Characters in A Man of the People
Elsie
Elsie is an uninhibited young woman who is a friend of Odili’s. The two of them have a sexual relationship, but she is engaged to another man, and Odili doesn’t regard their relationship as serious, although he is terribly offended when she sleeps with Chief Nanga.
After this happens, Odili is angry. Odili discusses Chief Nanga’s ability to manipulate others into getting him out of any compromising situation. As the narrator watches Chief Nanga argue with journalists and public figures, Odili begins to feel sympathy for the Minister’s stressful life. Chief Nanga and Odili go to pick up Elsie, and they begin talking about their experience with the author at the Writers’ Group event. Odili comments on Chief Nanga’s English errors and grows suspicious as he lingers in the study before bed.
Odili waits in his room, growing even more frustrated at Chief Nanga’s shady behavior. After hearing the Minister switch off the light, Odili runs to Elsie’s room. There, he overhears Chief Nanga and Elsie laughing. This realization startles Odili, and he finds himself feeling paralyzed and unable to open the door. After he hears Elsie “deliriously screaming [Odili’s] name” while in bed with Chief Nanga, Odili experiences a variety of conflicting emotions that manifest in bodily reactions, but he fails to act and simply sits on his bed.
Odili begins packing his suitcase, anxious to leave Bori and escape Elsie’s betrayal. He begins to cry, something he notes “had not happened to [him] in God knows how long” (72). Feeling overwhelmed, Odili decides to walk through the city in order to distract his wandering mind. As he observes the behavior of Bori’s various citizens in the dawn light, he finds comfort in the characters that he encounters. Odili begins planning how to confront Chief Nanga and Elsie about what had happened during the night.
But before Odili can come up with a plan, Chief Nanga approaches him and explains that he has been worried about his prolonged absence. Odili tells Chief Nanga never to speak to him again, and he assures the Minister that he will be the one who has the “last laugh” (73). While Chief Nanga is apologetic, Odili begins insulting the Minister and explains that Chief Nanga personifies his nation’s corruption. Odili angrily leaves Chief Nanga’s mansion and goes to meet Max, a lawyer and former classmate from grammar school.
While Max is at work, Odili begins to process the previous night’s events. He realizes that he, too, has fallen victim to Chief Nanga’s corrupt practices. Chief Nanga has emasculated Odili, and now the teacher’s sole purpose is to exact revenge. Odili finds himself realizing that “some of Chief Nanga’s ‘queen bee’ characteristics had rubbed off on [him] and transformed [him]” (78). Odili decides to ally with Max and become a founding member of the Common People’s Convention.
Odili finds it ironic that the mobilizing figures of the Common People’s Convention are intellectuals that are not representative of the entire nation. However, the committee defends their formation, and they draw upon Karl Marx to explain that all revolutions begin with the intellectual elite. The group argues over how they should choose to label themselves, and they decide that they need to distance themselves from the association that they are Communists in order to achieve national success.
Odili leaves Bori and travels to Anata to meet Mrs. Nanga. The two discuss Chief Nanga and his new wife, Edna. Mrs. Nanga complacently laments feeling replaced by the young wife, and Odili intends to meet her in order to warn her of Chief Nanga’s behavior. Odili meets Edna’s greedy father, and he understands why they have arranged for Edna to marry the Minister. Odili finds himself stunned by Edna’s beauty, and he offers to drive her on his bicycle to visit her sick mother at the hospital. While the two are traveling, the bike crashes and Edna scrapes her knee.
Edna
Edna is a beautiful young woman who catches Odili’s eye early in the book. She is supposed to become Chief Nanga’s second wife, and she feels obligated because Chief Nanga paid for her education and gave her very poor family some money. Odili pursues her at first because he wants to hurt Chief Nanga, but eventually they grow to love each other, and Edna shows her courage in standing by Odili.
Odili is embarrassed by the bicycle accident and thus is afraid to tell Edna about the feelings he has developed for her. However, after discovering that Edna will spend Christmas morning with Mrs. Nanga, Odili decides to pay another visit to Chief Nanga’s wife. When Odili approaches the house, he encounters a drunken man demanding that Mrs. Nanga give him alcohol. Odili observes as the drunk man begins commenting on Chief Nanga’s newest construction project. Eventually Edna arrives, and Odili decides to confess his feelings to the Minister’s new fiancée.
Odili tells Edna that she will “be making a big and serious mistake” if she rushes into marriage. Edna is hesitant as to why Odili would tell her such a thing. She initially believes that Mrs. Nanga desires to tarnish their engagement. However, it soon becomes clear to Edna that Odili has a personal interest in their prospective marriage. Although Odili points out the fact that Edna is too young to marry the “ancient man,” Edna passively replies that “this is the world of women” (99).
Edna grows frustrated at Odili, but her anger subsides after a few moments. Odili transitions from talking about Edna to discussing national politics. He tells the audience that after the first of the year, an import tax was imposed on textile goods. At the same time as the tax, a news publication released a story detailing Chief Nanga’s real estate fraud. Three weeks after these scandals, the Prime Minister announces his resignation.
Odili writes Edna a letter detailing why she should not marry Chief Nanga. At the same time, Odili officially announces that he will run against Nanga for the position of Cultural Minister. Mrs. Nanga reacts harshly to the news of Odili’s departure and campaign. Although Edna’s father has banned Odili from his home, the narrator makes his way to visit Edna once again. He is caught by Edna’s father and is quickly forced to leave.
Odili says that he wants Edna “for her own sake first and foremost and only very remotely as part of a general scheme of revenge” (109). He reflects on his upcoming political race and recognizes that “his new political ambition and the girl” are confusingly intertwined. When Odili realizes that the odds of winning against Chief Nanga are slim, he switches his focus to expose the Minister as much as possible in hopes that he will not be nominated by the Prime Minister.
Odili digresses to talk about his ideological shift during university. He explains that he was greatly influenced by a radical Irish lecturer. Years later, however, the professor was appointed in the governmental cabinet and became “a classic example of the corroding effect of privilege” (111). Odili reflects upon his own privileged life and realizes that he has followed a similar trajectory. He begins to worry about his safety, which foreshadows future events.
Edna responds to Odili’s letter and explains that he should feel pity for her marriage predicament. Meanwhile, Odili begins assembling his security team to protect him during the upcoming election. Later, Chief Nanga approaches Odili and his father while the two are walking. Odili’s father reveals that he has been asking the Chief for forgiveness on Odili’s behalf. It is revealed that Chief Nanga has come to meet with Odili to bribe him to stay out of the election. Chief Nanga tells Odili that Max has accepted the bribe. However, Odili rejects Chief Nanga’s offer and vows to defeat the incumbent candidate.