The attitude of Francis towards religion or faith in Second Class Citizen is one based purely on convenience and personal interest. In this post, we shall look at the attitude of Francis towards religion or faith. We will also show how it impacts negatively on his marriage and relationship with Adah and their children.
Different Types of Religion
In Second Class Citizen, the narrator tells us that Francis has been dealing with more than one religious faith. As a boy growing up, he was a Moslem. Then he later chose to become a Christian – a Catholic and then a Jehovah’s Witness.
It is however clear that Francis is not a stable Jehovah’s Witness. He could have changed back to Islam or to a different Christian religious denomination. It could even be Catholicism if only he deems it convenient.
Francis was like the Vicar of Bray. He changed his religion to suit his whims. When he realized that equipping Adah with birth-control gear would release her from the bondage of child-bearing, Francis went Catholic. When he started failing his examinations and was feeling very inferior to his fellow Nigerians, he became a Jehovah’s Witness.
Buchi Emecheta – Second Class Citizen
Francis’s Shifting Attitude to Religion
At the very best, therefore, Francis Obi does not care about matters of faith. To him, religion is a tool to be used to exploit others and to have his way through life.
Thus, he can preach passionately about the qualities of a virtuous woman to Adah, his wife, simply because, he must force the heavily pregnant Adah to keep going to work in her terrible condition. And when that condition is met, he can move on to other things.
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A Matter of Convenience and Personal Interest
The choice of one’s religious affiliation must be determined by whatever is happening in one’s life at any point in time. This is clearly how Francis looks at religion.
As far as he is concerned, a passage from a holy book, like the one about the virtuous woman is only useful if it can be used momentarily to serve one’s parochial interests.
Effects on His Marital Life
The attitude of Francis towards religion in Second Class Citizen has had devastating effects on his marriage to Adah. For one thing, it makes Adah a pawn to be used to suit Francis’s whims and caprices.
Though she is aware of this, it is apparent that Adah feels helpless to do anything about it. She keeps postponing action until it is almost too late.
For example, Adah knows Francis would not have a problem changing over to Islam if she were to live with him for a while without bearing a child.
During Adah’s memorable stay at the University College Hospital where baby Bubu their third child is born, Adah meets a woman who has had to wait for seventeen years before finally getting pregnant to give birth to her first child.
Adah reflects on the woman’s experience. She imagines finding herself in such a situation. What would Francis have done? She is sure that, judging by the way Francis uses religion to justify his actions, he would have turned into a Moslem just to get another wife to give him a child.
Suppose she had had to wait seventeen years for all that? She would have either died of psychological pressures or another wife would have been brought to Francis. He would have declared himself a Moslem, for he was once a Moslem when he was younger.
Buchi Emecheta – Second Class Citizen
Again, Adah suffers physical pain and emotional trauma due to the disturbing attitude of Francis to religious teachings.
SEE ALSO: The Character and Role of Francis in Second Class Citizen
Francis’s Character Traits Exposed
Below are some major character traits of Francis that his attitude towards religion help bring to the fore.
Exploitative and Manipulative
The rather faithless attitude Francis exhibits towards religion exposes him as a man who is only interested in manipulating others in the name of religion.
So, when it suits him, he will refer to the bible’s teachings on Armageddon and the end time as the reason one does not have to work too hard for his earthly comforts.
And the next time he needs to use Adah to satisfy his personal needs, he will shamelessly impress on her to live up to the teachings about the industrious woman.
The teachings about Armageddon, for example, mean there is no need to chase after material things on this earth.
Interestingly, though, when he made the decision to travel to London in search of a better life, Francis probably forgot about the nearness of the end times.
Irresponsible
Francis clearly cannot see that a man ought to shoulder part of the responsibility of providing for his family.
His narrow interpretation of the Christian teaching on the virtuous woman shows how ignorant he is about the religious concepts he preaches so passionately.
Beyond this, it is clear that Francis is not willing to accept and live up to the responsibilities he owes, as a husband and father, to his young family.
Selfish
Francis is selfish. This is seen in his fixation on using religion to his personal advantage. He is never interested in employing the same teachings to also help make life easier for others.
Adah is aware that Francis has suddenly become a fan of Jehovah’s Witness teachings, as found in their Watchtower and Awake publications, solely because he can use them to give an “excuse for being selfish” and lazy.
Heartless
The above is why we can say that Francis is a heartless character. He lacks the capacity to feel the pain others around him go through.
Francis, even if he knows anything about the golden rule of loving one’s neighbour as oneself, has never thought that such a virtue applies to the way he treats others. It’s always about him and him alone.
Unstable and Unreliable
The attitude of Francis towards religion, especially in reference to his association with his Jehovah’s Witnesses visitors, depicts him as someone who cannot be relied upon.
This character trait reflects in his attitude to work, to his studies, and even to his own children. Today, he may show signs of turning over a new leaf only to quickly slide back to his usual ways.
We see this in the way Francis initially appears to have embraced the idea of working to earn an income to support his ailing wife, Adah. This is after her return from the hospital where she gave birth to Bubu.
In no time, however, Francis begins to nag about the work, the whites and their dogs. The next thing we see him do is to quit, leaving the poor Adah exasperated.
Conclusion
Francis is, therefore, not a religious person in the true sense of the word. At best, the attitude Francis exhibits towards religion is rooted in a primitive desire for self-preservation and nothing more. Francis Obi is simply a faithless character. who manipulates the teachings of religion to serve his own personal interests as and when they suit him best.
Try these questions
DISCUSS THE THEME OF RELIGION IN SECOND CLASS CITIZEN
CONSIDER THE AUTHOR’S USE OF BIBLICAL ALLUSION IN THE NOVEL
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