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Chinua Achebes Dead Mens Path
Achebe's "Dead Men's Path," pits modernity against traditional values. Achebe uses
irony, setting, and conflict to portray how old ways struggle against new ways. The story is about
the conflict between modernity and tradition/tribal beliefs (Pimomo 4-5). Furthermore, the
appearance of the white supervisor collapses this binary and forms a new binary of race (Black
and White). Although, Michael Obi, the protagonist, abhors the tradition beliefs of the villagers,
he is permanently relegated to the very traditions he tries to evade, when the supervisor describes
the chaos between the village and the school as a tribal war situation. This essay argues that
theseThere are differences in worldviews lead to a mutually assured destruction of the two
conflicting parties because of a lack of compromise. In this case, Achebe tries to prove that
modernity and traditions must coexist for all people to lead a mutually beneficial life.
The conflict, which arises in this story is external since the protagonist, Michael Obi,
challenges the ideals and traditions of the villagers. Obi and his wife, who are the symbols of
modernity, view the ideals of the villagers as backwards. Achebe describes this intellectual
arrogance in the following excerpt: she had become completely infected by his passion for
modern methods and his denigration of these old and superannuated people in the teaching
field who would be better employed as traders in the Onitsha market (Achebe 42). Here, the
story foreshadows Obis ambitions. The origin of the conflict in the story is based on Obis lack
of respect for the local culture. His immediate decision to block the path, which leads to the old
burial ground, is a manifestation of Obis insensitivity to the feelings of the villagers. The
conflict further takes a new shape when Obi refuses to heed to the advice of his fellow teacher

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and the village priest. According to Obi, the purpose of the school is to rid the locals of their
animistic superstitions (Achebe 44).
In a metaphorical sense, the conflict of "Dead Men's Path pits two different worldviews;
traditional against Christianity worldview. Michael Obis ambition is grounded in the education
and values of Christianity as demonstrated by the Mission authorities sending him to run then
school. On the other hand, the villagers want to maintain a status quo by adhering to their
cultural beliefs in using the footpath. Pamela Smith asserts that this binary of worldviews is the
main conflict of the story that pits progress against status quo (Smith 3). Furthermore, Obis
stubbornness coupled with the villagers hard stance to relent removes any hope of a compromise
(Smith 4).
Compromise cannot be reached between conflicting parties Obi and the villages
because of Obis insensitivity to the old ways. The only way to achieve progress is through
compromise not insensitivity to other peoples culture and values. For Obi, his stubbornness
stems from the fear that the Government Education Officer, who plans to visit the school, will
give a negative review because of the small path that leads to the graveyard. For this reason
Michael disregards the significance of the path to the villagers and decides to fence it off. The
survival of the villagers is dependent on the path remaining untouched as the priest states The
whole life of this village depends on it" (Achebe 43). This lack of compromise forces the
villagers to destroy part of the school. The destruction occurs because the villagers feared that
the path of children expected to be born will be blocked (Pelelo 1).
The story, through irony, exhibits the hypocrisy of colonial authority. When the white
Government Education Officer arrives for inspection, he finds the schoolyard in shambles. The
hedgers were destroyed, flowers were trampled and one building completely destroyed. All these
aesthetics that Obi tried to preserve are damaged by the locals due to a lack of compromise
between their beliefs. The education officer describes the place as a tribal-war situation

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(Achebe 44). The officer further places blame partly on the misguided zeal of the new
headmaster (Achebe 44).
It is ironical that Obi, a symbol of modernity and progress acquired through colonialism,
is blamed for the very act he thought would appease the authority. It is also ironical that the
education officer is less radical in expelling the villagers animistic beliefs compared to Obi. The
officer, who is a symbol of colonial authority, sees no sense in Obis radical actions to the point
of referring to them as misguided since they escalated the situation and caused the destruction
of school property. Obi, whilst modern and educated, still belongs to the same cultural heritage
as the villagers. Chinua Achebe's "Dead Men's Path presents irony in that a white officer is
somewhat tolerant and less radical to traditional beliefs than an African who ascribes to the white
mans modern values (Killam 55-56).
The theme of Chinua Achebe's "Dead Men's Path is that sometimes progress must give
way to a peoples beliefs so that a compromise can be reached. Scholars stress that all of Chinua
Achebes short stories place emphasis on the relevance of ancient cultural beliefs in the
organization and survival of indigenous societies. For instance, the village priest in response to
Obi states that but we follow the practices of our fathers (Achebe 44). This statement indicates
the primacy of traditions which inform the way of life of the villagers. The villagers destroy
school property in order to a practice [institution] believed to the heart of society. The arrival of
Obi, a symbol of modernity, at the school is the genesis of the malaise that afflicts the local
people. The footpath, which represents traditional beliefs that once protected people from crises
and moral depravity, can no longer perform its function because pervasive nature of modernity
(Ogede np). The death of a young woman during childbirth is an indication of the conflict
between modernity and traditional values. Achebe states that a diviner prescribed sacrifices to
please ancestors that were offended by the fence when the young woman dies (Pelelo 1).

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In conclusion, one critical point that Achebe tries to achieve in the story through the
sentence let the hawk perch and let the eagle perch is that despite the existence of different
worldviews between traditional values and Christianity, a compromise is necessary to avoid
conflict. The hawk and eagle are symbols of two rivals that need to coexist for a mutually
beneficial life. As such, peaceful coexistence could not be achieved in Dead Mens Path
because each side did not want to make a compromise. The outcome was a mutually assured
destruction for both parties as evident in the destruction of school property and blockade of road
to the graveyard.
Furthermore, when the government supervisor refers to the conflict as a tribal-war
situation, he lumps Obi together with the villagers. Obi has consistently distanced himself from
the values and beliefs of the villagers, yet this categorization seems to collapse the modern
versus tradition binary to form a race binary. Therefore, heObi is therefore permanently
consigned to the tribal grouping, which he regards as subordinate to the modern grouping.
The irony in this story indicates that the race binary supersedes the modern/tribal binary, which
invades the plot of the story in the form of the white Education Officer.

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Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua Dead Mens Path Short Fiction Ed. Charles H Bohner and Lyman Grant. 6th
ed. Upper Saddle River Pearson, 2006. 42-44. Print.
Killam, G. D. "The Writings of Chinua Achebe." In. G. D. Killam. Heinemann, 1977.Rpt. in
Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jean C. Stine and Bridget Broderick. Vol. 26. Detroit:
Gale, 1983. Literature Resource Center. Web.
Pelelo, Ann M. "Literary Contexts iIn Short Stories: Chinua Achebe's "Dead Man's Path." Literary
Contexts In Short Stories: Chinua Achebe's 'Dead Man's Path' (2006): 1. Literary Reference
Center. Web.

Pimomo, Paulus. "A Way Out of the Contradictory Foundations of Colonial and Postcolonial
Difference."
Ogede, O. (2001). Oral Tradition and Modern Storytelling: Revisiting Chinua Achebe's Short
Stories. International Fiction Review, 28(1). Web.
Smith, Pamela J. Olubunmi. Dead Mens Path. Masterplots II: Short Story Series Revised
Edition (2004): 1-2. MagillOnLiterature Plus. Web.

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Dear Joan,
I appreciate all your efforts made to complete this paper. Thank you for providing such a good
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Best regards,
Linda