Literary Analysis of Ola Rotimi's Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF "Our Husband

 Has Gone Mad Again"  (WRITTEN BY PROF. OLA ROTIMI) 

                 BY LENE P. ODODOMU

Genre Type: Play

Play Type: Satiric Comedy

Written: 1966

First publication: 1977

Setting: Lagos, Nigeria.

Major Conflict: Conflict in Literature is very necessary, no conflict no action. There are different levels of conflicts in the play. There are conflicts between Sikira and Liza and between Lejoka Brown and his wives.

Rising Action: Lejoka Brown's electioneering campaigns

Climax: First of all, climax is the highest intensional point or peak of action where the conflicts or crisis are near to an end. However, Lejoka Brown was given a vote of no confidence by his party members which drew the conflict to denouement.

Diction/Language: It is the choice of words used by a playwright or any writer to convey his idea. In language or diction, it is expected that the writer must chose words that are very correct, clear and appropriate with the subject matter. The rate of comprehension of any work of art  lies upon language. However, the play is written in a simple and accessible language. Every reader will enjoy his/her kind of language, full images that are very relevant to cur- society. The manner characters use language in this play, reflects their societal status. For example, the way Polycarp, the house help speaks is very typical of an unschooled servant and madam Ajanaku's language is typical of a market woman. It is this realistic use of language that makes the work very interesting, authentic and realistic.

Plot Summary: First of all, plot is the arrangement of the various actions of the characters or events in the play or any other work of art. It is also refers to the outline of a play. The events that constitute  the play are logically and sequentially  arranged. 

The play, Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again by Prof. Ola Rotimi is a Satiric Comedy. Satiric Comedy in the sense that it ridicule the foolish action of a person or society. It is didactic in nature, in that it teaches both moral and social lesson but in a mocking process. However, the subject matter of the play portrays and ridicules the foolishness and corrupt practices of Nigeria political system after independence. It reveals how post independence period was corrupt with looting of treasury and how Nigeria politicians foolishly deceived the people (electorates) to elect them into their offices with the aim for their selfish interest, not for the people.

The play was first performed at Yale University, Connecticut U.S.A as a major production of Yale school of drama 1966, as directed by the late award winning American director, Jack Landau. However, it circles around the vain political struggle of the main character called Mr. R.T. Lejoka Brown alias (Di Major) who is an ex-army that joined politics to "chop money" according to him.

He had three wives, mama Rashida, Sikira and Liza. He is a very funny man, a clown for that matter. Ever since he joins politics, he has been worshipping the politics like God and breath through it according to Sikira, the second wife. The title, Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again was coined through his political madness and this humour could be traced in (Act II Scene IV). As a Satire, the play laughs at his political excesses of embezzling national funds as he projected this aim as target and priority.

The play is divided into two acts, Act One and Two, and it has eleven scenes all together. However, the Act One have five scenes and it introduces the political ambition of the major character, Mr. Lejoka Brown to contest election. It also introduced his military background. It introduced the unexpected visitation of Lejoka's American third wife, Liza which however gave birth to the conflict and dilemma of Mr Brown. For  introducing the conflict, it also incorporated the rising action as the conflict revolves around the crisis between Sikira and Liza, and also the electioneering campaigns. While the Act Two have six scenes and it introduced the resolution and denouement to the conflict.

Unfortunately, Mr Lejoka couldn't achieved his goals in politics. His political ambition completely collapsed. He was given a vote of no confidence, i.e he was rejected by his party members due to his egocentric and arrogance behavior. 

He married his second wife, Sikira for utilitarian purpose inorder to win his election because her mother, Mrs Ajanaku is the president of the Nigeria Union of Market Women (NUMW). However, Sikira became his opponent and downfall to his political career as she divorced him to be emerged as the new candidate of the National Liberation Party (NLP) as replacement of him. This resulted to the final solution of Mr. Lejoka to withdraw from politics and retrieve a normal reasoning as he approved the request of mama Rashida to do her chicken business in the village.

Characters: They are the imaginary people a writer create in his work. However, it is the duty and obligation of the writer to make his characters looks real and this would create a credibility in the story. The characters are:

Mr. R.T. Lejoka Brown alias (Di Major): He is the main character or protagonist of the play as everything in the story circles around him. He is an ex-army. He serves in Congo and later resigned to take over his father's dying cocoa farm business. He is a good picture of political disillusionment. He is the comic here of the play invested with greed, strictness, rigidity. He represents those politicians of then who can still be found new in the Nigeria political terrain. He is very indiscrete, arrogant and has no regard for women. He joins politics and later marries Sikira just for gain material and personal property.

Liza: She is a qualified medical doctor from United States, married to Lejoka-Brown in Congo, after her studies from the United State she returns and discovers that she cannot tolerate polygamy, she begins to foment trouble.

Mama Rashida: She is the first and senior wife of Lejoka-Brown who is

inherited from his late elder brother. She is a peace maker. She became a back bone to Mr Lejoka and mother to the other two wives, Sikira and Liza.

Musa Osagie: He is a member of the National Liberation Party (NLP) who supported Lejoka-Brown to win the election but later rejected him due to his egocentric and arrogance behavior.

Polycarp: He is a domestic help in the household of Lejoka- Brown. He is an illiterate but very faithful to his master.

Sikira: She is a young amiable daughter of madam Mrs Ajanaku, the

president of the Nigeria Union of Market Women (NUMW) and the second wife to Lejoke-Brown. She happened to be an antagonist to Mr Lejoka Brown as she left him to be elected as the new candidate of the National Liberation Party (NLP) in replacement of him. She is hot tempered and resist to be oppressed.

Alhaji Mustafa: He is an old vulnerable man and good neighbor to Mr Lejoka Brown. He appears in (Act One scene II) in returning Mr Lejoka Brown's gun he borrowed to fight with the government officials who came to demolish his house. He is a religious and God fearing man as he demonstrate this good character when he visited mr Brown's house on his behalf by avoiding to see the nakedness of his wives, mama Rashida and Sikira.

"Are the bodies of my master's wives well covered up against temptation?" ,said by Alhaji Mustapha in (Act One scene II).

Abegnego Okonkwo: He is a lawyer and bosom friend to Mr Lejoka Brown. He becomes supportive and helpful to Mr Brown in his domestic problems and political career. He is patient and humble. He always stood by his friend, despite his egocentric behavior and arrogance.

Themes: First of all, theme is the subject matter of the play or any other work of art. It can seen as an underlying message or central idea which the playwright want to pass acros to his audience. The themes are:

The Theme of Corruption: Ola Rotimi satirizes the corrupt practice of Lejoka Brown (as symbol of Nigeria politics), who sees politics as the only means of survival. According to him, that politics is to enjoy life, to have a big share of the national cake and others. Rotimi satirizes the

immorality of Nigerian political leaders in the person of Lejoka Brown, people of dubious and unscrupulous characters who cannot organize their families well but want to rule others. In the play ‘Holding Talks’ Rotimi satirizes how man’s energies are spent on discussion, talks and dialogue even in a situation requiring action; In this play nothing really gets done, things get really close to

being done but nothing gets really done because there is always some justifiable rationalization for that which really needs to be done not to be done.

Theme of Superstition: 

The belief in the magical power of the snake (Freedom) which Lejoka-Brown keeps under his bed, expresses the theme of superstition. Many critics have argued that any work, which does not explore the issue of superstition, may not be regarded as a true African or Nigerian work. This is because the issue of superstition and taboo are very rampant in Africa despite the advent of science and technology. It has become a popular rumour that African politicians are fond of using some supernatural means to gain and maintain power. This is exactly the reason why Lejoka-Brown keeps the snake. However, Lejoka-Brown’s political crash before he reaches the pinnacle of his political dream puts a question mark on the assertion in the potency of some supernatural

powers in wining an election or achieving success generally.

 Theme of Gender Inequality: There is also a theme of gender inequality in Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again. Lejoka-Brown thinks women have no intelligence until he meets his foreign wife. In between the humour in the play, there is a subtle gender conflict. As a Western woman who believes that women are not in any way subservient to men, Liza mobilizes her fellow wives to organize their own faction to stop the madness of their husband. This means that what Ola Rotimi seems to be saying is that politics is not only the preserve of the

men. Using the mouth of Sikira, he makes this point clear: 

“Men and women are  created equal!”  (Act Two

Scene VI). As a medical doctor and an experienced educated woman, Liza can compete favourably with any man. There is no doubt that sometimes women are used as puppets in order to fulfil men’s ambitions. This is exactly what Liza does not want to see or hear. The play can also said to be revolutionary in the sense that a national issue is looked at from the women’s angle.

The Theme of Politics: The major theme in this play is politics. Arguably, politics is one of the prominent themes in Nigerian literature, then and presently. Ola Rotimi uses the work to satirize politics as practised in Nigeria. For instance, the politics of Sikira, an illiterate woman and the market women who assist her and the pomposity of Major Rahman Lejoka-Brown are very typical of Nigeria. All that governed politics this period and even now is selfishness. Politics of selfishness is the bane of progress not only in Nigerian society but also in the entire African continent. Regrettably, politics has become our backdrops and a waterloo. The theme of politics is invested in the character of Lejoka-Brown, a retired military officer who possesses every negative attribute of selfish military politicians—very arrogant and I-know-it-all attitude. He does not join politics because he loves to serve the people but because of what he is going to gain money and fame. This is very true of

Nigerian society where politics is governed

by self-interest. Ola Rotimi is visionary in this play. He foresees ex military officers coming back to power as civilians. He presents a satire on military politics, or what I may call militocracy, and the insincerity of the military. He subtly cautions that the type of democracy these military officers will introduce will be close to dictatorship.

Lejoka-Brown is the symbol of this dictatorship. This play, which was a caricature of the political landscape of Nigeria in 1979, is a reality in Nigerian politics in recent times.

Etc.

Narrative Technique/Point of View: It is the view point in which the story is written or told by the writer. However,  Ola Rotimi employs first person narrative through the actors and actress in the play by so doing he has been able to explore and mirror his feelings through the characters.

Literary techniques:

Simile: It is a figure of speech that shows direct comparison of one object with another. Examples as follows:

Sakira: The smoke from the kitchen in as black as coal.

Okonkwo: Gently, chop her ear lobe like rat.

Sakira: She walks like toy and with no manners.

Lejoka-Brown: See her running her mouth like water tap.

Okonkwo: Start talking blo—blo—blo—like an over beaten

way prisoner.

Metaphor: It is a figure of speech that shows indirect comparison of two object with another. Examples as follows: 

Lejoka-Brown: Look at this madam

Lejoka-Brown Polycarp now that I know that you are a goat.

Liza: You are a bushman

You are a rat with head-downward

Personification: It is a figure of speech that represent or present an inanimate object or abstract notions that possess the attribute of a human. That's, none living object is performing the functions of a human. Examples as follows:

Lejoka-Brown: I want to clean our nation mess

Okonkwo:  Mountain has move toward you.

Lejoka Brown: Money is wise

Climax

Dramatic Irony: It is a situation whereby a character is ignorant of his or action while the audience understood  the  true situation of what is happening on the stage. It creates an effect of foolishness in the side of the character because he is lost in ignorance. This could be traced in (Act One scene III) when Liza was ignorantly thinking that she is the only loving wife of Mr. Lejoka Brown which made her to call Sikira a house maid, this raised the crisis in the house.

Symbolism: It is an image or a word that stand for something order than a Literary meaning. However, Mr Lejoke-Brown was used to symbolize the corrupt political leaders of Nigeria.

Etc.

Why is the Play a Comedy?

First of all, Comedy is branch of drama that is purely based on amusement and happiness. However, the play is a comedy because it make people laugh or humourous in nature through the entertainment of Mr. R.T Lejoke-Brown and his household.

Why is the play a Satire?

First of all, satire are types of comedy which serves as corrective purpose that make people laugh according to Dr (Mrs) Akanbi. From my own perspective, satire is a Literary creation or any other work of art that ridicule the foolish action of a person or society. It is didactic in nature, in that it teaches both moral and social lessons but in a mocking process. 

However, the play is a satire because it redicules the foolishness and corrupt practices of the Nigerian political office seekers (politicians) after independence.