analysis of African Drama in Ama Ata Aidoos Dilemma of a Ghost
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In the short story Dilemma Of A Ghost a specific cultural dilemma is used to futher the plot and action of the story. The specific dilemma is that of a young Ghanian man named Ato who is educated in the United States and returns home with an African-American bride. The dilemma is between her American culture, his assimilation into that culture, and his struggle to assimilate his wife and re-assimilate himself into his native culture.
In the beginning of the play we begin to see the development of this dilemma. The narrator, the "Bird of the wayside"(15) speaks of the wealth of the Odumna Clan. Their "house is larger than Any in the town"(15), this clan had once "acquire[d] gold as if it were corn grains"(15), but now the wealth is all gone in "making of one scholar"(15). This family had sacrificed many things to make Ato a scholar. They have even built an addition to the house for his occasional use. The emphasis on and sacrifice for Ato is evident, all in the hopes that he will return and prosper in the ways of his native culture.
In the next dialogue we see Ato's and Eulalie's values as they banter with each other...