A quest for meaning : a study of the journey motif in the fiction of Ben Okri

Abstract

This dissertation explores the journey motif as portrayed by the Nigerian author Ben Okri in his literary works. I shall argue that Okri rewrites Joseph Campbell’s outline of the hero’s journey and which he deems as the monomyth of all narratives. I will show how the journey of Okri’s characters is either an unsuccessful one, one which ends in disillusionment, or one that questions death as a possible homecoming. Moreover, I will explore how magic realism is used as a powerful tool that uncovers social corruption and that entices insightful reflection on our modern world. The amalgamation of Western narrative techniques as well as Yoruba myth and folklore will also be taken into consideration in order to analyse the way Okri tries to find harmony between opposites in an attempt to restore wholeness in the world.