Read the excerpt from "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe. 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. What effect does the setting have on Jonathan’s actions? He decides to spend the money quickly so he does not lose it on the way back home. He is cautious with the money because people got robbed more often after the war. He decides to give his money away to the man who lost his because he feels bad for him. He is proud of having more money and lets other people know about it on his way home.
He is cautious with the money because people got robbed more often after the war.
Explanation:
After the civil war that transpired between the Nigerian government and the Biafran people, the Igbo ethnic group who lost all they had were compensated twenty pounds each to begin life again. Given that the money was a meager sum, some had their monies stolen by thieves as was the case of Jonathan.
So the setting which had a large crowd could harbor thieves monitoring people. This made Jonathan cautious with his money so as not to have it stolen.
