Power And Greed In The Illegal, By Lawrence Hill

“Money is power, freedom, a cushion, the root of all evil, the sum of all blessings” (Carl Sandburg). The human condition is a complex concept that one can understand from many different perspectives. The novel The Illegal, by Lawrence Hill, comments on many aspects of the human condition, from people’s constant fight for authority and respect to how greed and money fuel people’s lives. These concepts become intertwined throughout the novel and represent the considerable impact of power and greed on the freedom of others. This novel follows Lula Distefano throughout her life as she struggles with the desire for power and money. Lula Distefano, the ‘queen’ of Africtown, exploits many others throughout the novel portraying how power, greed, and

Lula Distefano’s willingness to exploit others is an example of how the desire for money and power can largely affect the freedom of others. A key example of this is Lula’s exploitation of the character Keita Ali’s newfound marathon stardom. When speaking to the prime minister of Freedom State, Lula offers up Keita in order to maintain her power, “Twenty-five dollars to win [...] ‘Peanuts.’ ‘Not if you’re a refugee,’ she said. ‘After the race on June 21, you’re welcome to him” (Hill 377). Lula’s immense need to maintain her wealth and power has dramatically affected Keita’s freedom, leaving him with the possibility of deportation. Alongside this, Keita finds himself in the same pursuit of money as the people he fears. From the novel’s start, Keita faces having to make the decision to run to have enough money to survive. For instance, because of the greed of the Zantoroland government, Keita was forced to follow the same cycle of chasing money to have it. Money becomes a more valuable currency than just money. It is a representation of freedom and power in several ways. For Keita and many other undocumented residents of Freedom State, money allows access to status and respect. Furthermore, this demonstrates that power and greed are fundamental conditions of the human experience, emphasizing the importance of

In the case of the novel The Illegal by Lawrence Hill, freedom is a precious currency that governs many of the characters’ lives. For Keita, freedom is something that he is constantly chasing.
Freedom is a highly valued currency for Keita Ali, a refugee constantly fleeing violence and persecution. However, Keita experiences many threats to his freedom throughout the novel, from the imminent possibility of deportation to the threat of his sister’s death. All the dangers that Keita faces can be understood as the by-product of the desire for power and greed that the people in positions of power carry—demonstrating how power and greed can oppress marginalized communities and restrict their access to basic human rights. Keita is often on the blunt end of these intentions, constantly finding himself in situations where others’ lust for power and greed affect his