Summary and Analysis of The Lion and The Jewel by Professor Wole Soyinka

 

The Lion and The Jewel by Professor Wole Soyinka

 

Author's Backgroud

Professor Wole Soyinka is a

  

Plot/Synopsis

In the book, Lion and the Jewel, Professor Wole Soyinka tells the story of

Analysis

 

 

Major Characters

1. Lakunle was the half educated school teacher who used his half-baked education to harass Sidi and Baroka. He was 23 years old and always wore a tie with a shiny black waist-coast showing his social status. He desires to raise a new generation of youths while failing to realize that Baroka and Sidi have native intelligence. He believes that women are the weaker sex. Lakunle also believes in change and progress. He wanted to turn Ilujinle into Lagos or Ibadan. His idea of progress involved bathroom, dancing, night clubs, women with painted lips etc. Lakunle symbolises modernity. He was against bride-price which he referred to as a barbaric custom. He was a principled man and vowed never to pay a bride price. Lakunle role made Baroka to trick Sidi and she fell into the hand of Baroka.

2. Baroka is the traditional figure of the village. He was a polygamist and wanted to marry Sidi to his harem. At sixty two years old, Baroka was the Baale of Ilujinle, the custodian of customs. He inherited his position from his father and (Grandfather). He proposes marriage to Sidi but Sidi rejects him based on his old age. He played a powerful trick on Sidi and Sadiku. He knew Sadiku cannot keep secret. He told Sadiku that he was impotent ironically. He bribed off the railway project; Lakunle used this against him that Baroka was against progress. He used his craftiness to get Ailatu and Sidi.

3. Sidi was the village belle and the jewel of Ilujinle. She was not educated in Western way but had local knowledge and upheld tradition to the letter. She detested kissing; she kicked against Lakunle when he carried her pail. Sidi believed in humanity and diginity. She rejected Lakunle because Lakunle could not pay her bride-price. She was conscious of her beauty. She became arrogant as soon as the magazine made her famous. She acted on rumour, visited Baroka when she heard that Baroka was impotent. Unfortunately, Baroka never paid the bride-price and he married Sidi.

4. Sadiku is Baroka's head wife. She was inherited (levirated) by Baroka from his late father, Okiki. Sadiku was older than Baroka, she was about seventy years old. Baroka confided in her. She had access to information which other wives did not have. She was sent as a go-between or mediator between Sidi and Baroka. She tried to woo Sidi for Baroka. After the rejection of Baroka by Sidi, Baroka told her that he was impotent. She believed in traditional religion. She made reference to the name of “Sango”, the Yoruba god of thunder. She was an aggressive person. She attacked Lakunle when Lakunle said Sidi was radicalized by Baroka. She could not keep secret. She revealed to Sidi that Baroka was impotent and this led to the fall of Sidi.

Themes

1. Change - Baroka and Lakunle wanted change but they viewed it from different perspectives. Lakunle wanted change while Baroka believed in gradual changes. 

2. Conflict between the young and old - Lakunle represented the youth—always dress in modern way. Baroka stood his ground as a traditional man—dressed in regalia. Lakunle spoke foreign language while Baroka, Sidi and Sadiku understood local language.

3. Love: It was a recurrent decimal throughout the play. Lakunle and Sidi, Sidi and Baroka.

4. Religion: Both Sadiku and Baroka believed in traditional religion.

5. Pride: Sidi was conscious of her beauty. Her photos on the magazine made her to develop strong pride. This off course led to her downfall.

6. Bride Price: It was upheld by Sidi. She wanted Lakunle to pay for it. Invariably, we were never told whether Baroka paid the bride-price or not.