Houseboy by Ferdinand Oyono
Title: HOUSEBOY
Original title: Une vie de boy
Originally published: 1956
Author: Ferdinand Léopold Oyono
Original language: French
Setting: Cameroon
Publishers:
Genres: Novel, Fiction
About Ferdinand Léopold Oyono
Ferdinand Léopold Oyono was a diplomat, politician and author from Cameroon. Oyono was born near Ebolowa in the South Province of Cameroon on 14 September 1929. After obtaining his secondary education in Yaoundé, he studied law in Paris where he also wrote his first two novels.
On 10 June 2010, Cameroonian diplomat, politician and author Ferdinand Léopold Oyono died in Yaoundé at the age of 80.
INTRODUCTION
“My name is Toundi Ondoua, Iam the son of Ondoua and of Zama.When the father baptized me he gave me the name of Joseph.Iam Maka by my mother and Ndjem by my father.My ancestors were cannibals.”
“Since the white men came we have learnt other men must not be looked upon as animals. They say in the village that I was the cause of my father’s death, because I ran away to the white priest on the day before initiation.”
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
01. OPPRESSION
>Oppression means unfair treatment, oppression is shown as follows;
i) Father Gilbert gives Joseph Toundi used clothes
ii) Father Vandermayer accuses Toundi for taking a Gin from the day offerings collections
iii) Commandat treats Toundi harshly, in his first day he kicked Toundi.
iv) African prisoners were severely punished by the prisoner officials.Toundi’s left lung was damaged by riffle.
02. AFRICAN TRADITIONS
i) Hospitality and kindness
>Frenchmen are welcomed at Cameroon, missionaries were given land to establish their churches, build a school and dispensary.
ii) Traditional food
>The cassava and fish in Toundi’s village were their traditional foods.
iii) Traditional initiation ceremonies
>Toundi left home a day before initiation ceremony iv)Traditional customs of parental care
>Toundi is punished harshly by his father after a fight with his friend Tinati.
v) Traditional African leadership
>Dangan society has its own chiefs.Forexample chief Akoma is described as the king of kings
03. MODERNISM/MODERNITY
>The following are examples of modernity upon African culture; i)Christianity
>Brought by Father Gilbert and father Vandermayer in Dangan
>African children being converted and baptized by new Christian names
>Toundi was baptized and given a Christian name “Joseph”
ii) Formal education
>Father Gilbert Taught Toundi how to read and write at the missionary station at Dangan.
iii) Foreign language
>Toundi was able to speak French language correctly
iv) The use of condoms
>Madame Suzy and Moreau use condom when they make love
v) Modern means of transport
>Father Gilbert uses a motorcycle for transport
04.IMMORALITY
i) Promiscuity in marriage
>There is love relationship between Madame Suzy (Commandant’s wife) and Moreau(Prisoner Director)
ii) Prostitution
>There is no true love but money,Kalisia used to be a prostitute at the coast
iii) The use of abusive language
>Ondoua insulting Toundi in the public,Ondua says
“…………If you go more step backwards that will be an insult to me.I will make it as a sign that you are capable of taking your mother to bed…..I shall curse you your way back into the house will pass through my anus(pg11)
iv) Street fights
>Toundi and Tinati fight later their parents involved in this scene v)Betraying traditions
>Toundi avoids initiation which is very important tradition
05.PROTEST
i) Toundi protested against his father’s harassment
ii) Sophie decided to steal agricultural engineer’s money as the means of protesting against the wrong done to her by her boss.
iii) The native protested against Father Vandermayer by hating him because of his bad leadership
iv) The African natives protested against classes in Dangan
06.BETRAYAL
i) Toundi betrays his father Ondua
>He decided to run away from home so as to avoid punishment from his father
ii) Toundi betrays his traditional customs
>By avoiding tradition initiation practices of circumcision
iii) Toundi’s parents andi Tinati’s parents betrays the ethics of the society
>By fighting in the street when their children fought over the lump, of sugar thrown b y father Gilbert.
iv) Father Vandermayer betrays religion by mistreating Africans against the will of God.
v) Madame Suzy betrays her husband by having affairs with prisoner director(Mr Moreau)
i) A conflict between Toundi and his friend Tinati
>The source of the conflict is the lump of sugar thrown by Father Gilbert
>Solution is when their parents intervened between the fight of their children.
ii) The conflict between Toundi and his Father Ondoua
>Causes; a fight of Toundi with his friend Tinati
>Solution;Toundi ran away forever to Father Gilbert
iii) The conflict between Toundis’ parents and Tinati’s parents
>Causes; the fight of their children in the public
>Solution; this conflict was stopped by villagers
iv) The conflict between Madame Suzy and her husband(Commandant)
>Causes; Madame Suzy sleeps with prisoner director
>solution; Commandant blamed Toundi instead of Madame Suzy
v) The conflict between Sophie and Agricultural Engineer
>Causes; Agricultural Engineer mistreated Sophie
>Solution; Sophie steal money from Agricultural Engineer
vi) The conflict between Madame Suzy and Toundi
>causes;Madame Suzy blames Toundi that he spread news of her love affairs with prison director
CHARACTERIZATION
01. TOUNDI
>Is the protagonist of this novel
>He became a House boy after escaped the dictatorship of his father
>He is ignorant about sexual intercourse
>He was arrested and taken to prison.Toundi became sick in the prison.He says;
“I vomited blood, My body has let me down; There is a shooting pain through my chest
Like a hook caught in my lungs” pg 117
>He escaped from hospital to Spanish Guinea
02. MONSIEUR MOREAU
>He is a prison director
>The Africans call him the white elephant
>Fell in love with Madame Suzy(wife of commandant)
>He is suspecting Toundi to be a betrayer in his love affairs with Madame Suzy.
03. MADAME SUZY
>She is the wife of Commandant Mr. Robert
>She humiliates African workers
>She cut off salaries’ workers of Toundi and Baklu
>She insulted the cook “An old baboon” pg 74
>She plotted the arrest of Toundi in collaboration with Moreau
04.COMMANDANT(Mr.Robert)
>He is a corrupt leader; he receives gifts from his junior workers
>He suspected his wife to be in love affair with Moreau (The prison Director)
>He is oppressor and dictator 05.SOPHIE
>She is a house girl of Agricultural Engineer
>She is a girl friend of Toundi
>She was oppressed and humiliated in love affairs with Agriculture Engineer.
>She managed to steal money of her lover (Agricultural Engineer)
>She ran away after stealing his master’s money (A hundred and fifty thousand France
06.THE AGRICULTURAL ENGINEER(Magnol)
>He employed Sophie as a chamber maid
>He was sleeping with Sophie
>He oppress Sophie, he calls her a bitch (a female dog)
>He suspected Toundi to collaborate with Sophie for stealing his money and arrest him.
>He participated in torturing Toundi
07. MR.GULLET
>Is a chief of police
>He participated in the arrest of Toundi
>He kicked Toundi in the Kidneys.pg109
>He ordered Mendim me Tit not to give Toundi any food
08. FATHER GILBELT
>He served at St.Peters Catholic Church Mission at Dangan
>He received Toundi and taught him how to read and to write
>He separated Europeans and Africans in the church
>He used to exploit Toundi.Toundi says; “I don’t earn any money”(pg 15)
>He died in a motorcycle accident.pg 16 09.
FATHER VANDER MAYER
i) Is father Gilbet’s assistant
ii) He is an oppressor
iii) A cruel and a dictator
OTHER CHARACTERS
-Baklu(laundry man), Doctor’s wife, Toundi’s father, Tinati, Anthon-Is a host of narrator.
LANGUAGE USE
01. SIMILE
>Toundi says; “The skin of knees become as hard as crocodile skin”. to show that he is oppressed by Father Gilbert
02. METAPHOR
>Toundi calls himself the dog of the king, this show classes in the colonial society.
03. HYPERBOLE
>Toundi says;
“When I kneel down I seem to be kneeling on cushions”, This shows that because of kneeling down several times at st.peters church, his knees has become very hard.
>The commandant tells Toundi; “If you steal I shall skin you alive”. This shows that commandant is very oppressive
04. SATIRE
>Toundi says; “They are uncircumcised but they still put rubber bags on their parts”. This shows ignorance concerning western culture.
05. EUPHEMISM
>Sophie says; “They will say perhaps it is because his knife is not very sharp”.Toundi has rejected to make love with him.
06. THE USE OF SAYINGS
>Toundi says; “The dog of the king is also the king of the dogs”. He is happy to be commandant’s house boy.
07. SYMBOLISM
i) Fighting for sugar
>Symbolizes fighting for better life
ii) Broken jug, symbolizes exploitation-when Madame finds a broken jug, she decided to deduct some money from Toundi’s salary and cook’s salary.
iii) Condoms/plastic bags-Symbolizes western civilization iv)Initiation ceremony-Symbolizes African tradition and customs
v)Used clothes given to Toundi by father Gilbert-Symbolizes humiliation.
MESSAGES
i) We should fight against oppression in our society
ii) Exploitation is the source of underdevelopment
iii) All people should be given education on how to read and write
iv) House boys should not be treated as if they are not human beings
v) House maids should not be forced to make love with their bosses
RELEVANCE
i) House boys are still exploited and humiliated by their bosses in the society
ii) Family conflict is still a problem in most of African society
iii) People are still living poor life in the society
iv) In the society women are still betraying their husbands
v) In the society people are still using abusive language like Toundi’s father
