What the Tapster Saw by Ben Okri Analysis
What the Tapster Saw is a short story that was written by the popular Nigerian British writer, Ben Okri. The short story was published in the year of 1989. In today’s article, you will learn about the analytical points of the story such as its themes, symbols, and genre so that you can fully comprehend the short story analytically.
Analysis of the Story:
The following are the analytical points of the short story, What the Tapster Saw, that I attained after carefully reading the story:
Major Themes:
There are some major themes in the short story that are:
Post-Colonial Impacts on Nigeria:
In the story, the tapster experiences a seven-day coma state in which he sees various post-colonial impacts on Nigeria. For example, he sees in his dream that the oil exploitation is done by the foreign company, Delta Oil Company, in the Nigerian forest area, for their commercial gain. This shows the unfair use of the African land by the British power. Then, he sees a dead old man who has the Bible in an upside-down position that reflects the dominance of modernism over the religious system of Nigeria. Besides, there is also sociopolitical instability within the country that is shown in the man’s coma through armed robberies, dead rebels, and struggling poor people.
Civil War Side Effects on Nigeria:
Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Then, the civil war began in the country between the local groups and lasted for three years, from 1967 to 1970. Nigeria suffered a lot because of its civil war. The side effects of the war can be seen in the story in various places. For example, the tapster sees some poor people blown up by the bombs that were not detonated because of illogical reasons, and these remained hidden in various farms before being blown up. Then, he observes ghommids in his coma who devour unsafe and lonely travellers on the bush paths and night tracks. Also, he sees human skeletons at the mouth of the roads, and the related people had been killed by careless driving accidents whose skeletons are lying on the roads.
Mixture of the Past, Present, and Future Events:
The story combines the past, present, and future events to show the tapster’s seven-day bizarre dream in his coma. For example, he hears the voice of his friend, Tabasco, several times in the story that tells him about the number of days he’s considered dead. Then, he sees scenes that remind him of the colonial period. For instance, the snake tells him stories of how it was possible to strip off a black baby’s skin without letting them utter any sound. And the tapster is shown to live a hallucinatory life like his real future life during the seven-day coma period.
Major Symbols:
I found the following major symbols in What the Tapster Saw:
Multicoloured Snake:
The snake in the short story symbolises the high authority of the dream world in the tapster’s coma. It tells him stories of the Western oppression that the Westerners committed against the black people. The snake is also shown to slither over whatever it likes in the dream. This shows the dominance of this creature in that world. The dominance of that snake indicates the psychological dominance of the British people over Nigerian people even after the end of British rule.
Oil Company Billboards:
The billboards in the story are used to display the oil exploitation in the Nigerian land by the British company, Delta Oil Company. These symbolise that, even after independence, the Nigerian land was being abused by foreign oil corporations because the local Nigerian authority was silenced by monetary rewards. The billboards warn trespassers about the serious consequences of entering the forest area without any prior approval in the story. These warnings show how locals were being treated because of the foreign commercial interference in the forest areas of Nigeria.
Three Turtles:
The three turtles in the story symbolise the local Nigerian influential people who observe, attack, and kill the snake in the story. The influential Nigerian citizens significantly reduced the negative post-colonial psychological effects among the common people of Nigeria through their constructive efforts. The turtles also symbolise a high hope for the bright future of Nigeria by their killing of the hostile dominating authority, the snake.
The Upside-Down Bible:
The upside-down position of the Bible represents the religious decline of Nigeria because of the modern or materialistic approach of Nigerians to life. The position also reflects how the religious belief system of the country is disrespected by the new system for which the obedience of any religion is not necessary at all.
Fall during the Palm Tree Tapping:
The tapping of palm trees to prepare wine is the cultural and economic tradition of Nigeria. The first fall of the tapster in 30 years while tapping a palm tree signifies that the activity is interrupted because he becomes a victim of the changing landscape around him caused by the foreign commercial activities carried out to extract oil.
Irony in the Story:
The short story appears as the story of the tapster’s ghost who died after his fall from the palm tree while tapping it. But the story focuses on his seven-day coma-induced dream that was caused by his fall on the ground in the forest. His dream involves various images and voices related to the post-colonial issues in Nigeria.
Genre of the Story:
The genre of the short story is petro-magical realism. Yes, the short story merges fantasy with the socioeconomic issues and the environmental destruction caused by oil drilling. This short story is a great example of petro-magical realism according to its critics in general.
Tone & Writing Style:
The tone of the short story is deeply unsettling and uniquely matter-of-fact. The writer’s tone remains objective and emotionally detached throughout the story; despite, it evokes the emotions of sorrow, disillusionment, and nightmarish disorientation.
Then, the writing style of this story is a masterful execution of magical realism. Yes, the author applies various imaginative images and reality-based elements to show his readers the core themes of the story in a wonderful way.
Conclusion:
So that is all what I have to share with you regarding What the Tapster Saw analysis. I hope you understood all the points clearly related to the guide. And if you really consider this guide useful, then please share it with your connections. In this way, they can also learn the points of this analytical article related to Okri’s short story.