“The Survival of the fittest in The Novel; The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born By AyiKweiArmah”.

“The Survival of the fittest in The Novel; The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born

By AyiKweiArmah”.

Abstract:

            The present stage of the society purely exemplified in the writings of post-colonial literature. In the colonial era the only aim of the people is getting freedom from the colonizers, but in the post-colonial period people were fighting among themselves to get their own status in the name of civilization. According to Charles Darwin ‘the survival of the fittest’ took place in the life of post-colonial society, which only concentrates on the survival of the powered one among the powerless working class people. The rulers of the country became another colonizers, so they want to enjoy their life and so they want power. Especially in African countries the later rulers become other white colonizers. Africans people were very much strong in their physical and mental behavior. Though they were strong they don’t have unity so only they were all suppressed and ruled by the white people. However since after their liberation there were some social evils took place in their life because the elite people of Africa took advantage of their power and they were all involved in the corruption, bribery and misleading the country. This paper mainly focuses on “The Survival of the fittest in The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born by AyiKweiArmah”.

Introduction:

AyiKweiArmah was born in 1939 to Fante-speaking parents in the port city of Takoradi, Ghana. He left Ghana in 1959 to attend the Groton School in Groton, MA. Afterwards, he attended Harvard. Much of his work deals with the problems of post-colonial Ghana.His first novel, The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born, was published in 1968, and tells the story of a nameless man who struggles to reconcile himself with the reality of post-independence Ghana.Armah has often been regarded as belonging to the next generation of African writers after Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka.[citation needed] At the same time he is said to "epitomize an era of intense despair." Especially Armah's later works have evoked strong reaction from many critics. Two Thousand Seasons has been labeled dull and verbose, although Wole Soyinka considered its vision secular and humane.

Novel:

The Beautiful Ones Are not Yet Born (1968), describes the life of an unnamed rail worker who is pressured by his family and fellow workers to accept bribes and involve himself in corrupt activities in order to provide his family with material goods. The other workers who accept bribes are able to live a prosperous life, while he and his family live from pay check to pay check as a result of his honesty. At times he perceives himself as a moral failure for not providing his family with the money which would allow them to have the beautiful things that they seek. His honesty also makes him a social misfit, and he is a man who is truly alone. The book is filled with images of birth, decay and death, most notably in the form of a man child through Aboliga the frog p.63 who goes through the entire life cycle in seven years. This man child is a metaphor for post-independence Ghana.

Colonialism and Post-Colonialism:

            Europeans invaded other people's lands and pretty much just exploited them. (The truth hurts, Europe.) Colonialism reached its peak in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when huge parts of the world were under the control of empires like the British and the French. After colonization people of the colonized countries wants to get their freedom back so they started struggling against the colonizers and finally they achieved their goal.Colonial Discourse is the way that colonizers spoke and wrote about colonized peoples in order to make them look uncivilized and backward. Why would they do that? As a means to justify exploitation, of course. Counter-Discourse is the response of postcolonial writers to Europeans. The postcolonial writers tried to show up all the holes (big and small—there are just so many) in colonial discourse.

Survival of the fittest:

            “The survival of the fittest” is a theory by the psychoanalyst Charles Darwin, which deals with the existentialist approach of life through the most powerful one. The powerful one lead the community by his strength, the strength here refers to physical or mental strength. The powered one boasts his powers among the powerless people to earn his living. In some cases it extends up to the level of the getting the whole power in the society and make him as the independent ruler of a particular community or country. Now the presenter elucidate this theory through corruption and bribery, embezzlement of government fund, alienation, lack of unity, economic inequalityin the novel “The Beautiful ones are not yet born”.

Corruption and Bribery:

The theme of corruption runs amongst the leadership and ordinary people alike. Successive governments come in with promises which end up as an opportunity for the leaders and their groups to enrich themselves. Corruption in Ghana and in all African countries at large are virtually acceptable as a legal means of enrichment, and it is being caused by bureaucracy, poorly paid workers and modernization. For example Amakwa approaches the man to get his timber transported from the bush for a reward. This is due to bureaucracy that exists in most of African countries. It has reached a time that if you don’t have ‘kitukidogo’ you can never attain any services. Though man refuses the offer comes his fellow worker, accepts the bribe and man who refuses resorting in scorns from Amakwa, “You, you are a very wicked man. You will never prosper…”Pg 107. Modernization causes corruption in most of African countries to such an extent that if at all you refuse to take the bribe, people seem to despise you. For example when man tells his wife how he declines the offer s his wife rather than highly praises him she sarcastically refers to him as a “ Chichidodo”, a bird that hates excrement but feeds on maggot. But another man in the same office takes it.

The issue of money arises constantly throughout the book. In the first chapter, the Ghanaian currency, the Cedi, is introduced. The conductor of the minibus collects the fare from each of the riders, making sure that he gets the big amount of money and no less. One rider gives a cedi note which is much more than is necessary, but does not ask for change. The conductor reflects as he waits nervously at the front of the minibus savoring the touch of the bill. He reflects that the economy must be doing well so late in the month since one rider still has a cedi bill remaining for his fare. The conductor hopes that the rider will not ask for change, for he would profit more if he does not have to give any change. In a time when currency is scarce, people would do just about anything to obtain some.In the second chapter, a messenger of the man wins something in the lottery. The messenger's worry is that he wouldn't receive his money. He says that he knew several people who had won 500 cedis in the lottery the previous year who had yet to see any of their winnings. The main character suggests that he go to the police for help. The messenger replies that it would cost more money to go to the police, so he would just wait until something happens.

Embezzlement of government fund:

Armah reveals to us the social life of Ghanaians whereby government leaders like Koomson, Zacharias Lagos, and Abednego Yamoah undergo luxurious life through embezzlement of government fund.  Koomson and his wife Estella through embezzlement of government funds are able to buy expensive things such as cars, furniture like Sofa and their daughter princes is also dressed expensively and behaves like the British. Moreover Koomson physique shows how much he embezzles the government fund.

Alienation:

Alienationrefers to the individual subject's estrangement from its community, society, or world.The author shows alienations in three aspects namely;

(i) Alienation of the lucky ones from the mass:

At these aspects the novelist talks of these government officials such as ministers were put on power by the mass, instead they are less pre occupied with problems of ordinary citizens. They have caused the condition in the society be worse. They are more concerned with leisure and pleasures, making parties, going to nightclubs and running after girls as Koomson represents them. Leaders are now changing girls as clothes simply because they have money. The society has experiences these dealings by their leaders as says this woman who is selling loafs of breads, “Have you ever seen a big man without girls…”pg 37. Big man means those people with authority, and, man,in-Ghan-asociety.

(ii) Alienation of a person from the society:

The man is being insulted by a number of people in his society for not being in corruption. This is because corruption in Ghana society is accepted as a social norm. They believe corruption to be as a means of getting rich quickly. For example Oyo and his mother pour scorns at him that he is nobody.Also Teacher sees that in his society everyone who wants to be happy will soon get involved in corruption. Having seen this he sees that it is difficult to look after his parents and married, hence he runs away from his home and decides to lie lonely life. For example when the man goes to him tonight he finds the teacher sleeping necked, reading and listening to music (pg 91).

(iii) Alienation of a person from himself:

 The teacher, Koffi Billy and sister Maanan are alienated from themselves by resorting to drug abuse (wee). For example Maanan through exploitation and neglect from her the government she is driven into insanity.Another ill treated victim is Koffi – Billy. He lost his leg accidentally yet, no one cares for him hence he commits suicide.

Lack of unity:

The man is alone in his uprightness and this loneliness is a burden to him. He is not supported by anyone in the society even his own wife is against his character. The man fails even to explain why he hates bride while everyone in the society is corrupt. We have such people in most of African countries that see evils being done within a society but nobody reports such evils. For example during elections in our society leaders are bribing the majority but the work to fight such bribe is left to PCCB officials who at sometimes are not nearby the scene.Hence the novelist shows us that, evils in the society cannot be fought alone. Therefore the man needs cooperation with his fellow members of the society who might in one way or another hate corruption.

EconomicInequality:

Armah  made clear through the constant struggle of his characters is that the political, social and economic issues in the post-colony are remarkably complex.The most striking of this can be witnessed through the man’s employment by the national railway. This was a railway set up under colonial rule to export out the wealth and resources of Ghana. The man’s seemingly earnest job, in which he tries to avoid amoral and corrupt practices, is in fact a part of the system that has, and continues, to be a part of a system of exploitation removing the wealth and resources of the Ghanaian people.The protagonist himself is an example for the economic inequality, when his friend visits his home he placed all the less payed things through this way he portray the economic growth of his life. These kind of actions shows that the inequality among the people of Ghana and their thinking about the self-esteem they acquired because of their political, social and economic status.

Conclusion:

            In this novel the author tried to bring out the social inheritance of the present African countries. The powerful one acquire wealth and make his living happy. But the powerless one struggles so much to improve their economic and social condition, in which they failed to do because of the suppressed class people. The survival of the black elite class people suppressed the working and lower class people and so they earned a good position in the society. They themselves oppressing the working class to work more and they pay less. Through the theory of the survival of the fittest which resulted that the black rulers became another white colonizers.