The military play a peculiar role in the novel. They show what human beings are essentially like:.greedy, passionate biased and corrupt, besides other attributes. The military highlight the inclination of man towards treating his fellow man harshly for whatever reason. Human beings pursue their principles passionately, however their actions affect others. Whether a soldier or a civilian, mat is greedy.
Life under civilian administration is, therefore, not different from that under the military. Eugene's prosperity is affected by the conduct of the civilian administration that is overthrown by soldiers who claim that the civilians corrupt. Certainly, it is not soldiers who order university professors to victimize university workers or treat oth lecturers shabbily. The favouritism in University of Nsukka is an exhibition of human nature. Besides, milit administrators are deployed to the university and they paralyzed the school system by short funding and embezzling the funds. There is students' unrest and the university is closed, unnecessarily. Aunty Ifeoma takes all that w equanimity and is pragmatic. She takes her chance when things become intolerable and leaves for America.
Eugene's treatment of his own father and other, "heathens" and of his wife and children is based on his rather strong religiosity. However much the others may be distressed by his zealous pursuit of his principles and love for God, simply must do his duty - by them and by himself. He tells his, children that he punished them severely for their o' good.When the soldiers arrive by a coup-d' etat, they allege corruption against the civilian regime they overthrow. However, in the pursuit of their principles of assumed legitimacy they run rough shod over everyone to the extent eliminating whoever is in the way. Nwankiti Ogechi disappears and nobody is expected to talk. After his arrest ai release, Ade Coker should have learnt that the military will stop at nothing. As he will not relent, he receives a lets bomb. It is clear that the military have suppressed opposition and freedom of speech is minimal. Their hold on the people is significant in that it shows their intention to have things their way.
Yet there is the normal side of life that the corruption and whims of neither the military nor civilians can curt Eugene pursues his sternly ordered control of his household, and, according to Kambili, there is laughter in Aunty Ifeoma's home. Business goes on all over the place, and, as Father Benedict notes, there is prosperity that only Eugene, among businessmen, is using to promote God's work.
The market women experience military brutality and the soldiers enjoy humiliating the women. If the brutality is in the name of justice and fair dealing and uprightness, it should be commended. But military conduct is uncommendable. Jaja's imprisonment and the unfulfilled promises made towards his release show the rate of degeneration in the society. Justice is delayed.to allow for corruption from the people in government to thrive. Ade Coker dies because he will not stop criticizing military corruption. If civilians are shot for drug offenses how come the soldiers are linked to heroin? The answer is that no one must talk as Ade Coker does to his detriment. Eugene condemns the lack of democracy under civilian rule, and decries the coup. What the country needs he says is "renewed democracy", not military rule.
All in all, it can be seen that the greed and corruption of politicians that is condemned by all is even more entrenched in soldiers who overthrow the corrupt regimes for being corrupt.