Ambition or dreams in Second Class Citizen and the struggle towards the realization of personal dreams are among the main themes in the novel. In this tutorial, I will guide you with points and explanations which should help you to write a great Literature essay on the theme of ambition or dreams in Second Class Citizen.
This tutorial on the theme of dreams or ambition covers the following key areas.
- A brief background to the idea of dreams and ambition in the life of every individual.
- How various characters in Second Class Citizen fare in terms of their dreams and aspirations.
- The connection between dreams and the various settings in the novel.
- And, finally, how the theme of dreams or ambition contributes to the development of the plot of Second Class Citizen.
Are you ready to come with me as I discuss the theme of dreams or ambition in Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta?
Then come, let’s do it together!
Dreams and Ambitions in Life
There is a saying that he who fails to plan plans to fail. Every living person has an ambition. And it is left to each of us to either consciously aspire to higher personal goals or allow life to move us in any direction the wind blows.
Unsurprisingly, Buchi Emecheta’s novel Second Class Citizen begins with a statement on dreams. It points to the central role a simple but almost impossible dream, nursed by a very young girl called Adah, will play in this story.
It all began like a dream. You know, that sort of dream which seems to have originated from nowhere, yet one was already aware of its existence. One could feel it, one could be directed by it; unconsciously at first, until it became a reality, a Presence.
Buchi Emecheta – Second Class Citizen
Characters and Dreams
The theme of dreams or ambition dominates the narrative in Second Class Citizen. The majority of the major characters harbour one personal ambition or the other. Below is a list of characters and their individual aspirations.
Adah
Adah is obviously the chief dreamer in the novel. Her dream is what opens the entire novel.
United Kingdom Dreams
We are told Adah started entertaining the idea of travelling to the United Kingdom when she was barely an 8-year old child.
The source of inspiration for this ambition is something she heard from Pa, her father. It is about the United Kingdom. Pa speaks of that country in glowing terms and with a huge sense of reverence. So powerful was Pa’s mention of the United Kingdom that Adah, at that early age got the impression that the United Kingdom could only have been Paradise on earth.
So, to the United Kingdom she must go, come what may.
Adah’s eventual arrival at the English port city of Liverpool when she is just about twenty years old marks the fulfillment of her dream.
Quality Education for Her Children
Moreover, her dream to give her children a good education in the United Kingdom now has a clear chance of becoming a reality.
SEE ALSO: Development of the Character of Adah in Second Class Citizen
The Ambition to Become a Writer
But this is not the only dream that Adah habours. She has also nursed the ambition of becoming a published author. This must explain why she prefers to pursue a career in librarianship.
Sadly, though, Adah’s first manuscript becomes a victim of her marital troubles with Francis. Out of both envy and a sadistic desire to see Adah in pain, Francis burns the manuscript of The Bride Price. This incident finally ushers in the collapse of a marriage Adah has worked so hard to protect.
Perhaps, after the collapse, Adah could now be in a better position and frame of mind to bring this ambition to reality.
A Dream of Marital Bliss
A fourth dream that Adah has nurtured is to enjoy a stable marital life. Her ill-fated marriage to Francis Obi is not what she had hoped for. But since, by the end of the narrative, she is still young and healthy, her meeting with other male Nigerian immigrants, like the one she encounters after leaving the magistrate court, could just open the door to another experiment with her dream of marital bliss.
On the whole, therefore, Adah has not done badly with her quest for a better life. Her childhood dreams have largely been achieved in spite of the numerous obstacles she has had to overcome.
RECOMMENDED: Top 7 Quotes on the Theme of Dreams and Ambition in Second Class Citizen
Francis
We must not be deceived into thinking that, given his rather toxic attitude, Francis Obi never had a dream. Because the truth is that Francis once had an ambition to successfully study Cost and Works Accountancy in the United Kingdom.
Apparently, Francis also dreamt of becoming a successful foreign student in England. He would love to also pursue a career in Accountancy and make his doting parents proud of him.
But, like other Nigerian immigrants such as Babalola and Mr. Noble, something terrible seems to have gone wrong with Francis’s ambitions along the way. In fact, it appears to be that, unlike the iron-willed Adah, Francis has not got the inner steel it takes for a black immigrant to succeed in a racist society.
And when the pressures of marriage and the responsibilities that come with it come knocking, Francis is not prepared to keep going. Frustrated, Francis chooses to accept the demoralizing status of being a second class citizen.
Thus, he quickly gives up on his lofty dreams and degenerates into a failed student, a violent husband, and an abusive family man.
Babalola
Babalola is one of the many Nigerian immigrants who had come to England with the dream of studying for the kind of qualification that will enable them to take up juicy positions in a newly independent Nigeria. He seems to have messed up big time on his arrival in the UK.
Eventually, all he does is visit pubs and discotheques. Like many of his compatriots with a similar predicament, all he can do is seek consolation in alcohol and loose white women.
Babalola’s meeting with Janet appears to have at least soothe the pain and feeling of disappointment he has had to live with in a foreign land.
SEE ALSO: Chapter 4 Summary of Second Class Citizen
Pa Noble
We cannot ignore the moving story of Pa Noble (Mr Noble) in our discussion of the theme of ambition or dreams in Second Class Citizen. Pa Noble, has suffered a similar fate just like Babalola and others.
He too ends up marrying Sue, a white woman. Fortunately for Pa Noble, a life-changing accident he had while working at a railway station gives him another chance to keep hanging on to hope. He buys a house with the compensation money he receives from his employers and transforms himself into a small-time landlord with a stable family.
RECOMMENDED: Who is Pa Noble in Second Class Citizen?
Pa and Ma (Mr and Mrs Ofili)
The parents of Adah must have had high hopes for their two children – Boy and Adah. This is the only explanation for their sending Boy to the expensive Ladi-Lak School. And when the little Adah began to show signs of great promise, Pa went against the prevailing norms of his Igbo society that discriminate against female children for the sake of his beloved daughter. He boldly sends her to the same expensive school Boy is attending.
But Pa dies soon afterward. He may not have lived to witness Adah’s departure to the United Kingdom. But, at least, Adah sings to his memory when she gets there.
The first thing she does on arriving at Liverpool is to say to Pa’s memory that she has finally made him proud. Pa’s hopes of seeing his daughter also go to the revered United Kingdom, just like Lawyer Nweze, have come to pass.
Lawyer Nweze
Lawyer Nweze is not just an individual. He is also a public figure. In fact, he carries the hopes and aspirations of all the natives of his hometown, Ibuza. This is how Lawyer Nweze features in the development of the theme of ambition and dreams in Second Class Citizen. His successful completion of his law studies in England together with his triumphant return sets him apart.
Lawyer Nweze’s achievement is a source of great pride for his people. At long last, their dream of seeing one of their own become a qualified English-trained lawyer has come to pass. The deep satisfaction the people of Ibuza derive from the fulfillment of their dream is expressed in the elaborate preparations they make for his return from the United Kingdom.
Who is Lawyer Nweze in Second Class Citizen?
It is significant to note that it is the events surrounding the return of Lawyer Nweze from the United Kingdom that sow the seeds of ambition in Adah, the heroine. Nweze is thus a trailblazer. He is the illustrious son of Ibuza who has shown the way and provided the inspiration for the dreams of many other Nigerians who will follow his footsteps to England.
Mr Okpara
Like Lawyer Nweze, Mr. Okpara has, in his small way, contributed to the theme of ambition or dreams in Second Class Citizen. Mr. Okpara represents the few Nigerians who have been able to achieve their dreams in England. He has successfully completed his studies and is gainfully employed. On top of that, Mr. Okpara has a stable family life. All these achievements have eluded a lot of his compatriots.
Peggy
Let’s put in a quick word for Peggy, the young white woman who happens to be Adah’s confidant at the Chalk Farm Library.
Peggy’s dream in Second Class Citizen is simple. All she has aspired to is to have a blissful relationship with her newly-found Italian boyfriend. Unfortunately, however, this boyfriend has disappointed her.
The experience makes her feel very bitter. Peggy may have nurtured an ambition that is nothing like those of the Nigerian immigrants we’ve been discussing so far. But there is something she shares with them. It has to do with their common dashed hopes.
SEE ALSO: Who is Peggy in Second Class Citizen?
Significance of the Theme of Dreams
The dreams that the various characters pursue in Second Class Citizen have played a significant role in the setting and development of the plot of the novel.
Setting
Almost every major and minor setting in Second Class Citizen is related to the theme of dreams in some way. They, therefore, help develop the theme further. Just take a look at the following settings.
The Ofili Family Home
This is where Adah first heard the mention of the United Kindom. It is a name whose sound will leave an indelible impression on the mind of the young Adah.
Methodist Primary School
Adah has to take the unusually bold step of running to this school with a broken piece of slate. Her encounter with Mr. Cole and those school children will change her life forever.
The Police Station
Though Ma is made to endure the torture of drinking a lot of gari and water at the police station, the incident here serves as a catalyst on Adah’s road to her dream life. The police advise Ma and Pa to send Adah to school. Because, from their observation, Adah has proven to be an extraordinary girl with a promising future ahead of her.
Adah’s Uncle’s Home
The heroine suffers a reversal following the untimely death of Pa, her father. She has to learn to live in her maternal uncle’s home more like a slave than an orphaned relative. Her strong determination to employ any clever means to achieve her dreams is on full display during her stay here.
We cannot easily forget how she uses the saying about being as harmless as a dove but as clever as a serpent to advance her personal goals.
The severe beating she receives from her cousin Vincent for stealing money to enable her to register for an entrance examination to secondary school is an example of the obstacles Adah has to deal with on her way to the fulfillment of her dreams. But as fate will have it, the sufferings she endures here will prepare her for the turbulent times waiting for her in England, years after.
London
Adah’s experiences in London help develop the theme of ambition or dreams in Second Class Citizen. Notable among the places that play a role in her quest to achieve her dreams are the following.
The Obis’ first home in London
Contribution to the Development of the Plot of Second Class Citizen
It is clear that Adah’s dreams for her life and those of her young children are the main movers of the narrative. The novel opens with a direct reference to how it all started with a dream formed and nurtured by a little innocent girl called Adah.
From then on, every major incident, every action, and every step the heroine or others within her circle take are largely influenced by the abiding Presence of this dream. The dream, the supernatural elements that keep it alive (like the Presence), and the challenges that make them almost impossible to attain have combined to create a plot full of intrigue and conflict.
The twists and turns in Adah’s fortunes make the story an exciting one. And, at the end of it all, we are left feeling that there is still hope for the protagonist to take her almost shattered life to the next level.
Conclusion
We’ve been discussing the theme of ambition or dreams in Second Class Citizen. Many are the dreams in this novel that never see the light of day.
Nevertheless, when it comes to Adah’s personal dreams, it is more of a story of mixed outcomes. The heroine, Adah, has been able to withstand the challenges fate, tradition and marriage have placed in her way. She may have emerged bruised both physically and emotionally; but putting everything together, Adah has done well for herself.
And hopefully, with her toxic relationship with Francis now behind her, she can look to the future with a greater sense of hope.
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