of his voice. This means that, he can guess that the Priest is consuming their fresh crops by means of false rituals. (Wole Soyinka’s Art of Characterization in the Play The Swamp Dwellers)

Beggar is the symbol of new light, new thoughts who do not believe what is shown to them but who question. Beggar has just opened Igwezu’s eyes to make him reason. Suddenly he questions the function, and duty of Kadiye and his involvement in the repeated cycles of suffering that the swamp dwellers find themselves. Soyinka created both characters to be a weighing balance between true worship and co modified worship; he uses the beggar to reveal the consequences of religious commodification on Igwezu and the villagers who refuse to ask questions until the arrival of the Beggar. At this point one can say that the society needs people like the Beggar to get rid of religious commodification because the arrival of the Beggar made Igwezu realize that Kadiye is only using them to achieve commercial and economic goals; hence, he agitates and complains in rhetorical questions:

IGWEZU: Yes is it not strange that his skin is tender? Is it not strange that he is smooth and well preserved?

BEGGAR: Is he fat, master? When he spoke, I determined a certain bulk in his voice.

IGWEZU; Ay, he is fat. He roles himself like a fat and greasy porpoise. (Nwosu and Marchie)

The Beggar reveals this to us as he asks yet another strong question:

BEGGAR: Does the priest live well? Is the serpent well kept and nourished

IGWEZU: You may see for yourself. His thighs are skin full of palm oil

BEGGAR: How does the serpent fare in times of dearth? Does he thrive on the poisonous crabs? Does he drink the Ooze of the mire?

Blindness of the beggar also suggests virtue of hard working. On one side Kadiye is healthy man but do not want to work at all while on the other hand in spite of his blindness beggar do want to live by begging. He believes in hard work. When the servant of the priest gives a coin, the beggar keeps his bowl upside down. He had been doing farming but because of draught he had to leave his village in search of land. So, his blindness also inspires readers to do hard work instead of taking short cuts or believing in fate.

Thus, blindness of the beggar is very suggestive.

Christ figure

The beggar is presented as Christ like figure. He is a spiritual man, he is full of hope, and he is moral and advises people in right way. He is symbol for salvation. The beggar also gets treatment as he is God. In Yoruba Custom, stranger is considered as god. The character of beggar introduce by Soyinka as „Christ figure who introduce a completely new force, a new way of thinking into the hidebound society of the village” (18). It is the reason beggar gets the special treatment from the Old Couple,

“Alu squats down and washes his feet. When this is finished, she wipes them dry, takes a small jar from one of the shelves, and rubs his feet with some form of ointment.”

The beggar arises consciousness of the people. The beggar represents new wisdom because he comes to the swamp with solution that will help the suffering of the swamp dwellers under the consequences of religious commodification perpetrated by the priest of the Serpent of the Swamps Kadiye. He gives solutions of their problems. He says, “But if a man is willing to take a piece of ground and redeem it from the swamp-will they let him? If a man is willing to drain the filth away and make the land yield cocoyams and lettuce-will they let him” (Nwosu and Marchie)

Beggar's Christlike presence stands as symbol of expiation and enlightenment. His brilliant suggestions about land reclamation are intended to guide the indigenes on how to solve the problem of flood without relying on external forces. As Igwezu's mentor, he prompts him to discover the venality of the Kadiye and also his own naivety. The Beggar's ideas in the play represent Soyinka's ideals of individual lone-act of- courage in the effort of saving humanity whenever such an individual possesses the will and the resources. Eldred Jones writes that: this act of salvation is not a mass act; it comes about through the vision and the dedication of individuals who doggedly pursue their vision in spite of the opposition of the very society they seek to save (Theme of mire and salvation)

The play ends with Beggar’s words of hope. He says, “The swallows find their nest again when the cold is over. Even The bats desert dark holes in the tress and flap wet leaves with Wings of leather. There were wings everywhere as I wiped my feet against your threshold. I heard the cricket scratch himself beneath the armpit as the old man said to me ….[The door swings to The beggar sighs, gestures a blessing and says] I shall be here to give Account. [The oil lamps go out slowly and completely. The Beggar Remains on the same spot, the moonlight falling on him through the Window. (WOLE SOYINKA’S PLAYS: THE LION AND JEWEL, THE SWAMP DWELLERS & THE TRIALS OF BROTHER JERO)

So, in this play the character of the blind beggar resembles Christ in many ways.

New way of thinking

The blind beggar is a thinker. He does not believe in whatever. He questions the wrong ideas and persuades others also to question. He is the only person in the play who questions Kadiye and his ways. He tries to explain people not to believe in Kadiye.  The beggar is not superstitious. He cannot believe that, there is any supernatural being in the name a serpent God, who possesses land. The Beggar in his wisdom asks Makuri an important question which Makuri and the swamp dwellers all these years failed to ask themselves.

In the end of the play Beggar at least opens the eyes of the Igwezu. He questions Kadiye and stop to believe in his fake serpent God. So, beggar’s views and thoughts are very different than his surroundings. He seems the mouthpeace of the playwright.

Positive force of the life

Blind Beggar’s entry in the play is at the very crucial time. Igwezu had gone into the debt, his wife and brother had betrayed him, moreover his crop has been divested by the flood. At such a time the beggar enters with faith and determinism to support morally collapsed Igwezu. His words not only pacify Igwezu but enliven his hopes in life. He becomes a mentor for Igwezu and the villagers. He provides brilliant suggestions about land reclamation that guide the people to solve the problem of flood without relying on external forces. He questions the validity of swamp serpent, and in that way brings enlightenment in the lives of flood afflicted people. (Ingole)

Conclusion

Thus, character of Beggar is not minor character in the play. He has very much importance. He is He is symbol of new thinking, spirituality, morality, hard work, hope and brotherhood. Through his character Soyinka tries to say many things to reader.

Works Cited

Chen, Sonia. The swamp dwellers background. 9 July 2017. 17 March 2018 <http://www.gradesaver.com/the-swamp-dwellers>.

Ingole, Kaiash M. DRAMATIC CONSTRUCTION IN SOYINKA’S THE SWAMPS DWELLERS. April 2014. 19 March 2018 <http://oldrol.lbp.world/UploadArticle/81.pdf>.

Nwosu, Canice and Chinonye Marchie. From Worship to Commodification: Wole Soyinka and Sanctity of the Sacred. June 2015. 19 March 2018 <http://ijaahnet.com/journals/ijaah/Vol_3_No_1_June_2015/7.pdf>.

The swamp dwellers. 19 March 2018 <https://sites.google.com/site/theswampdwellers/the-beggar>.

Theme of mire and salvation. 19 March 2018 <http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/64512/9/09_chapter%203.pdf>.

Wole Soyinka’s Art of Characterization in the Play The Swamp Dwellers. 14 October 2012. 18 March 2018 <https://literacle.com/wole-soyinkas-art-of-characterization-in-the-play-the-swamp-dwellers/>.

WOLE SOYINKA’S PLAYS: THE LION AND JEWEL, THE SWAMP DWELLERS & THE TRIALS OF BROTHER JERO. 19 March 2018 <http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/148339/7/07_chapter%202.pdf>.

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