Characterisation of Mr Ugwu

The most important character in the short story “Saving Mr Ugwu” by Lin Anderson is Mr Ugwu. The workers function as a collective character that, together with the other individual characters (the wife, the neighbour, the other Ibo family, the children) mentioned in the short story, help construct the social setting and are character-building for Mr Ugwu.

Outer characterisation

From his outer characterisation we find out that he is an Ibo and works as an accountant for a big company. He used to live in Lagos in Nigeria but was subsequently transferred to a rural location in the Nigerian bush by his company.

Mr Ugwu is a relatively wealthy mean; he owns a Peugeot, dresses in Western clothes, and has gold accessories. Elements of his physical appearance such as “his handsome brown face” (l. 53) or “his white teeth” (l. 61) are mentioned by the narrator together with details about his clothes: “Mr Ugwu takes out a clean white starched shirt from the wardrobe and a cream tropical suit and begins to dress.” (ll. 36-37); “He goes to the dressing table and opens a small ivory box and selects a pair of gold cufflinks and hooks them into place.” (ll. 39-40)

Inner characterisation

Mr Ugwu’s inner characterisation is conveyed through the character’s thoughts, actions, and attitude.

First of all, Mr Ugwu regrets having upset his wife by moving to the bush, but he believes he had strong motives to do it - loyalty to his company and concern for his country’s future: “Mr Ugwu sighs a little as he leaves the window and crosses to the wardrobe, the garden having reminded him again of what he has done to his wife.” (ll. 14-15); “He is a company man. When the company tells him to go somewhere, he is not in a position to argue. (…) As a man, he must think of these things; of his country’s future, of his family’s future.” (ll. 42-46)

Educated as an accountant and having spent a year in London, Mr Ugwu can’t relate to the local people in the Nigerian bush. His education and wealth make him feel superior:

He gets on well with Europeans. After all, and he nods his head at this thought, he was educated in the British school in Lagos and spent a year in London after graduation. No, he sighs, it is the Hausa who resent him. (ll. 72-75)

This is why Mr Ugwu has strong notions of class differences. He is irritated by the kitchen boy not being clean...