A Psychoanalytic Study of Civil War Combatants and Postwar Citizens in Olu Obafemi’s Wheels

Abstract

The traumatic experiences of the Nigerian Civil War continue to resonate in the minds of literary writers and the people that witnessed the unpleasant theatrical phenomenon and the remote political turbulence, coups and counter-coups that preceded it. Alhough the war ended decades ago, the psychological reflections of the traumatic episodes are re-activated by similar occurrences that characterized Nigeria’s national life today. This paper examines the psychological sufferings of combatant civil war survivors and postwar citizens created by the psychopathic personality disorders of top military officers and political leaders as captured in Olu Obafemi’s Wheels. The study adopts Freudian psychoanalytical approach that focuses on the unconscious minds of the author and characters in literary works, using descriptive and analytic methods. It explores the mindset of characters to ascertain the factors that influenced their motives and actions in the chosen text. Findings show that politicians and superior military officers have psychopathic disorders which influence their thoughts and actions in the society. They exhibit excessive instinctual drives for sexuality, material wealth, exploitation and oppression without being sensitive to the plights of their subordinates and the masses. It is argued that the uncontrollable desires of these psychopaths trigger the psychic and emotional conflicts experienced by Musa, Kofo, and other characters in Giro community. The paper concludes that Musa’s unpleasant experiences during the civil war majorly influenced his actions in the novel.