The Thieves Character Analysis

The thieves are the main human antagonists of the story, as they harass and rob Jonathan and his family. They are shown to be less educated than Jonathan, as they speak in a pidgin rather than standard English. This could also be meant to indicate that they are northerners rather than Igbo, as Igbos were generally more educated than other Nigerians. They also claim to be very poor, which is why they have resorted to stealing. The thieves are cruel to Jonathan and his family, mocking them for attempting to call for help, although they claim that they are “good” thieves because they don’t want to hurt anybody (though of course they will if they don’t get the money they want). The presence of the thieves makes clear the general lack of authority in post-war Nigeria, as well as the awful economic conditions that make thievery attractive to some people. But the thieves also demonstrate an opposed—and morally inferior—perspective on money to Jonathan’s. While Jonathan demonstrates that his ethics and faith are more important to him than money, the thieves are willing to give up their moral boundaries in order to steal from innocent people.