Literary Analysis
Chinua Achebe’s Marriage Is A Private Affair depends mainly on the three main artistic tools; point of view, setting, and character. Achebe’s Marriage Is A Private Affair tells the story of two young people that come from separate tribes, the Ibo and the Ibibio, and contrary to ancient tradition, the two are in love. NeNe is a hopeless romantic who belongs to the Ibibio tribe, the Ibo’s enemies. She is in love, and planning a wedding with Nnaemeka. Nnaemeka belongs to the Ibo tribe, and he too in madly in love with NeNe, but his father Okeke abides by the ancient traditions. He believes that the two tribes should never coexist, especially when it comes to religion and marriage. When inspecting the three main themes it is easy to reveal how Marriage Is A Private Affair easily captivates the heart. The story is told by an all knowing narrator. This person does not interact with the characters, or the events that are laid out in the story. Throughout Marriage Is A Private Affair the reader can trust that the narrator will give an unbiased view of the story. The narrator does not add any other views, interests or colors to the story. The time period of Marriage Is A Private Affair isn’t specifically given but I believe it takes place in present day. The time of day is mainly morning and afternoon, except for when Nnaemeka is walking home from his father’s house after trying to convince him to accept NeNe. Over the course of a few days of the story, the weather is hot and sunny, since it takes place in Nigeria up until the last paragraph when it begins to storm above Okeke’s head. Marriage Is A Private Affair is set in the capital of Nigeria, Lagos. This serves as Ibibio land and NeNe’s home. The other parts of the story briefly take place in Ibo country where Nnaemeka and his father Okeke live. The general mood of the story is one of worry, coming from all characters. Nnaemeka is worried because his father won’t accept