BOOK REVIEW: THE CLOTHES OF NAKEDNESS

                            ( Book written by Benjamin Kwakye)

1.     The wise treads cautiously

The story started In Medias res (Latin: in the midst of things) with Mystique Mysterious meeting  three great friends in the drinking spot, Gabriel Bukari, Kofi Ntim and Kojo Ansah.   Gabriel Bukari, as described in the book,  is a gentle, kind-hearted and hardworking man who loved his wife profoundly. Perhaps, his mistake in the entire story is the lack of concerted effort on his part to be circumspect in dealing with Mystique Mysterious. He simply did not look before he leaped and thus followed Mysterious foolishly till he met his pathetic death. On the other hand, Kofi Ntim showed extreme cautiousness in dealing with Mysterious and found himself living happily ever after. The story basically indicates how the wise study things through before they take action. The wise indeed tread cautiously.

2.     A bird in hand is worth two in the bush

Another theme captured by this wonderful story, The Clothes of Nakedness is how it is better to have a lesser but certain advantage than the possibility of a greater one that may come to nothing.  Baba had   Adukwei, a lovely girl who stood against all odds to show the love she had for him. In the end, he threw her away for another he hoped he will get. This resulted in the beatings he had to take from the police and eventually lost both Adukwei and the lady he hoped to get. The story teaches us that “a bird in hand is worth two in the bush.”

3.     The one who experiences most wins

A very significant theme the story portrays is how life favors the determined man who faces a lot in life. Kofi Ntim was a man who defied death in even in his childhood which people believed (including his father) that it led to his mother’s death. He really faced difficulties in life from a very tender age and that made him studier. All his experiences really fused into his personality. No wonder he is the only survivor of the three friends. The experiences he had in life have made him very wise and astute. Truly, the one who experiences the most wins.

4.     The devil finds work for the idle hands.

Another theme massively reflected in the story is how the devil finds work for the unengaged person. Mystique Mysterious realized and noticed that the youth always sit purposelessly and smoke so he used that as a conduit to win them to his wicked cause. He did this by supplying them with marijuana and money. This made them gullible to him to the extent that at a time when he was caught trying to rape Fati, they never heeded to Kojo Ansah’s decision to have Mystique Mysterious sacked from the town. Indeed and truly, the idle mind is the devil’s workshop.

5.     There is no art to find the mind’s construction in the eye.