Mister Johnson

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Mr. Johnson, a Nigerian menial in a time when Britain was still a colonial power, is a rascal, a conniver, an idler who dedicates himself to ingratiating himself with others. He ingratiates himself with those who read his story. At the outset, it can appear Joyce Cary is sketching a caricature of Uncle Tom. Mr. Johnson is shrewd, however. As we come to know him we gain insight into how African people came to gain a grip on their own lands and how Britain began to lose its grip. There is no other book about re-World War II, 20th Century colonial Africa which resembles, "Mr. Johnson."