"Civil Peace" is a 1971 short story by Chinua Achebe.

It is about the effects of the Nigerian

Civil War (1967-1970) on the people, and the "civil peace" that followed.
short summary Civil Peace starts off in eastern Nigeria after the civil war has ended.
Jonathan Iwegbu considers himself and his family lucky. He, his wife, and three of their four
children are alive. He even was able to keep his bike which he turns into a taxi to make
money. In two weeks he made 150 pounds. Jonathan then travels to Enugu to search for his
home, and to his surprise it is still standing when other structures around it are demolished.
The house needs some repairs so Jonathan finds some supplies around and hires a
carpenter to fix his house. He then moves his family back in. The entire family works hard to
earn money and rebuild their lives. The children pick mangoes and Maria makes akara balls
to sell. After finding that his job as a miner isnt a possibility he decides to open a bar for
soldiers that is run out of his house. Then the night after Jonathan gets an egg rashing (20
pounds because the government changed the currency) a large group of robbers show up at
his house demanding 100 pounds. When Jonathan replies that he doesnt have that much
money, the robbers break in and take the 20 pounds anyways. After they take the money life
goes on as usual for Jonathan because nothing puzzles God, which means that the robbery
has a greater meaning than how it seemed in God's eyes.


About the Author
He was born in Ogidi, Nigeria. He completed college in Nigeria and received his B.A. at
London University.
Chinua Achebes short story, Civil Peace takes place after the Nigerian Civil War which
lasted approximately thirty months. May 30, 1967, three Eastern states formed the Republic
of Biafra which the Nigerian government responded to as an act of rebellion. By July, the
fighting became a full-blown war in which about a million civilians died. The Biafran troops
gained international support but in the end lacked the resources and organization to defeat
the federal troops. By December 24, 1969 only two out of the original twelve provinces that
formed the state of Biafra remained in the republic. January 15, 1970 the Biafran state
formally surrendered.
Civil peace, begins with the protagonist, Jonathan Iwegbu, living in a military camp dealing
with the aftermath of the war. He and his family then move to the capital of the defeated state
of Biafra, Enugu, and attempt to cope with the hardships created in the aftermath of the war.
He starts his new life with minimal money but optimistically puts his family to work in order to
make a living. He also deals with the crime and anarchy that faces him after the civil war in
the anarchy of civil peace.
Plot Summary
A year after the Nigerian civil war, Jonathan Iwegbu and his family have remained positive
despite the loss of their youngest son in the war. Jonathan and his wife Maria scrounge
around for what work they can find to make ends meet. Jonathan works taxiing wealthy
officials and their families, and his wife works making food and drinks for soldiers and "other
lucky people with good money." When he returns to his home in Enugu after remaining for a
year at a camp, he finds that his house is still standing despite the bombings. Jonathan
receives twenty pounds of ex gratia money because the government changed the currency
after the war.
That night, robbers awake Jonathan in the middle of the night to take his ex gratia money.
They demand 100 pounds from outside the window. Jonathan asks what they want with a
man as poor as he is, so the robbers come inside to search for money. He only has the
twenty pounds he'd received earlier that day, so they take that. The robbery does not bother
Jonathan, and the next day, he and his family go on with their normal activities.
Characters
There are two main characters in "Civil Peace:" Jonathan Iwegbu and the thieves. Jonathan's
optimism allows him to recover from the war, during this time of "Civil Peace." The first main
instance where he shows this optimism is when he counts his "five inestimable blessings -
his head, his wife Maria's head, and the heads of three of their four children" (82); instead of
mourning the loss of one child, he thinks of everyone who is alive. Once again, his optimism
prevails when he goes to the city to forage for goods to repair his house before everyone
else. Later, he opens a bar, getting new employment rather than dwelling over the fact that
his former job, mining coal, is no longer available. At the end of the story, some of his money
is stolen; however, despite the fact that his neighbors sympathize with him, he moves on with
his daily activities.
The thieves come to Jonathan's house to rob him. Their heavy dialects indicate their
ignorance, which is especially obvious when Jonathan speaks clearly. They are desperate
people due to the war. Because of the civil peace, they can rob easily to get money.
Work Ethic
In the story "Civil Peace" work ethic plays a significant role. Work ethic is depicted as a
vitality. As seen in "Civil Peace" work ethic is something that is always there when everything
else around you falls apart, as it did for Johnathan Iwegbu. Johnathan's work ethic deemed
important after the war with the burden of supporting his family. Without his work ethic, he
would be unable to keep his optomistic attitude towards life.
Law and Justice
Law and justice within Civil Peace is not present. Biafra and Enugu are plagued by theives,
corrupt soldiers, and a lack of control. AFter the Civil War, even though it is called a time of
"Civil Peace", the violence that exists has not changed or disappeared. The Biafran
government had been destroyed after the civil war. With its absence, illegal activities and
breaking the law became commonplace. When people did break the law, they were punished
for their actions. The police and soldiers did not enforce justice within Eastern Nigeria.
Instead they reeinforced the lack of justice by committing acts like when the soldier
attempted to take the bike from Jonathan. The inattention to the law remained in Enugu
whether or not the war was over.
Since laws no longer had meaning to the Nigerians, justice is ridiculed when attempted to be
enforced. For example, when Johnathan and his family cry out for help, "Police-o! Thieves-o!
Neighbours-o!" (86), the theives laugh at them and mock them, helping them cry out during
the night. They dismiss the calls of the Iwegbu family because they know no one will
respond. The neighbours turn a blind eye to the robbery and police officers don't lend their
aid. In "Civil Peace" law simply does not exist in the corrupt Nigerian country.
Setting
Setting in the novel, affects the protagonist Jonathan in the sense of who he is and how he
lives his life. The country side, or the camp in which Johnathan and his family live, affects
him in the sense that he had more hardships than he would in the city. Even the home made
out of mud brick in the city was better than living in a camp. In the camp, he was able to earn
a living by shuttling officers to and from the tarred road to the camp. However, they were not
gifted by running water and robbers stole from their well-beings. In the city, he and his family
were gifted with running water. Because of the hustle and bustle in the city, more jobs were
available for the taking. However, in the camp, his fellow coal miners were left unemployed
and scrounging for food and shelter.
Point of View
The point of view is third person which restricts the reader from understanding other points of
view. The reader is unaware of the opinions, feelings and hardships of his family members,
who play a significant role in his life. Through this point the reader is able to infer that he is
very optimistic and other characteristics. Point of view is very important.


I think this story has great potential to be the subject of an historical and cultural analysis.
The story is based on the Civil War in Nigeria. This fact provides lots of insight into this story.
Facts about how people lived during this time and what happened can be very beneficial in
learning the themes of this story. I think one of the themes is be thankful for what you have
been given, which can be seen in the line that was repeated over and over. The line is
"Nothing puzzles God." It would be interesting to find out how much religion played into the
lives of those who lived in Nigeria during this time. Culture also plays a big role in this story.
Family seems to be a big part of it and a belief in God also prevails. As far as clues in the
story, it is very easy to see that a war has gone on, that people are not in good financial
standing, the country is a mess, and many people have lost family members and belongings.
All of these clues are important because they give you even more insight into the characters
lives and allows you to read into the story more and understand the themes. I think one of
the first things that should be researched are the war in Nigeria and the author. Just knowing
information about the author helps alot. I have read another piece by Achebe and I know that
he is Nigerian. Knowing this gives him even more credibility when reading this piece. I think it
would also be interesting to research relations between people living in the country because
we see that gangs of thieves were hurting their fellow Nigerians. As in any story, culture is of
utmost importance. It would be good to research African culture and how the Europeans
affected this culture and how it changed after the war during the "Civil Peace."