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Civil Peace by Chinua Achebe |
Summary
The well-known Nigerian
author Chinua Achebe's short story 'Civil Peace' is a realistic story which
presents the condition immediately after the Civil War. The story is about a
Biafran civil war and its effect on the lives of ordinary Nigerian people.
It is an interesting and
touching comment on quick and easy recovery from hardship after the war. Most
people are damaged by the aftereffects of the war, but Jonathan Iwegbu thinks
himself very lucky to have survived, although he had lost his youngest son. He
had come out of the war with five inestimable blessings to him, his wife Maria
and his three out of four children. As an extra bonus he had his bicycle, which
he dug up almost as good as new after the fighting had stopped. This bicycle
was almost seized by the military officer, but he got it by spending two
pounds. Then he found his little house in Enugu still standing, despite the
absence of minor details like doors, windows and a roof. For someone like
Jonathan Iwegbu who saw everything in positive terms, this was another
miracle in the town. And now the family started its journey back to normality
and prosperity. The children started selling mangoes, his wife sold akara balls
and he was involved in his selling palm-wine. From one point of view, it is
meager material with which to start a new life, but to the very
optimistic Jonathan it is, after the horrors of war, blessing upon blessing.
The final windfall is the ex-gratia payment (the egg rasher) he receives. It
confirms his belief in a generous god. 'Nothing puzzles God' is his
catchphrase. In both situations he uses the same phrase. Everything that life
provides is a bonus to him. He counts himself extraordinarily happy after he
has survived the war. The recovery of his bicycle is another miracle for him
because he sees everything in positive terms. He starts a new life in his house
with insufficient material. He is optimistic and is happy with what he has. The
ex-gratia payment is the windfall gain. But when the thieves take it away, he
is engaged in his everyday work. He considers that his life did not depend on
that money last week. He is clever and practical. Once his bicycle was seized
by military officials, but Jonathan got it back by giving the man two
pounds. He willingly gave twenty pounds and saved the lives of his family
members. He works hard in both situations. He has complete faith in God.
One night there occurs a
further return to normality when thieves pay the long-suffering to Jonathan.
First of all, the thieves knock on the door and politely announce themselves
'No tief man and his people'. When the family screams for help the thieves
offer their assistance, knowing no one will come to help and that the soldiers
are more to be feared than themselves. Once that has been settled, they are
prepared to be reasonable. They say that they are not bad thieves to trouble
the people, that war as well as trouble has finished, and that it is the time
of civil peace. After the uneasy negotiation, Jonathan comes to accept the new
conditions of civil peace and hands over his egg rasher. Although the great
mass protests, the leader, as a 'good ties' promise a fair business: 'we just
take our small money and go. When his neighbors appear in the early morning to
express their sympathy, the family is at work again. And Jonathan has 'written
off his egg rasher: Did I depend on it last week? Or is it greater than other
things that went to the war? ... Nothing puzzles God! Once again, his
optimistic fatalism enables him to rise above the difficulty. Everything that
life provides is a bonus. In this fine story Achebe carefully maintains the
balance between realistic reportage and the firm shape of the fable so that the
result tells us more about the war and its after effects than any account of
detailed documentation.
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