An analysis of Amos Tutuola’s Palm Wine Drinkard

Abstract

This paper examined “the palm-wine drinkard.” by Amos Tutuola. Equipped with little formal education, Tutuola used the English language to tell his story using the first person singular ‘I’. He is a natural and one of the first Africa writers to contribute to Western literature. Reading through the novel, there were inconsistencies and disjointed presentations of ideas and facts. These did not however affect his good instinct as it rather turned his naïve ignorance and apparent limitation in language into a weapon of great strength. Tutuola simply opened his wings and rose higher. His feelings and the tools he employed to carry his intentions across to his readers are unique. The saying that ‘one man’s food is another man’s poison.' is apt. It is more of collections of short stories fused in the making of the novel.