Journey Metaphor in Achebe’s No Longer at Ease

Abstract

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the metaphorical journey whose manifestations reside in a novel by Chinua Achebe, No Longer at Ease. Indeed, the metaphorical journey is a way for the main character to seek solutions to internal and external conflicts in a story. This trip aims to restore the lost harmony in society. Despite the lack of a satisfactory answer, ways to improve society and resolve conflicts, the main character must return to the cultural source. Methodology: To conduct this analysis, we read and re-read the novel, then we proceeded to analyze how the main character faced the challenges and how he overcame them. This analysis leads to an understanding of the changes occurred during this metaphorical journey. Findings: At the end of the analysis, it was found that this Obi Okonkwo’s trip resulted in a notorious failure, since the latter ended up committing suicide, when he was supposed to defend his society from imperialist domination. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: This paper, therefore, shows that any character faces challenges requiring mature preparation to achieve the intended objective. The failure of the character in this novel reflects the failure of the colonized against the colonizers.