Mallam Sile by Mohammed Naseehu Ali - Essay Example

Mallam Sile by Mohammed Naseehu Ali Introduction According to Mohammed Naseehu Ali the of the short story “Mallam Sile”,the mai tea seller referred to in the story as Mallam Sile sells a variety of hot beverages on Zongo Street just a stone’s throw away from the chiefs’ offices and near the towns’ gossip. He gets a wife, Abeeba, whose character is the opposite of his. The comparison between the two characters helps draw out and explain the change in the quality of the social and business life that the main character experiences after getting Abeeba for a wife. Differences in Character between Sile and Abeeba Ali says “Sile kept a small radio near in the shop, and whenever he had no customers listened, in meditative silence, to the English programs on GBC 2, as though he understood what was being said” this shows that Mallam is an illiterate man who is even seen to have an illogical fear of being electrocuted and thus never has electricity supplied to his shack. This is further seen with customers who treat him with contempt as they do not allow him to join in their conversations asking him to shut his beak and questioning him on what he could possibly know about the topic in discussion. He keeps silent eventually but he listens keenly as nothing passes his attention. Ali states that “he still relayed a portion of it back home to his poor, ailing parents who lived like destitutes in their drought-stricken village” showing that Mallam is a selfless man who though on a meager salary does not forget his parents even unto their death and helps with their burial arrangement. Abeeba on the other hand does not want to give credit from the very start and it is only Mallams’ belief in helping others that puts a limit to how far she would go with regard to lending credit. Ali says “a childhood sickness that deteriorated Sile’s vision had continued to plague him throughout his adult life” showing Sile is a sick ling. “Mallam Sile was short. In fact, so short that many claimed he was a pygmy” though all his other features do not depict pygmy characteristics. He also has an extra toe on each foot that causes him to be the target of ridicule from the street bully Samadu who even pokes at his feet but the cobbler is seen to be kind enough to him to make him sandals that can fit his feet. This however does not deter his faith as evidenced by the cape that he wears that shows that he is a devoted Muslim. In sharp contrast to his physical traits, Abeeba is a “tall and massive” woman three times the size of Sile. Furthermore, she has a “gloomy face” and her expression is defined as that of one who is in mourning for a dead relative and whose smile veiled some sort of malice unlike her husband Sile who is a happy man smiling at all the people from wrinkled cheek to wrinkled check greeting everyone who passes by his shack Sile has a likeable personality that can be seen where the cobbler makes him special sandals for his feet whereas the wife comes across as stern and very no-nonsense like. Abeebas’ humanity can be questioned seeing as she advices the husband that they should adopt the no credit policy whereas Sile is seen to take the stand that it would be wrong to deny a hungry person a meal. The tea seller is also seen to be a very patient man as he tolerates the ridicule of the street rascals, their stealing from him because he could not see well and their pranks that would cause him to burn his hand believing “that it was hunger – and not mischief – that had led the rascals to cheat him”. He comes across as a wise man that has learned how to come to terms with his shortcomings and who bears no ill feelings towards another, the rascals included thus attaining an inner peace that the others cannot understand (Ali, 182). Abeeba on the other hand, demands respect and where it is not given she goes ahead and takes it as is seen in how she deals with Samadu. Siles wife can be described as confrontational contrary to her husband’s character; Sile is seen to not respond to the pranks played on him by the street rascals led by Samadu and even cautions his wife to stay away from the boy when she wants to collect a debt. Abeeba however, goes ahead and confronts Samadu to ensure that he settles his debt in the presence of his neighbors. Abeeba is violent; she goes to Samadus’ place prepared for a fight in “a sleeveless ready to-Fight shirt” knowing the tactics that boys use to fight girls and physically confronts Samadu because of an unpaid debt and goes ahead to thoroughly beat him up whilst asking for her money on top of him. Sile on the other hand is seen to have endured the ridicule and the craftiness of the street bully all in silence. Abeeba is courageous; although the women and her husband advice Abeeba to let the debt go since Samadu is the streets ‘tough guy’ she is not cowered and still confronts and beats him up. Even in the presence of the booing crowd and the women asking her to refrain she is not cowered and goes ahead to demand her dues and act accordingly to get them. Sile tends to enjoy wallowing in ignorance; after Abeeba announces that Samadu has paid up his debt and he questions himself, “In his usual fashion, he didn’t think any further of the questions or even try to answer them” choosing instead to believe that “Samadu had found a vocation” or better yet had finally found Allah and had changed his mannerisms. Abeeba on the other hand is quick to realize that her husband is being fleeced out of his earnings within a very short time of working with him in the shack. Sile is positively naïve. It takes him two months to notice that people’s attitudes towards him have changed. When he questions the force behind this, even in the glaring fact that his wife is called the ‘man checker’ he attributes this to Allah instead of connecting the dots that even their street bully has changed. Abeeba on the other hand and takes the respect and dignity that she knows both she and her husband deserve. Similarities between Sile and Abeeba Ali depicts both characters as not talkative when he says “Just like her husband, Abeeba said very little to people in and out of the shop”. Sile stopped talking to people in his shack while the wife is seen to say very little in and out of the shop. They share in confidence; Sile comes across as a self-confident man who does not give up on himself and sings loud enough for people to hear him whereas Abeeba is seen to have the “confidence of a lioness”. Both are wise but in different ways; Abeebas wisdom is seen where she is able to tell that some people are simply taking advantage of Sile in taking their meals on credit whereas Siles’ wisdom is seen where he has learnt how to be content with his state. Both are astute in business; Mallams’ business acumen shows itself where he quits his job as a house servant and goes to work for Papa Acheampong where he is able to diligently save his earnings to enable him to open up a tea shop of its first kind on Zongo street (Ali, 181). He is able to see a business opportunity and capitalize on it for a long time seeing as competition takes a long time to come up. He is also an astute businessman who is seen to keep his products clean and protected from the dust (Ali, 179). He also takes the trouble to learn the Hausa language that is used by most traders to enable him to communicate with his customers. Abeeba on the other hand, realizes that her husband has been taken advantage of pointing out to “Sile that most of those who asked for credit and ended up stiffing him were not ‘poor and hungry folks,’ as Sile expressed it, but cheats who continued to take advantage of his leniency”. She comes up with terms by which the credit will be given, collected and or not given again to those who failed to make their payments. Sile and his wife Abeeba are self-confident individuals though in different ways. Siles’ self confidence is admirable because despite all the contempt he receives from his customers, the women who claim that they wouldn’t know what to do with a dwarf and Samadu, he still goes ahead and sings his love songs in the hope that some woman will love him. Abeeba however has confidence in the fact that she can beat up the streets tough guy and does it despite the pleas of other women. Both are hard working; Mallam is a hard working and responsible man who is seen to have left his home town of Nanpugu and travelled a great distance alone at the age of sixteen to look for work and was able to land a job as a house servant. Unlike the women of the past who would flirt with Mallam just to get free tea, Abeeba is seen to actively participate in the running of the tea shack from its opening day where Ali states that “While Sile prepared the tea and other foods on the menu, Abeeba served and collected the money”. Conclusion It was necessary for Mallam to get a wife who complemented his character to allow him to live a better quality of life. He would have otherwise gone through life being ridiculed and being okay with it believing that Allah would sort out the situation for him. Work Cited Ali, Mohammed. N. Mallam Sile, 2008. The Caine Prize for African Writing. Read More