He had many responsibilities in his life, but the biggest one had to be fulfilled after the king's death. Once the king died, after a short time, his knight was expected to also die and accompany the king into the afterlife to bring prosperity to the tribe. The show opens with Elesin delaying her death. He had been captivated by the material goods of this world and wanted to experience them again before he died. While Elesin wasted time, Simon Pilking, the district officer, learned of this suicide ritual. Pilkings represented Western memory, so he considered it an abomination that needed to be stopped. One of the goals of colonialism was to oppress conquered peoples economically, socially, and spiritually, and this ritual tarnished what the West stood for. Pilkings ordered Elesin's arrest and while this was happening Elesin's son Olunde returned. Olunde had been sent to England by Pilkings to practice medicine. It was a bridge between the two worlds. Olunde was neither dismayed nor upset when he thought his father had been killed. In fact, he had returned from England so he could bury his father, because it was the son's responsibility. When Olunde discovered that his father was still alive, he was outraged. He declares to Elesin that “I have no father, eater of scraps” (Soyinka 166) and leaves. Western memory had upset traditional memory in a classic colonial attempt to "civilize" the world