X-raying the novel The Triumph of Dreams

The novel is a story of two young undergraduates, the Genius and Aisha, from different backgrounds and social classes who find love on campus despite evil machinations instigated by jealousy against them. The two lovers triumph in the end despite all odds. Through love, the two major characters in the novel break down the barriers […]

The novel is a story of two young undergraduates, the Genius and Aisha, from different backgrounds and social classes who find love on campus despite evil machinations instigated by jealousy against them. The two lovers triumph in the end despite all odds.

Through love, the two major characters in the novel break down the barriers of tribal prejudices, wipe out class divides, overcome the manipulations of the malicious and the envious, bridge the gap of time and space to eventually arrive at their dream of paradise.

The author examines the conflicts and tension experienced by young people today as a result of generational gap that exist between them and their parents whenever they want to get married. This is evident in the novel when Olamma Ibe, the mother of the protagonist i.e. the genius, objects to the marriage of her son to Aisha, the beautiful damsel, because of the social differences and for the facts that she was from the Mungwonu tribe. The same thing also plays itself out whenever Aisha sought for her father, Honourable Mohammed Joseph, a politician and class-conscious fellow’s consent to marry Genius.

The genius’ contention that love is the most important thing in marriage made little impact on his mother who insisted on the rightness of the old way. To her, the old way remains the best way of choosing a partner. The genius’ rejection of the attempt to impose cultural and family manacles on his love life shows how modern youths view love.

 The novel is  a testament of hope for a generation that has found itself under the relentless assault of many negative forces that have been nibbling like hordes of termites at this important institution in man’s and society i.e. marriage.

 The Triumph of Dreams is not all about a love. The author also beams search light on many areas of the society. Like the evil practice of bequeathing wives to their dead husband’s younger brothers, importance of honesty in the conduct of human affairs, the corruption in the Nigeria police, irresponsibility of the political class, the danger of immorality and certainty of a miserable death from HIV/AIDS and many other problems confronting human existence in the society was explored by the author.

One would be tempted to compare the writer with Chinua Achebe because of the display of numerous sprinklings of Achebe – like proverbs laden narrative technique in the novel even though the story line might not be all to fresh, it is a story often told. One might have expected the author to present it from an entirely fresh perspective which is not exactly the case.

 All in all the novel is a good one coming from a young writer but the name of one of the major characters, Aisha and that of her father, Honourable Muhammed Joseph did not tally with the setting of the novel which were Mgbee and Owerri all in Imo state because the names sound like that of northerners. Also one of the tribe Mungwonu sounds like the name of a local government in Borno State.