AFRICAN PROSE: SECOND CLASS CITIZEN (Buchi Emecheta)
Why does Mr. Noble find it difficult to evict his tenants?
In Buchi Emecheta's Second Class Citizen, Mr Noble (Pa Noble) is a significant character who represents the disillusionment of the early Nigerian immigrants in London. His difficulty in evicting his tenants, including Adah and Francis, is a result of his physical disability, his desperate need for social validation and the legal protections afforded to tenants in the United Kingdom.
Mr Noble’s inability to exert authority over his tenants stems largely from his physical state. After a failed attempt to prove his "African strength" by carrying a heavy elevator part on his back for a wager, he suffered a permanent spinal injury. This physical brokenness mirrors his psychological state; he is a man who has lost his dignity and "nobility." Because he is physically frail and often mocked by his tenants, he lacks the intimidating presence required to forcefully remove people from his property.
Despite being a landlord, Mr Noble is a lonely figure who craves the company and respect of his fellow Nigerians. He initially allows tenants into his derelict house (a former "rubbish dump") because he wants to be seen as a "big man" or a benefactor within the immigrant community. This emotional dependency makes it difficult for him to follow through with evictions. When he tries to be firm, his desire to be liked and his fear of isolation often undermine his resolve, leading him to accept pleas or excuses from his tenants.
In the cultural context of the novel, social pressure plays a role. Mr Noble is wary of the labels his tenants might give him. In the immigrant community, a landlord who evicts a fellow countryman into the cold London streets is often viewed with disdain. Furthermore, there is a lingering, superstitious fear, or at least a cultural aversion, to the conflict that arises from such confrontations. Adah, for instance, uses her intelligence and psychological manoeuvring to stay in his good graces, making it harder for a man who is already a social outcast to turn her out.
Finally, the novel hints at the complexities of the British legal system. Evicting tenants in London required following specific procedures that Mr Noble, who was barely literate and lacked resources, found overwhelming. His house was already in a state of extreme disrepair (lacking proper heating and infested with cockroaches), meaning that bringing official attention to his property through a legal eviction process might have resulted in the house being condemned by the authorities. He was, in many ways, trapped by his own substandard housing as much as his tenants were.
Mr Noble’s difficulty in evicting his tenants is a poignant symbol of his failed "Great Expectations" in England. He is a landlord in name only, stripped of his physical health, financial security, and social standing. His inability to clear his house reflects his loss of control over his own life, portraying him as a "second-class citizen" even within the property he owns.
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