Work

Individual Struggles for Survival and Societal Corruption in Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani's I Do Not Come to You by Chance and Chinua Achebe's No Longer at Ease

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study examined the interplay between survival pressures and societal corruption in I Do Not Come to You by Chanceby Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani and No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe. It argues that corruption in both texts is not merely a product of individual moral failure but a structural response to socioeconomic deprivation, institutional collapse, and cultural expectations. Drawing on psychoanalytic theory and institutional anomie theory, the study analyzes how Obi Okonkwo and Kingsley Ibe navigate intense pressures arising from unemployment, familial obligations, and societal definitions of success. Through comparative textual analysis, the research reveals that both protagonists experience psychological fragmentation and moral disintegration as they attempt to reconcile personal ethics with survival imperatives. While Achebe presents a tragic trajectory of moral collapse, Nwaubani offers an ironic adaptation to corruption as a viable means of survival. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that in contexts where legitimate opportunities are limited, corruption becomes normalized, and morality is redefined by necessity, reflecting a broader crisis within postcolonial Nigerian society

Source: Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21065268

Authors: Iloanwusi, Vitalis Chinemerem, Obasikene, John Ikechukwu

Institutions: Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu State University of Science and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies

Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W7166712341

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