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This passage also demonstrates the continued breakdown of structures of authority through the confusion and delay in receiving the money. When Jonathan and his family call for help while they are being robbed in "Civil Peace," the neighbors respond by ignoring them. Okonkwo is well known and respected leader in his community, who is successful in everything he does, such as wrestling and farming. Iwegbu considered himself a lucky man after his wife, 3 of his 4 children and himself had survived the Nigerian War. He rarely celebrates his own cleverness or skill, but rather recognizes everything down to his survival as a special gift. This would explain the machine gun they own, as well as their group efficiency. And of course, he is ostensibly Jonathan's representative, on the 'rebel' side. He had to be extra careful because he had seen a man a couple of days earlier collapse into near-madness in an instant before that oceanic crowd because no sooner had he got his twenty pounds than some heartless ruffian picked it off him. Jonathan Iwegbu is the protagonist of "Civil Peace." He is a religious man and is quite thankful for what he has, and as . "He had come out of the war with five inestimable blessings--his head, his wife Maria's head and the heads of three out of their four children.". Tutu grew up in the apartheid era but seems to have made the best out of it. As described in the Summary, the actual name for the egg-rasher money is the ex-gratia award, meaning an award given not out of legal obligation, but as a gift. He understands that he has no control over fate and insteads focuses on the future. The only explicit reference to Jonathan's deceased child in "Civil Peace" is buried in an anecdote about the near-theft of a bicycle. Asked by Pamela O #1065150 Answered by jill d #170087 7 days ago 2/19/2023 7:59 PM View All Answers Access to over 100 million course-specific study resources, 24/7 help from Expert Tutors on 140+ subjects, Full access to over 1 million Textbook Solutions. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. "That night he buried it in the little clearing in the bush where the dead of the camp, including his own youngest son, were buried.". ed. Achebe certainly sees this optimism as remarkable, considering how much cause there is to be potentially pessimistic. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Despite the devastation of the civil war, Jonathan celebrates what he still has rather than regretting what he has lost. He had come out of the war with five inestimable blessings--his head, his wife Maria's head and the heads of three out of . Jonathan was a survivalist because he was able to survive not only the war but also from thieves. Jonathan is what we would call the protagonist. All of the story's questions about personal responsibility are framed by the danger implied in this ironic phrase. In other words, his greater optimism is not naive but informed, a survival tool.