ISSN 2360-7998
Abstract
Accepted 18th August, 2016
This study is an examination of how greed is depicted in three Nigerian novels: Eguda’s The Kidnap of an Angel, Turah’s Retribution and Okediran’s Weaving Looms. Greed is the selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions. It is a prime source of all forms of corruption and violence. Many literary works in Africa have been carried out on the theme of greed but none has been done in the perspective of these novels. In order to actualize its objective, the paper adopts the Marxist critical approach which sees literary work from the point of view of class and ideology as they reflect, propagate and challenge the prevailing social order. Through analysis of the three novels and reviews of critical opinions, greed which has become endemic in the society, cutting across scopes of life is diagnosed. The concern of this work, therefore, centers on what actually elevated Nigeria, other African States, and indeed other states of the world, to a high level of corruption. So it digs deeper, to try to examine the roots of corruption and violence. The work identified greed as the root of the problem, so it goes further to conscientise its audience to be more proactive and eliminate it from the system.
Keyword: Greed, The Kidnap of an Angel, Retribution, Weaving Looms.