Story: Anansi's Jealousy

Inside of a Jail Cell

Photo by: Aliven Sarkar found on Wiki

“Dad, why have I never met grandpa before?” Abioye asked.

“Well, son, your grandpa did some bad things a while ago and had to go away,” Kweku, Abioye’s father, responded.

“Like what kind of things? Where did he go? Is he ever coming back? Why did he have to…”Abioye was cut off by his father.

“Look, son, you’re not quite old enough to know these things. When the time is right…” Kewku was saying as Abioye interceded.

“Dad, I am thirteen years old. I am more than old enough to know. Please tell me,” Abioye said.

“Okay. I will tell you.” Kweku sighed with a feeling of defeat. Kweku then proceeded to tell the story of his father, Anansi.

Kweku started, “Your grandfather’s name is Anansi. He was born into a family with very little possessions. Your grandfather grew up in a small shack on the outskirts of this very town that we live in. He had a neighbor who was quite wealthy with a gigantic mansion and all sorts of possessions. Your grandfather did not like being poor and wished he was a part of the family next door. The neighbors had a son about the same age as Anansi. His name was Nothing.”

“His name was Nothing? That is an odd name,” Abioye interrupted.

“Yes, it is. Now, please do not interrupt me or I will stop the story,” Kweku said before continuing the story.

“Now Nothing did not show off his wealth to Anansi; instead, he befriended Anansi. The two grew up and remained friends, although they remained separated by wealth. One day, Anansi and Nothing decided it was time they both had wives. They set off for town with the intent to return with wives. On the road, Anansi began to worry that he would not find a good wife because he was poor. So, he tricked Nothing into switching clothes. He then lied to the townspeople, saying he was rich. Many women flocked to him, and he selected the best. Meanwhile, the only girl that would marry Nothing was a poor man’s daughter. When they returned home, your grandmother realized that your grandfather was in fact poor. She had been deceived, so she went next door to Nothing’s house. She refused to return home because she liked Nothing’s life more than your grandfather’s. This upset your grandfather, so he made a choice that would stick with him for the rest of his life. He murdered Nothing out of jealousy. What your grandfather didn’t realize was that your grandmother was pregnant with me at the time. The police found Nothing’s body and opened an investigation. Ultimately, they found your grandfather guilty, and he went to jail. He is still in jail to this day,” Kweku said.

“So, Grandpa killed someone?” Abioye asked.

“Yes. He killed his neighbor out of jealousy,” said Kweku. “The reason I have chosen to tell you this story is so that you can learn from it. Your grandfather did not like the family that he came from. He did not like the circumstances that he found himself in. Instead of working hard and saving money, he tried to cheat which ended in failure and jail.”

Author's Note:

The story of Anansi and Nothing is one of murder and jealousy. Anansi was a poor man who lived near a wealthy man by the name of Nothing. They went into town one day to find wives. On the road there, Anansi asked to wear Nothing’s robes for a while to feel what it is like to wear nice clothes. He agreed to return the robes before they reached town. Every time Nothing asked for them back, Anansi would make an excuse to keep them. When they reached town, Anansi found many wives because they thought he was rich. Nothing only found one wife, a daughter of a poor man. When they returned home with the wives, Anansi’s wives realized that Anansi was in fact poor. They struggled to find enough food, so Nothing’s wife invited them over for a feast. After the feast ended, the wives refused to return home to their poor lives. Anansi became jealous, so he devised a plan to kill Nothing. After Nothing’s death, Nothing’s wife went into town and gave yams to children, and in return the children mourned Nothing’s death with her. Now whenever you see a child crying, you will hear that they are “crying for nothing.” I chose to write my story very closely to the original, but from the point of view of Anansi’s child and grandchild. I kept with the theme of my previous stories and my project, a theme of overcoming your past to succeed. In my previous stories, my characters work hard to overcome their terrible pasts to succeed in life. In contrast, Anansi decides he wants to cheat and trick his way out of being poor. This short cut to success ends up being his downfall unlike my other characters. 

Bibliography:

West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917). Link