Second-Class Citizens by Buchi Emecheta: Reading Notes - Chapters 1 to 6 (Dharani Dhavamani 1413059)

Expectations? What do you expect?

The title 'Second Class Citizens' hints at a society that is subject to a practice that might be unfair or logically unjustified. I expected it to describe the life of a person/ family deemed to be 2nd class even though they aren't. The first 3 chapters' names, Childhood, Escape into Elitism and Cold Welcome, I thought was the progress (and process) in which the description was made.

The lines about the Presence in the first paragraph of the novel brought into my mind the existence of a guiding force that keeps one going, and I thought the book describes the journey of one such person- guided by the Presence.

From the novel, we learn about the various levels of social structures, based on race, accent, economic and social status, gender etc. Through the initial unfolding of events, we get a picture of the life and struggle from the viewpoint of the oppressed, and expect that the rest of the story elaborates this.

What happens in the story?

In the first chapter itself, we see several changes in the situations, like Adah going to the school, Pa's death etc. The plot thus promises many more drastic shifts in the storyline, both fortunate and unfortunate. In the further chapters, we also see that the characters, Adah included, change fractions of their characters and retain others.

Through my reading of chapter one, it was very evident that the story describes the journey of a strong- willed and self-confident woman, who wants to gain education and establish herself. In the current scenario, we also learn the several obstacles that she faces, with the possibilities of many more to come. It talks about the then social milieu- the treatment of the coloured, the educated-coloured, the females, the superstitious beliefs that gives the reader an in-depth knowledge of culture. 

As the novel progresses, we can see the evolution of the dream that Adah has, the things she has to go through to stand by her principles, her changing atmosphere and nature of the supporting characters.

The story brings the feel of an account of the struggles and hardships faced by the protagonist, which might be a part or whole autobiographical narration. It might be on the lines of a semi- autobiographical narration.

How is the story narrated?

The story is narrated in the present tense, third person style. We know all of what the protagonist thinks, and speculations regarding what other characters might think (not necessarily their thought process though, examples in the essay). In this sense, the narrator is not a character on the story- it is a homodigetic, third person narrative.

Who are the characters?

The protagonist of the story is Adah, a Nigerian woman born during the second world war.

The several unfortunate situations and gender based discriminations that she has to go through, pressures from her society and their values, expectations from the patriarchs, (several times from her own mother) except her father form the antagonists in her life (and essentially in the story). Focussing on chapter 3 and onwards, the changed Francis, the way in which UK treats her and her color and the way in which the fellow colored people in her place of stay treat her are the antagonists.

However, there are characters like Pa, Mr. Cole etc. who provide her support, love and encouragement, even if it is for a brief period of time. There are also characters who appreciate her, celebrate her and respect her- like her American colleagues, Francis's sisters etc. All the same, her parents-in-law are facilitators who give her respect and do not act against her. But we cannot deem them as completely positive characters, since they have their vested interests in her, that can be seen as the reason for them to behave in the way that they do. The nuances of certain characters were fully understood by me only as the story progressed, like Francis and her parents-in-law. On the other hand, nature of characters like Trudy, Janet and Mrs. Konrad are quite predictable.

What is the setting of the story?

The story is set during the Second World War (when the protagonist is born) and its aftermath. The settings are various, changing during each of Adah's life stages, ranging from her home in Lagos, her uncle's home in Lagos, boarding school- Methodist Girls' School, Ebute-Metta to pockets in England like the place she stayed, worked, and the like. 

The story moves from one setting to another, with a gradual progress of the plotline and corresponding changes in the settings. Till chapter 6, there is no back and forth movement (except Pa's mom's death, which is a small flashback). There are also very subtle mentions of the past, when the protagonist thinks about the changing attitude of people in her life and the existence of unfair social practices. However, there are hints of the possibility that Adah might return to Nigeria.

What do you notice about how the story written?

The style of narration, language and the prose is very natural, understandable and relatable. The language is quite simple and yet has the capacity to explain the subtleties of the atmosphere.

The descriptions provided vivid imageries in the mind while reading them. For example, description of the houses in her street, Trudy's backyard, Mrs. Konrad's dressing style etc. invoked the reaction that would result when I watch them in films.

The tone of the story isn't fixed, it changes according to the protagonist's feeling of her situation. Her emotions are projected into the mood of the story itself. There are a string of emotions that follow one another with no particular sequence. While I read the story, I felt a mixture of emotions like sadness, happiness, amusement, shock/disbelief, sympathy, rage etc.

What does the story mean?

The story talks about several facets of the situations faced by most of the societies during the immediate post-colonial scenario and by the fractions of the society within the oppressed. We can see many themes put across, like colonialism, pain, hard-work & will-power, discrimination- gender and racial, family, love & affection, religion, struggle for independence etc. There are also several incidents that lead the protagonist to question the established norms like white superiority, who deserves education etc.