A Man of the People Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 4 Summary

Chapter 4 Summary

Odili dislikes waking early, but Nanga rouses him on his way out to work. Mrs. Nanga is taking the children to Anata after Christmas, lest they lose touch with their heritage. Odili is happy about this because it will be less awkward to bring Elsie to the guest suite. During his brief stay, Odili happily learns things in government are not as ugly as he has suspected since 1960. He busies himself browsing in Nanga's library and reading incongruous stories in the newspaper. One reports new statutes on excrement pails while Odili lives in a house with seven bathrooms. Most of his life he has used pit latrines, and his few experiences with pails are so revolting he avoids eating so as not to have bowel movements. That had been in Giligili, where he had lived as a houseboy for his half-sister's family. Their only entertainment is a nighttime war...
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