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Elesin admits that even he does not understand it. One interpretation is that the intrusion of Simon Pilkings at the crucial point in the ritual was the cause for Elesin’s failure.
Though Pilkings says that Elesin dying wouldn't be a great loss—he's had run-ins with Elesin in the past and finds Elesin difficult to deal with and annoyingly entrenched in native customs—Pilkings does fully believe in the Christian idea that suicide is a sin.
This is confirmed when later, Elesin fails to commit suicide. Though he blames Pilkings (who arrests Elesin at the moment he tries to die), the gods, and his bride in turn, Elesin eventually admits that he loved life too much and didn't entirely want to die.
Apr 23, 2024 · Olunde and Elesin’s death marks the end of the line of king’s horsemen, too. Iyaloja delivers the play’s conclusion about life and death: She admonishes Simon for his refusal to accept death, saying that just by being alive does not mean “the stain of death will not cling”.
By denying Elesin the privilege of getting out so he can speak to the king's courier, Pilkings makes it so Elesin doesn't even have a power that the play affords to women. This makes Elesin's position even lower, especially as it also denies him the ability to do anything to fix the mess he’s made.
First off, there's the whole not understanding/wanting to stop Elesin's suicide. Without stopping to consider the significance of the ritual—and what preventing it might mean for the Yoruba—Simon throws all his effort into trying to keep it from going off.
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How does Simon Pilkings stop Elesin's death?
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What does Simon say about Elesin?
Why does Elesin ask to be let out of the cell?
Why did Elesin fail to die?
She knows that Elesin, not Simon, is at fault for not carrying out his suicide, because he allowed himself to be distracted by the young woman, and Elesin accepts the blame. Iyaloja reveals that she has brought “a burden”: the body of Olunde, who has killed himself in his father’s place.
