This paper analyzes the symbols in Wole Soyinka's play "The Swamp Dwellers", published in 1958. The main symbols discussed are: 1) The swamp, which represents poverty, stagnation, and decay for both the village and city. 2) The two brothers Igwezu and Awuchike, who symbolize tradition vs modernity and the village vs the city. 3) The blind beggar, who represents change, hard work, and hope. 4) Kadiye, the corrupt priest who uses fear and superstition to exploit the villagers. 5) Water, which is a symbol of death, floods destroying crops, and unhappiness.

1. Paper 14: African literature
Topic: Symbolism in ‘ The Swamp Dwellers’
Ajit A. Kaliya
M.A. Sem 4
Roll No. 1
Enrollment No. 2069108420170013
Batch 2016-18
Email: kaliyaajitbhai@gmail.com
Department of English, MKBU

2. • Introduction:
• A play by Wole Soyinka
• Published in 1958
• Takes place in Southern Nigeria
• A play on poverty, religious hypocrisy,
superstitions, town vs. city life

3. Symbols in ‘The Swamp Dwellers
• The swamp
• Two brothers
• The blind beggar
• Kadiye
• Water

4. The Swamp
• Symbol for unproductivity, poverty, low life, superstitions and rotten society.
• Symbol for both village and city.
• Symbol for village:
• As swamp suck people in, The whirlpool of ignorance, superstition and
frustration continues to drag villagers deeper and deeper.
• Because of that village remain static, while city constantly keeps changing.
• People living in village believe in superstitions, have traditional thoughts and
cannot accept new thoughts. They are stuck in the swamp of superstitions and
old thoughts.

5. Symbol for city:
• For city swamp is symbol for spiritual destruction and immorality.
• The city is spiritually dead and it pulls people inside it.
• Drain of the youth to city place.
• The city has swallowed Awuchike, it has robbed Igwezu of his bride
and in the end Igwezu return to city.
• The irony is that the choice for the younger generation is between
two swamps; the one in the village and the other in the city.
• In this play the swamp is a fit symbol of decadence and denial of
life. The land therefore seems to be crying for redemption and the
people need regeneration but are unable to bring it about
themselves.

6. Two Brothers
• Igwezu and Awuchike
• Symbolizes village and city respectively and tradition vs. modernity.
• Igwezu is real and concrete, Awuchike does not appear in the play at all
yet both are equally alive; they stand, represent, symbolize different
values in the society which is in a state of flux.
• Awuchike buried himself in the city without any responsibility of family.
On the other hand, Igwezu is a family man perform all his religious
responsibility and spiritually gets attached to the village and family.
• As both brothers are stand for city and village. Their characteristics
suggest that city has lost humanity, but village has still preserved
humanity and spirituality.

7. The blind beggar
• The blind beggar represents modern thinking, change, hard work, and hope.
• Comes from Bukanji, North Nigeria because of draught.
• He did not believe in superstitions and also persuade others to not believe in
it.
• He is the agent of change both a catalyst accelerating the process of
transformation in others, and as one dedicating oneself to challenge the
lethargic slumber of the mire and rouse it into the acts of creation.
• Inspite of the 'dryness' from which he comes, his fingers can create an oasis, a
zone of hope.

8. Kadiye
• Represents corruption and religious hypocrisy
• A corrupt priest who fear people by fake serpent god and grab
poor villagers’ money.
• He is a swamp digger.

9. Water
• An archetypal symbol.
• Floods are tragic realm.
• Floods destroy villagers’ crops. Floods are reason of their unhappiness.
• Alu and Makuri thinks Igwezu may have drowned in water.
• So, here water is archetype for death and unhappiness.

10. • Works Cited
• Chen, Sonia. The Swamp Dwellers Background. 26 March 2018
<http://www.gradesaver.com/the-swamp-dwellers#>.
• Soyinka's use of symbolism. 26 March 2018
<http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/103269/
10/10_chapter-iv.pdf>.