Things Fall Apart part 1

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe follows the story of Okonkwo, a member of the Umuofia clan, which I believe is located in Africa. Okonkwo is the son of a man who was not well respected amongst the clan members. He was seen as lazy, and not very manly. Because of this Okwonko had to make his own name for himself, since he couldn't rely on anything being passed down to him from his father. As a husband and father himself, Okonkwo is obsessed with being seen as a strong man, and therefore tough with everyone. He refuses to show any emotion other than anger, and doesn't show his affection for people. The clan has strong traditions, which rely on a hierarchy of men, and respect for various gods. Manliness is highly valued, and anything done to go against being strong and tough is looked down upon.

Everything going well, or going wrong is due to the gods and one's own chi. One story that especially stood out was one of the women who had many children, but they all died very young. They believed this was because the children were "ogbanje." (77) This meant that a child who died would continue to come back just to die again. When she finally had a child who lived longer, they questioned her and made her bring them to a place where she buried her "Iyi-uwa" (80) which was supposed to be an object that helped the child go into her mother's womb again. This whole process seemed pretty far fetched, but I found it interesting that they did find a stone wrapped in cloth where the girl pointed to dig.

The closest thing our culture has to these traditions and way of life is religion. Some people believe that if something good or bad happens, it is part of God's plan, and everything is in his hands. People follow traditions, like going to church on sundays, or lighting a menorah on Hannukah, or even various things within our own families. With the Umuofia's, it is intertwined with every aspect of life, nothing is outside the strict tradition and rules.