The Choice And Hope In The Absurd World

This thesis takes Ghana writer Ayi Kwei Armah's The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born(1975)and Fragments(1970)as its research objects.Through the two novels,Armah discloses Ghana's absurd,chaotic and corrupt reality after its political independence and depicts human beings' tough struggle and resistance under such circumstances.As the important practice of discussion about human beings existential state,the two novels provoke readers' consideration about social reality and the existential state of human beings and they are worthy of being carefully studied.Through close reading,the thesis,based on Sartre's existentialism,delves into the ways that the author presents social reality in Ghana,the similarities between the main ideas reflected in the novels and Sartre's existentialism,people's reactions and choices under such social condition and also the hope hidden in the two novels.First of all,the thesis points out that the absurd and chaotic world described in novels shares some similarities with Sartre's absurdities of the world,such as the money-oriented social tendency,the alienation of interpersonal relationships,the corruption and inaction of government departments and the deterioration of living and working condition.Next,the thesis discusses people's choices for the pursuit of freedom in the novels and characters are classified into three kinds.The first kind represented by “the man” and Baako struggles against the absurd world.The second kind represented by the man's teacher and Juana attempts to run away from the reality and seek for inner peace.The third kind represented by the man's and Baako's family contributes a lot to the absurdity and chaos of society.Whatever choices they make,they all acquire their freedom through their own actions and choices.Thirdly,the thesis relates the novels with Armah's biography together,exploring whether Armah focuses his attention on pessimism or not.According to the analysis of this thesis,Armah doesn't lose hope for the world though both of the two novels convey despair and depression.Through the analysis of some behaviors of several characters,such as the cabin driver and the college student,readers can find traces of hope hidden in the novels.Finally,the thesis points out that Armah triggers readers' retrospection of social reality and existential dilemma of human beings by disclosing Ghana's reality after independence.Thus readers are capable of pondering on the meaning of life.