M. Life in the Bush of Ghosts

As I began My Life in the Bush of Ghosts I hated the repetitious language, the horrible grammar, and the ethereal ‘Alice in Wonderland’ feel. But, as the book progressed I found myself being torn. I wanted to throw the book out of the moving car I was in, but I also wanted to find out if there were any resolutions in this crazy acid trip the book seems to display. I would certainly agree that Tutuola has a fascination with the morbid and disgusting; and, I think these areas for me were the hardest to read through being a very visual person. To see in my mind’s eye the urine and blood being articulated, the dead animals and the live snakes, the disturbingly unhygienic beings of this ghost world, thoroughly rocked me and made me want to stop. It was only during the class-day we discussed the allegorical nature that I understood how these images were justified in an aspect; and too, as was said today, I can respect the artistic nature of the piece, but that doesn’t mean I have to approve of it, especially in language usage (which was the largest hurdle to overcome with this fanciful book). Overall, I hated reading while doing it, but was happy when I had finished. I have an appreciation of hidden meaning, and love being on the knowledgeable end of a situation (i.e. knowing that this kid might be crazy for his 24 years of ghost seeing, but understanding colonization was truly the aspect being critiqued along with slavery and the new Nigeria, all being infused with regional mythology).