The Lion and The Jewel by Wole Soyinka Summary and Analysis। Easy & Short summary of Wole Soyinka।

 

The Lion and The Jewel by Wole Soyinka Summary and Analysis। Easy & Short summary of Wole Soyinka।

Wole Soyinka

 The Lion and The Jewel (play)

Wole Soyinka is a creative Nigeria born dramatist, poet novelist, and critic He was born in 1934 at Abeokuta. The Lion and The Jewel is one of the early plays of Soyinka. The Lion and The Jewel is divided symbolically into three episodes: Morning, Noon, Night, and the action of the play is confined to a single day in keeping with the doctrine of classical drama. Soyinka displays his immense satirical wit. The Lion and The Jewel is a musical play.

It reflects a conflict between old and new ways. Ilujinle is a typical representative of Yoruba villages in Western Nigeria. Baroka is head of this village that is respected by all and lives in a large house furnished with carpets. Where he goes he is accompanied by attendants, including his wrestler. He may take as many wives as he wishes. The Yoruba worship many gods and goddesses. Marriage custom was very peculiar.

 A man must pay a sum of money to the girl he wishes to marry and also to her parents; this must happen before final arrangements for the marriage are made. The amount varies, but in some cases it is so high that young men hesitate to contract marriages. Some argue that practice should be brought to an end, but it remains a very strong tradition. Polygamy -that is, taking more than one wife-is still common in many parts of Nigeria.

The marriage ceremony among the Yoruba is a complicated ritual. The Yoruba delight in music and sports -in, which drums play, a great part-and in dancing. Wrestling is also a popular game. Lakunle is the protagonist of the play. Lakunle and Sidi quarrel about a 'modern wife' and to modernize the village. Sidi refuses to marry Lakunle without a bride price. Sidi is a true village belle, a slim girl and charming, heroine in The Lion and the Jewel. 

She is indeed the jewel of Ilujinle. She is wooed by the young primary school master, Lakunle. She keeps making fun of him and his new ideas of modern civilization. She is a traditional girl.

 She argues with Lakunle when he tells her that women possess smaller brains than men and that they are called the weaker sex. She tells him that she has had enough nonsense and if he really wishes to marry her, he must pay the bride-price. 

When Lakunle opposed this out dated practice with some arguments taking from dictionary, she mocked him and refused his proposal.

After telling her in so many words, Lakunle kisses her. Sidi becomes astonished. But Lakunle tells her that all educated men-and Christians "kiss their wives. It is the way of civilized romance". Villagers arrive with the news the photographer has returned with the precious book in which Sidi is represented as a nice girl. Sidi is thrilled when she looks at her own photographs. Sidi tells Lakunle that she doesn't agree to marry a mere school teacher. Sadiku (Baroka's head wife) brings to Sidi Baroka's offer of marriage.

She is sent with a proposal of marriage to the village belle, Sidi, after her photographs have been splashed in a magazine. Sidi refuses it. Sadiku enters with the news of Sidi's refusal to be his wife. Baroka tells Sadiku that he has lost his womanhood / adulthood / adult years. Sadiku reveals Baroka's secret to Sidi, who determines to tease him by going to the palace for supper after all.

 Lakunle quarrels with Sadiku: she mocks him (Lakunle) for refusing to pay a brideprice, and he (Lakunle) sets out his plan for modernizing Ilujinle. Why does Sidi hesitate to marry Lakunle? The basic reason seems to be his refusal to pay the bride price; but Sidi is also uneasy about his ideas, especially about the role of women and the duties of a wife. The language Lakunle uses, drawn from his "ragged books" (mainly Bible and the dictionary) adds to this uneasiness. Sidi, however, refuses to be 'a modern wife' and insists on her bride-price being paid before she can consent to marry Lakunle.

She refuses to have anything to do with Lakunle, falls in the trap laid by the cunning village chief Baroka and agrees to marry him for his power and asset.

Lakunle attacks Baroka as an enemy of progress. But one critic has called Lakunle a cowardly boastful. Another has said that his 'pretended (fake act) disrespect for the village is partly a return for his lack of wealth, strength or good looks. We may think both these critics go far: that there are qualities in Lakunle, He dislikes / hates Baroka's habits (sexual appetite) and powers. But he seems to forget his principles when, at the end of the play, he eagerly accepts the thought that, now Sidi is no longer a virgin, he cannot be asked to pay a bride price for her.

 In the same speech, he forgets, in agitation, that he is a Christian opposed to the village religion, and appeals to the god of thunder. Actually we see in him a contradictory mind. He is unable to adjust himself with the old ways. He is too weak to recognize his own contradiction.

Lakunle is considered 'mad' by Sidi and the entire village people don't like his new fangled ides. His use of big words and his Westernized manners also do not find favor with them. Lakunle is considered as western-oriented gentleman. He is dressed in an old style English suit, but not ragged, clean but not ironed. He uses tie and wears trousers.

Lakunle is a dedicated teacher. He wants only two things. First he wants to marry Sidi. Second he wants to free the 'savage people' of their age-old superstitions and beliefs like paying the bride-price for marrying Sidi. He is the only 'westernized soul in the village who wishes to bring the benefits of modern civilization to the 'savage people'.

Sadiku takes money from Lakunle's pocket to pay for a dance in which Baroka is mocked. Sidi enters and reveals that Baroka has made love to her. 

Lakunle offers to marry her, pointing out that there can now be no question of paying a bride price. But Sidi rejects him (Lakunle) and the ceremony of her marriage to Baroka begins.

Without Sadiku, Baroka's plan for trapping Sidi into marriage would not be possible.

But she has the extra value that she makes us aware of the Baroka's cunning understanding of womanly nature. Baroka is very anxious to please Sidi. Sidi says that she has a simple mind. Baroka replies that she is straightforward and truthful.

We may think that his judgment is both sincere and correct. Although she is playful, she is always spontaneous and honest. Here we see that Baroka has feelings about Sidi. We see that Sidi is won by Baroka. As a result the victory goes to the older ways of life. Lakunle is not a particularly convincing representative of modern ideas. There is evidence that he completely misunderstands some of the books he reads.

For example, he is wrong in saying that science has proved that women's brains are smaller than men's. For this reason women are considered as weaker sex. The struggle between Lakunle and Baroka for Sidi's hand is certainly in part a matter of the pull of the war between two sets of ideas like old and new.

 But it is also a straightforward conflict between two individuals. In the village world, the fact that a man is physically strong is of great importance in the way he is judged. Baroka is upset when his strength seems to be questioned.

 We notice that lion is the symbol of physical and mental strength. Sidi's reason for deciding to marry Baroka (given very soon after she has cried: Oh how I hate him!) is that no other man could satisfy her now that she has felt strength. According to Sadiku, Lakunle is indeed a fop (*). He is a weak man. He loves Sidi. 

But he doesn't agree to give bride-pride. When Sidi comes back from Baroka's palace, Lakunle is still prepared to marry her and, in this case, he won't have to pay the bride-price! But Sidi insists on Lakunle paying her bride price before he can marry her.

Lakunle is not prepared to do on a matter of principle, also because he cannot afford to pay it. The Bale / chief / Baroka is called the lion and the fox. He is the lion of Ilujinle. For his fake nature and animalistic quality he is considered as lion and fox. Baroka impresses Sidi with his skill at wrestling. He praises her depth and wisdom. He flatters her with his talk.