Beautyfull Ones Are Not Yet Born

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE NOVEL : THE BEAUTYFUL ONES ARE NOT YET BORN

Author: AYI KWEI ARMAH

Published: 1968

Setting: Ghana (post Independence) 

The beautyful ones are not yet born is a reflection of a lifestyle situation that takes place in Africa. The novel tells the story of a nameless man who was finding it difficult to settle himself with the reality of Ghana after it gained independence. The main character, “The Man” as referred to throughout the whole novel, refuses some temptation as people tried to bribe him, but his actions of trying to be clean angered his wife and his mother in law. The Man kept a humble occupation, and regardless of the constant scorns from his wife, he lived an honest life, even if that condemned him to a life of poverty. The man seemed not to give up despite his family situation.

The author used the man to represent some common man in Ghana – who has no choice, but to live in the poorest slums and live from hand to mouth. The author used the novel to expresses his disappointment and sarcasm engendered in Ghana in the times after Ghana gained independence, between Passion Week in 1965 and February 1966. The author used different reinforcement of literature to depict his feelings. He used exaggeration to express his bitterness, the themes and characterization as well as some symbols and tone or words to show his sadness towards the government of Ghana.

The main theme of the novel is Corruption. In the novel, people seemed to have lost in the war against Corruption. The theme has been elaborated on so many cases and with so many different implications. These levels and implications were the result of an unusual and unique approach where we can easily depict a consistent attempt to link the morality with the physical in relation to space and time. At home, work or naturally, corruption leaves no make a real differentiation between places, let alone times. Throughout the novel the places changes with time but likewise, corruption is always there to stimulating the writer’s bitterness and attitude of protest and disapproval towards the government of Ghana. With this he showed it by arousing the man’s eagerness to resist corruption and bribes that he was offered. Like in the novel, (Armah, 1969) “the rot which imprisoned everything in its effortless embrace …”

Corruption is all over the African countries as depicted in the novel and people who are in higher positions are the ones engaged in it the most.  Both the presidents and the ministers and their subordinates are all involved.  Even after countries gained independence corruption never stopped instead it became even worse, like (Armah, 1969) wrote, “The sons of the nation were now in charge after all. How completely the new thing took after the old.”  The book debates about the politics of everyday life we see happening around the world, especially the continent of Africa. Most countries which have gained independence “bowls into the throes of corruption and the national coffers, wealth, treasure became a free for all scramble by men whose thought and learning rested and ended only within the grumblings in their stomachs. There is something so terrible in watching a black man trying at all points to be the dark ghost of a European...”(Armah, 1969).

Some modest of corruption are seen all over the continent as we see some people being promised some developments by their candidates and they never happen. Even the money for the projects is being released. Like from the novel “in the end not many of the boxes were put out, though there was a lot said about the large amount of money paid for them.” Some people live by bribes and pretend as if they are doing the right choices.

As the novel prevails, there are elements of deception as people are deceived into thinking that their promises will be fulfilled. Like what happens in the real world, Candidates will come to the public begging them for their support to win the elections and promising them a lot of things that they never do. Hence the reluctance of some people votes during elections. This is due to the fact that elected candidates never deliver their promises. Just like (Armah, 1969) outlined in his novel when he wrote, “What will I be demonstrating for… all new men will be like the old.” Some people view deception as a way of making a living like (Armah, 1969), “what was there to reply to tricks and deception of the innocent.” They call up the rally and tell people lie so that they can get away with what they want.

In the beautiful ones are not yet born the author used harsh words and vulgar language to show his sadness. He used words like “shit” and “stupid” to show his anger. Some people are even illiterate and yet they tend to be the ruling people. What one might ask himself or herself is how can one rule without even the knowledge of ruling. What exactly will they be doing that they are knowledgeable at. Armah used the man as his educated people and Koomson to represent the corrupt uneducated people. In the novel we notice the man feeling bitter about the fact that Koomson is rich and is a minister yet he (the man) was more intelligent than him. (Armah, 1969) “Shit he was actually stupid...” even if there are some who will reject corruption, there are those who will support it even though they get nothing in return. In the novel we notice that the teacher was supporting corruption even though we will expect him to be against it. This is what happens in real life situation, people who are supposed to be fighting corruption are the same people who encourage it.  Just like in Saro Kiwa Awa’s short story of Africa kills her son, the priest, lawyers and the prison guards all were involved in corruption.  This shows that even the people who charge others for corruption are at its high most hands. They are just hiding behind the government uniform. Saro Kiwa Awacontinued to outline that those who think that they know what they are doing about their government are the ones living in the dark.

In the beautiful ones are not yet born, the author used symbols to depict his concerns. He used the bus to mean Ghana, the bus drive to stand for the president of the country, the bus conductor to stand in place of the ministers and the man to stand for those who are against corruption but yet do nothing to stop it, or even if they do say something it would not change anything due to lack of power and support to make a change. This is supported in the novel (Armah,1969) “…if the old stories aroused any anger, there was nowhere for it to go.” The bus drive spitted some dirty on the bus wheel. This was an indication of the dirty work the presidents are doing to their countries. The bus conductor was still passengers’ and the driver said nothing to the act because he too was in support of the action. This is to outline the acts of members of parliament and other people who have been given power to protect the public but tend to misuse it and oppress people.  The man in other hand in the incident of the bus remained quite regardless of the insults that were halt unto him. This is to show that even though some people see corruption, they turn to ignore it and live as if everything is normal. They make no attempt to end it.  The author also used some harsh words and vulgar languages to depict the dirty of corruption around the country and people do not care about it at all, or they pretend not to care about it.

The author chose to use certain characters in the novel to depict the double standard of certain people in the real world. In the novel the Teacher, whom 'the man' referredto anytime he had problems, the only person who directed the man to fight back the annoyances of his wife and mother-in-law, was in support of corruption. The perceptualdeterioration that described the period is outlined by a woman named Maanan.It was this lady who thought of the coming of apowerful man, who exposedsigns of knowledge and not just knowledge but having understanding of the track, of having influence not granted upon him by the white man, and when this man (named Nkrumah) failed her, she became insane. These are all incidents that show elements of double standard in the society. It is clear that some people believe the “the do as I say, not as I do” motto and use it to oppress others. They turn to be cleaver but this is what at the end leads to their downfall. Even if there are those people who want to miss lead other people, Armah tried by all means to show his stand and the stand of those who are true to themselves. This is to say that some people still do not believe that it is the cause of the colonialism that made African countries corrupt. It is us, the Africans who enjoys being like the Europeans. This is outline by Ngugi wa Thiogó(164), “blackness is not all that makes a man ... a Whiteman would always be a white man but a black man trying to be a Whiteman is wicked…”

The beautiful ones are not yet born, the title itself is ironic. The title means that the beautiful people are present but they are hiding behind their backs as they are afraid to be eliminated. In most African countries, when someone tries to report a corruptive action, he or she is killed. This is evident in Ken Saro Wiwa’s short story of Africa kills her son. The main character (referred to as Bana) was expelled from work for trying to report corruption but rather killed at the end. Even in the novel, there is an incident that the man (called Koffi Billy) was killed by a rope and instead of the Whiteman standing there to help him; he rather let him die and said he deserves it because he was moving too fast. The fast movement was not merely the physical movement but rather the advanced way of knowing the truth. The production of sign-writing is occupied typically by semi-literates and such insignifican  terrors in signifying proliferate. However, even though it spoke literally to the driver or owner of the sign, in its misspelt state it was a mystical message to the novelist. Thus, in its foulness it became natural, attractive, knowledgeable, representative and beyond all eloquent in all its traits. For in that retro the only source of consolation is to know that 'The Beautyful Ones' of Africa, meant the men who would stand corruption and fight it to the dispatch at the expense of their lives, leaders who have dreams to take the country beyond into development and not to see the true end of politics as wealth, those who are spiritually in-tuned with the way and knows the route have not yet been born. This makes room that they would be born. The author have hope that one day Africa will be a better continent and be free for all sort of misconducts and misfortunes, as it is in the novel, (Armah, 169), “an end to this…a beginning to something else.”