Achebe's Things Fall Apart

The Cultural Analysis of Things Fall Apart A person’s family and upbringing can define their values and essence. From a wider perspective, it also helps convey the aspects of a society. This can be seen in Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, where the family structure helps to define the developed characteristics and perspectives in Ibo culture. In a standard Ibo family, a man is typically expected to be dominant and have multiple wives and children to provide care for. Throughout Things Fall Apart, Achebe shows the depth of Ibo culture using family structure and the tradition surrounding it. An important ethnic element reflected upon the family structure throughout the book is patriarchy. In Ibo families, they typically have the
In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s history is narrated; he works for a rich and prosperous man named Nwakibie, who treats Okonkwo like a son. Furthermore, Nwakibie has “nine wives and thirty children,” (Achebe 18). This observation is a factor into determining a man’s reputation. The more wives and children a man has, the more he has to contribute for the family, and for that to happen, the man must have a large sum of money. In other words, the more wives and children a man has, the higher his status. For example, Nwakibie has a lot of children and wives, which shows that he must be an affluent man to be able to provide for them. The composition of the family structure does not stop at the number of people involved in the family, however. It can be more complex than that; one aspect is that the wives are grouped differently. For instance, Okonkwo’s first wife wears “the anklet of her husband’s titles, which the first wife alone could wear,” (Achebe 20). The first wife has more priority and status over the others, which indicates that the family composition is further broken down and
It may seem that some of their customs are unseemly and brutal to others, but there are many cases that show the features of a developed society. Umuofia has a way to settle with disputes, which is a sign of a civilized society. For example, the egwugwu were called to settle a family dispute between Uzowulu and his wife Mgbafo. This is like Western culture, where there is a government —similar to the egwugwu— to listen to cases and decide the solution. Another situation that shows the complexity of African culture can be seen in the marriage ceremony in Umuofia, which centers around the bride. The man asks for the woman’s hand, to which her family will consent if they approve of him. Then the bride-price is settled between the two families. In Things Fall Apart, Machi states how this process is pacific, and is more of a gain for both families rather than a hassle, (Achebe 73). This practice creates social structures, affluence, and the longevity of the family line. Overall, Umuofia’s organized culture and values can be seen through its family structures and traditions. At a first glance or reading just one example of a topic may lead to impulsive and inaccurate assumptions. However, if one looks at many other sources of information and analyzes them thoroughly, one can