Describe how Jonathan feels about the ex-gratia money when he first receives it. How has his attitude about that money changed by the end of the story? What does the change reveal about Jonathan's character?

Answer and Explanation:

Jonathan is the main character in Chinua Achebe's short story "Civil Peace". The story is set after the civil war in Nigeria.

Describe how Jonathan feels about the ex-gratia money when he first receives it.

Jonathan receives 20 pounds as ex-gratia money for turning in rebel currency. He is already a man of a happy, optimistic disposition. Upon receiving the money, he feels even happier. However, he also feels cautious, knowing very well someone might try to take it from him:

It was like Christmas for him and for many others like him when the payments began. They called it (since few could manage its proper official name) "egg-rasher".  

As soon as the pound notes were placed in his palm Jonathan simply closed it tight over them and buried fist and money inside his trouser pocket. He had to be extra careful because he had seen a man a couple of days earlier collapse into near-madness in an instant before that oceanic crowd because no sooner had he got his twenty pounds than some heartless ruffian picked it off him.

How has his attitude about that money changed by the end of the story?

By the end of the story, Jonathan is not concerned about the money anymore. A group a thieves came and took the 20 pounds while threatening Jonathan's family. But Jonathan values life over money. As long as he, his wife, and his children are alive, he is happy. They will work hard again to keep on surviving, to make more money. He'd rather live as if the 20 pounds never existed.

'I count it as nothing,' he told his sympathizers, his eyes on the rope he was tying. 'What is "egg-rasher"? Did I depend on it last week? Or is it greater than other things that went with the war? I say, let "egg-rasher" perish in the flames! Let it go where everything else has gone. Nothing puzzles God.'

What does the change reveal about Jonathan's character?

The change reveals that Jonathan prioritizes life and family over wealth. It also reveals that he is not afraid of working hard to accomplish things in life. Jonathan is an optimistic, resilient, and grateful man. He chooses not to see himself as a victim. He is happy to be alive.

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