Why Is The Igbo Society Uncivilized

A civilized society is a culture that has a social order characterized by a government, a system of justice, a social structure, and some kind of spiritual belief system. When considering whether or not a society is civilized, ideas that are taken into consideration are there laws, rights, government, justice, consequences, quality, etc. The Igbo society in Umuofia has cruel and unusual punishments, a court system made up of nine people called “Egwugwu”, and titles earned from how much money you make, strength you have, etc. The Igbo society is uncivilized because they have a higher God that makes decisions, an Evil Forest that holds possessed people, and men that are allowed to beat their wives. There is one main God that decides the fate
Things Fall Apart states, “The medicine man then ordered that there should be no mourning for the dead child… and began to mutilate the child. Then he took it away to bury in the Evil Forest, holding it by the ankle and dragging it on the ground behind him” (Achebe, 1959, pg 78 and 79). Nine out of ten of Ekwefi’s children had died, and on the third one, a ritual was done to get rid of the evil spirit that kept making her children die. The people believed that when a child died at a young age continually, it was a curse from the evil spirits. The village people believed that any possessed, or cursed, child is to be taken to the Evil Forest and left there to die, if they aren’t dead already. There was never a proper funeral for the dead child, or whoever it may be, they were just left in the forest to survive on their own, if they could. This brings out their uncivilization because children are being killed, for what they believe is a curse. In Ekwefi’s case, something could just be going wrong during her pregnancy, or she isn’t taking proper care of the infant. There is no “evil spirit” to blame, and same goes for when someone swells from sickness, or a woman has twins for kids. The idea of an evil spirit is silly, and kills people for no reason, but there are things that make Umuofia civilized, such as how they treat their
Achebe says, “She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infancy, usually before the age of three” (Achebe, 1959, pg 77). Okonkwo loved and cared for all of his wives, so when Ekwefi was having misfortune with having children, he never gave up. He wanted to satisfy her with a child and when it wasn’t working, they tried seeking outside help. They asked wise men in their village, had her stay away from her home during her pregnancy, and many other rituals. Okonkwo is being civilized and reasonable with helping to make sure him and Ekwefi have a healthy baby together. He makes sure she is happy, and when Ezinma is born, they take care of her ever so carefully. Although it seemed as though Okonkwo deeply cared for his family, that was not always so. Things Fall Apart quotes, “Unfortunately for her, Okonkwo heard it and ran madly into his room for the loaded gun, ran out again and aimed at her as she clambered over the dwarf of the barn” (Achebe, 1959, pg 39). Okonkwo was a fierce wrestler and earned a high title from his great achievements in wrestling. Although this may seem like a positive thing, in reality it makes him more aggressive, and he doesn’t stop in the middle of a fight. When his wives or children talk back or do something he dislikes, he beats them profoundly and in this case, shoots them. He is an uncivilized person, but this makes the town