THE TRULY MARRIED WOMAN. ABIOSEH NICOL- SIERRA LEONE.

HYPOCRISY IS RIFE IN HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM

ABIOSEH NICOL’S SHORT STORY ‘THE TRULY MARRIED WOMAN’, WRITE AN
ESSAY THAT JUSTIFIES THE ABOVE ASSERTION. (20 MARKS)
Introduction.
There is a lot of human pretense in the short story ‘The Truly Married Woman ‘ revealing that
some people are not sincere when dealing with others.
Ajayi wrote to the World Gospel Crusading Alliance, pretending to be interested in some
information from them after a friend gave him a magazine that contained an invitation to
join the missionary Alliance. However, his true intention was not to work with them, but he
hoped to get free items such as bibles and large religious pictures that he would sell, give away,
or use as wall pictures. The depth of his hypocrisy is seen when he appears relieved that the chief
clerk saved him from a life as a missionary when he told the visitors that the government
prohibited his workers from working as missionaries. So appreciative is Ajayi of the chief clerk
that he presents a carefully wrapped bottle of beer to him as a present for having saved him.
Therefore, Ajayi is hypocritical in his dealings with the organization.
Ajayi also hypocritically lies about the state of roads when he extends his invitation of the
missionaries and the chief clerk to his home for a cold drink. After they agreed Olsen, one of
the visitors suggested a taxi to take them home but Ajayi quickly told him that the roads were too
bad. He had already whispered to another clerk to hurry home on a bicycle and warn Ayo that he
was going home in half an hour with white men and that she should clean up and get fruit drinks.
Ajayi did all that to make the visitors believe that he was an organized and generous man who
had a responsible wife by giving Ayo a chance to reorganize their home into an appropriate
environment to host the missionaries. This is a high level of hypocrisy.
Ayo also portrays high levels of hypocrisy when she changes the appearance of their home
after receiving a message from Ajayi that he will be bringing white men to their home in
half an hour. Ayo took down the calendars with pictures of lightly clothed women and replaced
them with family photographs. She also replaced the magazines with religious books and hid the
wine glasses under the sofa. In efforts to portray an actual spiritual image, she goes ahead to
borrow a wedding ring from her neighbor before putting on her Sunday dress. The chief clerk
was rather surprised at the change in the room-which had visited before- and in Ayo’s dress and
ring but he hid his feelings. Ayo was introduced and made a little conversation in English. This
pleased Ajayi greatly. The children too had been changed into Sunday suits, faces washed and
hair brushed. Olsen was delighted and took photographs for the WGCA magazine. Little did he
know that the beautiful environment he had witnessed was only erected for show by Ayo.
Ayo’s hypocrisy in her marriage is captured in the story. Ayo has been pretending to be a
dutiful wife for twelve years before her marriage. Ajayi tells his friends that she was a patient,
beautiful woman, very dark with very white teeth and open honest eyes. Ayo was a good
mistress. Her father had hoped she would marry a high school teacher at least, but instead she
had chosen a government clerk. But Ayo loved Ajayi was happy in her own slow, private way.
She cooked his meals and bore him children. After the wedding, she refuses the morning tea and
breakfast for Ajayi telling him to get up and make himself a cup of tea. Ajayi had woken up the
following morning after the wedding as his alarm clock went off and reached for his morning
cup of tea as usual but it was not there. He sat up quickly and looked. Nothing. He listened for
Ayo’s footsteps outside in the kitchen. Nothing. He turned to look beside him. Ayo was there.
She must be ill, he thought, all that excitement yesterday. He called her and asked her whether
she was ill. She calmly told her she was fine. He asked her if something was wrong with her legs
forcing her not to get up and prepare breakfast. He thought the previous day’s excitement had
made her go a little crazy. Ayo told Ajayi that for twelve years she had gotten up every morning
at five to make tea for him and breakfast. She said that now she was a truly married woman and
that Ajayi had to behave towards her with a little more respect. She told that he was now a
husband and not a lover and asked him to get up and make himself a cup of tea. Ajayi must have
been shocked by Ayo’s sudden change of behavior. This is pure hypocrisy.
Ayo’s hypocrisy is further seen when she turns down Ajayi’s advances on the evening he
disclosed to her that he intended to marry her. She shyly says ‘NO’ and pushes him away,
asking him to wait until after marriage. She argues that it would not be correct. This is ironic
since the two have lived together for twelve years, and their relationship has borne three
children.
Omo’s hypocrisy is depicted when she becomes envious of Ayo’s wedding. She had always
lent Ayo her wedding ring every time she needed one in a hurry. She had suddenly turned cold
particularly when Ayo showed her the wedding presents Ajayi was going to give her. Omo’s face
was both jealous and angry as she touched the silky, see-through, material. She criticized the
material saying it was embarrassing if she wore such a material. She said that in case Ayo were
to be involved in an accident, the doctors were going to see everything through the dress. When
Ayo downplayed the accident part and appeared satisfied with the material, Omo had said that
those awful since they hid nothing and that Ayo should be ashamed to wear them. She then
pushed them angrily back over the wall to Ayo. Her friendship with Ayo was therefore not
genuine.
Conclusion.
Human beings should remain true and faithful in their relationships with each other to enhance
co-existence.