Soyinka's Art of Characterization in "The Swamp Dweller"

Wole Soyinka’s Art of Characterization in the play “The Swamp Dweller”

·      Introduction:

          The full name of Soyinka is Akinwande Oluwole “Wole” Soyinka. He is a Nigerian playwright and poet. He won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1986, the first African to be honoured.

        Soyinka was born on 13^th July, 1934 into a Yoruba family in Abeokuta. He took an active role in Nigeria’s political history and its struggle for independence from Great Britain.

        He has strongly criticised many Nigerian military dictators and other political tyrannous. Much of his writings has been concerned with,

“...the oppressive boot and the irrelevance of the colour that wears it.”

                Living in the United States, he was a professor first at Cornell University and then at Emory University in Atlanta. He has also taught at the universities of Oxford, Harvard and Yale. He has got fame as poet and essayist also.

                “The Swamp Dweller”, “The Lion and the Jewel”, “Madman and Specialists”, “A Dance of the Forest” are some of his famous plays. “Idanre and other poems”, “A Shuttle in the Crypt”, “Mandela’s Earth and Other Poems” are some of his poetry collections. “Towards a True Theatre”, “Culture in Transition”, “The Blackman and the Veil” are some of his well known essays. He has written novels, short stories, memoirs and translations also. He has a great sight to see and feel the thing minutely.

“Even when I am writing plays I enjoy having company and mentally I think of that company as the company I am writing for.”

 -Wole Soyinka

·      About the Play:

                “The Swamp Dweller” is comparatively short of all of Soyinka’s plays. It deals with a story of poor family living in Niger Delta region. In this play Soyinka uses new technique that is getting information from every new character in the play. The poor family is reflection of all who struggle for survival. The narrative technique is not in action format, but a descriptive one.

                Every new character narrates his experiences with the other characters of the play. While doing this Soyinka never allows himself to detrack from the original story. He successfully manages to bring these experiences into a full-fledged story with a good beginning, middle and end.

                The play is not divided in acts and scenes. By doing this he avoids any sort of interruption in the smooth going story. In this play we don’t find even a single irrelevant scene or event.

·      Soyinka’s Art of Characterization:

                The characters of the play can be put into three groups:

Ø The parents Makuri and Alu- Conservative

Ø The priest Kadiye- Hippocratic

Ø Igwezu and Beggar- Two positive individuals.

         The parents are conservative who wants to bind their children by their love and avoid their ambition to fly high. The priest Kadiye is a corrupt who beguiles his superstitious followers and remains always in beneficial situation immorally. Igwezu and the Beggar are moving, wandering, seeking and then also what they found is uncertain. This is the play of mood and atmosphere. This play gives audience a chance to involve into it deeply. It gives an opportunity to make comparisons and judgement. Soyinka’s art remains in contrast and comparison between characters. There is contrast between two brothers, father and son, between mother in law and daughter in law. And the main contrast is between the beggar and the priest Kadiye. We can see the comparison also between Igwezu and the beggar.

·      Two brothers:

                Awuchike and Igwezu are twin brothers who look alike but there is a vast difference between the both. Awuchike has left home for ten years and lives in town. There he deals in timbers and thrives fast. But he never cares for his poor parents. He has cut all the communication with his parents and he has involved himself in earning money in town. He became blind towards his family and responsibility. Whereas Igwezu is quite opposite to him. He also goes to town to seek his fortune with his wife. But he is aware about his responsibility.

                Igwezu promised that, with first earned money, he will send a swivel chair for his father and he fulfils his promise. He takes care of his parents and communicates with them.

                Awuchike is callous, feelingless, self-centred, disobedient, egoistic and immoral person while Igwezu is obedient, dutiful and careful towards his parents.

·      Contrast between mother in law and daughter in law:

                There are two women in the family. Both are contrast image of each other. As a wife and as a woman both are different from each other.

                As a wife Alu (Igwezu’s mother) is faithful and loyal towards her husband. On the contrary, Desala (Igwezu’s wife) is betrayer and unfaithful towards Igwezu. Alu was very beautiful in her youth. Alu and Makuri lead their conjugal life in subsistence level. They live from hand to mouth. Throughout her life she shares the well and woe of her husband and remains faithful. Makuri never feels tension for her sake. Moreover she loves the swamp region and never expresses any wish to leave for city.

                But Igwezu’s wife Desala is opposite to her. She does not like poor, rustic life. She is money minded and materialistic woman. Humanly feelings can’t touch her. She leaves Igwezu and goes with well settled Awuchike. So, these are the differences between the two women.