At its heart, Lessing’s ‘‘No Witchcraft for Sale,’’ illustrates the rather incomplete nature of the subjugation (oppression) of one race by another. While the Farquars represent the stereotype of white colonial settlers, Gideon serves as the stereotype of the (seemingly) complacently compliant servant. It is clear that Gideon genuinely loves the infant son of his…
No Witchcraft For Sale – Setting
Southern Rhodesia Zimbabwe evolved from the Kingdom of Mapungubwe, a trade state that sold its goods to European and Portuguese explorers up to the twelfth century. The kingdom changed rulers and names several times over the next 600 years, but by the 1880s, the British entered the country via Cecil Rhodes’s British South Africa Company….
No Witchcraft For Sale – Literary Devices
Third-Person Omniscient Narrator ‘‘No Witchcraft for Sale’’ is told by an unnamed narrator from the third-person omniscient point of view. A third-person narrator is one that refers to events and characters objectively (as, for example, ‘‘she’’ or ‘‘they’’) and does not participate directly in the story. The narrator is an unidentified and all-knowing being, one…
No Witchcraft For Sale – Themes
Racism Because ‘‘No Witchcraft for Sale’’ is set in colonial Africa, racism is inherent in the basic social structure in which the story takes place. This is because the story accurately portrays a white upper class (which was historically British) ruling over a black (native) servant class. Although the Farquars are otherwise kind, loving, and…
No Witchcraft For Sale – Characters
Mr. Farquar Mr. Farquar is Teddy’s father and head of the Farquar household, but he is rarely a present figure in the narrative. He is referred to as an individual on only a handful of occasions and instead appears mainly as one portion of the Farquars. He and his wife are often described as a…
No Witchcraft For Sale – Summary
After having been childless for some time, the Farquars finally have a son, Teddy. When he is born, all of their servants rejoice. They praise Mrs. Farquar and marvel over Teddy’s blond hair and blue eyes. When Teddy is old enough to have his first haircut, the Farquars’ cook, Gideon, is fascinated by Teddy’s golden…
Marriage is a Private Affair – Essay – Analysis
As any reader of ‘‘Marriage Is a Private Affair’’ will note, the Nigeria of the early 1950s was in a period of rapid change, some of it occurring too fast for those who adhere to traditional values to understand or accept. The story, one of Achebe’s very earliest efforts, indirectly dramatizes some of the effects…
Marriage is a Private Affair – Setting
Nigeria in the 1950s In the 1950s, Nigeria was still under British rule. The British had controlled the country since the late nineteenth century, and it was the most important of British possessions in Africa during the height of the British Empire. The British brought with them Christian missionaries, and in Ogidi, Achebe’s home village,…
Marriage is a Private Affair – Literary Devices
Nature Symbolism When the conflict between father and son first erupts, it is December, and the weather is hot and dry, the sun ‘‘parching.’’ Many years later, just before Okeke realizes the error of his ways, the weather is very different. There are black clouds, and soon the rain begins. This is the first rain…
Marriage is a Private Affair – Themes
Tradition The story centers around the clash between traditional values and a more modern way of conducting one’s affairs. It also suggests the differences between life in the city and life in the country. The theme revolves around three characters: Okeke, who represents the traditional ways; Nene, who embodies the modernity of life in the…