No Longer at Ease

Obi is a 26-year-old Nigerian man and the protagonist of the story. Obi grew up in the Umuofia village but attended missionary school at an early age, learning English, and studied the language in Britain. He was an excellent student and the Umuofia Progressive Union raised money for his scholarship. Obi is an idealistic and proud young man who dreams about his country’s future but lacks maturity and consciousness. From the start, the text establishes that Obi’s ideals and principles have collapsed as he is tried for bribery.

Obi experiences confusion and a crisis of identity, as he is torn between Western and Igbo culture. His parents have converted to Christianity, and his father is a catechist. Growing up, Obi was influenced by West, which has also become part of his identity. Away from his community, Obi developed an individuality that partly alienates him from his family. He chose to study English instead of law as the Umuofia Union hoped, illustrating his determination and “self-will.”

Obi felt homesick while in England. Away from home, he feels his Nigerian identity becoming stronger: “It was in England that Nigeria first became more than just a name to him.