Analysis of Fractured Base by C. Ngozi Nkoro

Synopsis

Fractured Base is about four teenagers: Ola, Tunde, Ify, and Odinaka who engage in one adventure and another. Their adventure ranges from fighting with classmates that seek their trouble, visiting the zoo, and taking it upon themselves to rescue Tunde when he was kidnapped.

Although Fractured Base is a story about teenagers’ adventure, it shows how children are exposed to some ills in the society which may affect their worldview. The story shows how their teacher will not correct the pupils when a quarrel was brewing but would allow them to quarrel so as to punish them. Ify was exposed to Mama Nonso’s adulterous life with Musa, the suya seller.

When they visited the zoo and Tunde was injured and was taken to the zoo’s clinic for treatment, the children were asked to donate money which will be used to convey Tunde to a nearby hospital as the clinic was ill-equipped and had no drugs except iodine. The kidnapping incident that involved Tunde also exposed the adults as kidnappers and the police as unable to help kidnap victims.

Plot

The reader is first exposed to Mr. Onyenkwe’s home and neighbourhood. Mr. Onyenkwe and his wife Nwamu are Odinaka’s parents. The neighbourhood is interactive; it is not a mind-your-business quarters. This gives the characters ample opportunities to interact and seek adventure.

Conflict/Complications

Conflict in the novel includes obstacles the kids experienced when seeking adventure.

1. The conflict between Odinaka’s team and Eleadi:

   • Eleadi gossiped about them, which earned him a punishment from the team.

2. Ify’s Accident:

   • The driver dumped Ify at their school’s gate instead of taking him to a nearby hospital for treatment.

3. Tunde’s Accident at the Zoo:

   • Tunde was bitten by a young ape when he was feeding it.
   • When taken to the zoo’s clinic, the only treatment given to him was the application of iodine, and the teenagers were asked to contribute N5,000.00 to help them get a vehicle that would convey Tunde to a nearby clinic.

4. Tunde’s Kidnapping:

   • Tunde was kidnapped in front of their house.
   • Mr. Atom, Tunde’s father, reports the case to the police when the kidnappers demanded a ransom.

Theme

1. Quest for Adventure:

   • The novel is about the kids’ quest for adventure, which exposes them to some disadvantages such as fighting, sustaining injuries, and witnessing other ills in the society such as adultery, corruption, and kidnapping.

2. Team Work:

   • In their quest for adventure, the kids learnt to work as a team, which helps them to achieve positive results.
   • They show there is unity in diversity.

3. Faulty Foundation:

   • Although the novel is about adventure, the main focus is to expose bad behaviours in the society such as the adulterous act between Mama Nonso and Musa.
   • Mama Nonso opts for adultery as a means of survival after her husband, Ajawuego, lost his bank job.
   • A motor driver knocks Tunde down and dumps him at their school’s gate instead of taking him to a nearby hospital.
   • The ill-equipped clinic at the zoo shows government’s negligence of hospitals, while Tunde’s kidnapping incident and the police’s inability to track the kidnappers show the rate of insecurity in the nation.

Sociological Importance

From the name Fractured Base, the novel shows that the adults in the society, the nation builders, are laying bad foundations for the leaders of tomorrow.

• Fractured Base exposes bad governance witnessed in government’s negligence of security, health, and social infrastructure.
• The novel also shows adult immorality depicted in Tunde’s kidnapping experience, Mama Nonso’s and Musa’s adultery, and officials engaging in bribery and corruption.