Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

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Chinua Achebe’s book, Things Fall Apart, demonstrates that a people’s culture is one of the main causes that define who they are. Culture affects how a group of people react to different things and how they interact with others. In the book, religion, societal values, and traditions all create the culture of the Igbo people. This causes some of them to go along with the white people’s religion and customs and some of them to rebel against it. Okonkwo is torn apart when he has to let in the white people’s religion and not being able to, his whole world slowly falls apart. One of the biggest parts of a people’s culture is religion. The Igbo religion is made of one major god, Chukwu, and many other minor gods. Their way of life evolves around them. “Take away your kola nut. I shall not eat in the house of a man who has no respect for our gods and ancestors” (Achebe 19). The white people infiltrated the Igbo villages by bringing a new religion. This makes the Igbo people people curious and makes …show more content…

There are many conflicts about the Igbo customs throughout the book. Obierka and Nwoye are two of the clansmen that strongly disagree with some of the things they are forced to do. An example is that when twins are born, they are left to die in the Evil Forest. After seeing that the Christians didn’t do this, Nwoye converted over to Christianity. Okonkwo doesn’t see a problem in throwing away children or beating his wives and kids and because of this, his family is torn apart. Although many of the Igbo customs are harsh, not all of them are bad. During the week of peace it shown that although some of the people are cruel, there is always an inner self that can be brought out. Igbo men are expected to be hardworking. “ I began a farm at your age” ( Achebe 20). Throughout the book, Nwoye is expected to do things that many would consider difficult. This shows the determination and discipline of the Igbo

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