Essay Questions

What are some of the jobs that Oke does?

Oke’s main job is being an Elvis impersonator. He makes a fair amount of money doing so, but still not enough to escape his home country. He also does a lot of other “odd jobs” around town, some of which are not safe and put him in a lot of danger. He readily shoulders this burden in order to escape from his family, who he does not get along with. He is also a street performer, and dances and sings to raise money.

How does the relationship between Oke and his family evolve throughout the novel?

At the beginning, Oke has been established to be living with his father and mother, both biological, in Afpiko. He loves them and he is happy there. However, his mother soon passes, and his father remarries, causing them to move to Lagos. At this point, his father becomes a more pronounced alcoholic and his step mother responds by abusing Oke. Later, after his father passes, Oke is forced to reconcile his complicated feelings about his father with his pressing guilt about not being there. Through this, he grows emotionally and becomes a more well-rounded person and less selfish.

What are the different forms of introspection the book uses to help us connect more with who Oke is?

Oke finds ways to express himself throughout the novel. First, through his Elvis impersonation, he learns how to be creative and access his impulsive side, which gets him out of many a scrape. Considering how dangerous his lines of work are, this is incredibly helpful for him and his life. His friends are also reflective of values he cherishes: selflessness, being valiant, and bravery. His friends exemplify what he wants from the world and who he hopes to become, which is shown at the end of the book when he passes off as one of them to escape. Finally, the King of Beggars is Oke’s moral compass towards the middle of the book, teaching him right from wrong and accessing his morality–something that Oke had avoided diligently during his early life.