Oil, Ramita Chalearmchutidath

English 12
4th December, 2018
How Beliefs And Traditions Direct People’s Fate in Things Fall Apart

Have you ever wondered what determined your destiny? Some people believed that

their action decides their fate, while some believed that it is their traditions and beliefs that

shape their future. These beliefs which are passed down from ancestors to other latter

generations within a society create the tradition. Tradition usually remains the same over time,

some minor changes may take place according to the generations, but the fundamental

underlying foundation still persists. In addition, there is always a special purpose to why those

traditions are created, whether it would be for cultural or political aspects. Most of the time,

these traditions confine the people in society within the boundary. This refers back to the book

called Things Fall Apart, which depicts a clear plot of how African people’s fate shift based

on their cultures and beliefs, regardless of their actions. In the book, each village has its own

traditions and beliefs which everyone who lives there need to strictly obey in every

circumstance. The author, Chinua Achebe, therefore powerfully illustrates that the beliefs and

traditions are the most significant factor in determining the fate of men, women, and children.

Firstly, it is demonstrated that men are subjected to the standard set by the Igbo culture

and tradition, of being strong and manliness. Okonkwo is known as the greatest man in the

village of Umuofia. His achievement bring him his fame which grows quickly like a burning

fire. However, the prime source of his success is influenced by the expected standard of the

society. In Umuofia, every men are expected to be courageous, strong, and show the distinctive

sign of manliness and masculine power. Titles are also highly valued by everyone. The more a

man is capable of earning titles, the more he is revered by the clan. There are also such standard

that determine how a prosperous man should be called. In order to be viewed as prosperous, a

man should own a large barn, has many wives and children, own many titles as well as a lot of

yams. However, Unoka, Okonkwo’s father is the total opposite of all the mentioned quality of
men. He is known as the failure of the clan who owns everyone lots of debt and die without

any title. This contributes Okonkwo to even be stricter toward the expected social standard. An

example of this can be found on page 13, which Achebe states “And so Okonkwo was ruled

by one passion - to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was

gentleness and another was idleness.” Since Okonkwo was a little, he was raised by his

incompetent father which has barely enough food for him to eat. Throughout Okonkwo’s

childhood, he has been living in a fear of being a failure like his father. He was bullied since

young about his own father that was called agbala, the word use to call women who are viewed

as the inferior, also men with no titles. This is not what he choose to be facing but he cannot

avoid it. Consequently, this formed his perspective upon his fear of growing up like his father.

He has to bear with the fact that his father is a failure of the clan through his entire life. No

matter how old Okonkwo has grown up, that fact still haunt him like a stubborn spirit. It is

clear, therefore that, Okonkwo wants to be accepted by the society, unlike his father.

Furthermore, Okonkwo is trying his hardest to fit in the belief that highly value

manliness and masculine quality. He wants to erase the identity of his father so bad, to the point

that he goes as far as to oppose against everything that reminds him of his father, like the

gentleness. He is obviously being controlled by the belief and tradition set by the society. This

is further demonstrated on page 124, which Achebe states “The only course open to Okonkwo

was to flee from the clan. It was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman, and a

man who committed it must flee from the land.” The tradition and belief of Umoufia toward

the inadvertent crime that Okonkwo had done is unfair. Okonkwo’s gun accidentally burst

during Ezeudu’s funeral and the iron pieces of the gun got stuck into Ezeudu’s son body,

causing the boy’s death. It is clearly states that it is all by accident. Okonkwo doesn’t mean to

kill the boy. However, the punishment that he has to face is so massive. According to the clan’s

traditional regulation toward the inadvertent crime, the person who committed the crime must
leave the land for seven years and can only return after that. Therefore, Okonkwo is driven out

of the land and becomes an exile. Rather than forcing Okonkwo to leave the land due to his

unintentional crime, Umuofia should consider more about it by finding a better solution for

Okonkwo. Hence, this is impossible due to the power of the tradition and belief of the clan.

In addition, this power also round Okonkwo up into a corner and lead him to the tragic

death. This is evident when Achebe states “That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia.

You drove him to kill himself and now he will be buried like a dog...” (p. 208). This indicates

that the reason why Okonkwo commits suicide is because he cannot bear with the

embarrassment that the white men had done to him as well as to the village of Umuofia. He

isn’t capable of stopping the white men from taking control and rule over the land of Umuofia.

Okonkwo also fails to adapt his views and beliefs primarily set by the Umuofia traditional

belief to the new traditions of the white men. The struggle to be success based on the clan’s

standard, the tradition and beliefs molds Okonkwo into an unadaptable person, leading him to

take his own life in order to end all the conflicts.

Secondly, it is portrayed by Achebe that women of Igbo village only purpose is to look

after their children and help their husband when they are in need. Since the primitive times, the

society has always been dominated by the people of male gender. Men are always on the lead,

and take major roles in the society. In contrast to women whose only task is in charge of the

household duty and take care of the children. They are only viewed as mothers to the children

and wives to the man. Women are taken for granted and most of the time get ignored by others

in the society. Moreover, they do not receive the same opportunities as are given to men, or

even the fundamental basis of human being, like human rights. This is the same in Umuofia,

the land of Igbo people. In Umuofia is the village that is known to be dominated by men. Men

sit at the top of the social structure, while women lay there at the bottom. Women are not

allowed to express their ideas, but to conformed to what the men tell them to do. They have to
live under the oppressive hands of the men and cannot take part in important activities or gain

achievement of their own. In other words, women are merely just belongings to men. The only

time when women are known to be useful is when they take care of the household and supervise

the children. This is evident when “Nwoye’s mother said that ‘Is he staying long with us?’ and

Okonkwo replied ‘Do what you are told, woman,’ Okonkwo thundered, and stammered. ‘When

did you become one of the ndichie of Umuofia?’” (p. 14). It is clear from this quote that women

cannot interfere with stuff other than their domestic roles. This part is when Okonkwo’s wife

just ask him a question about Ikemefuna, whether the boy would stay with the family or not.

She doesn’t even show a sign of opposition or expression of any thoughts against Okonkwo.

However, Okonkwo is suddenly becomes angry and angrily talk back to his wife. He orders

his wife to just follow in with his regulations and don’t question anything. From this, we realize

that women do not even get a room for any question. Okonkwo later questions his wife back

that when did she become the elder of Umuofia, who can boss around and ask question. It

shows that women cannot be titled with that position in anyway. Therefore, she shall ask no

question and has to behave accordingly to men.

Referring to “A Celebration of Grandfathers”, it is also stated that “The old people I

remember from my childhood were strong in their beliefs, and as we lived daily with them we

learned a wise path of life to follow” (Anaya, 1983, p. 1). The common thing about these stories

is that they both suggest that there are strong beliefs embedded in the society, in which the

people need to follow correspondingly. In this case, as in Things fall Apart, it is the belief that

influence the role of women. The belief that lock them up at home, mainly to do all the

housework and raise children. The strong illustration of this can be further demonstrated in the

book on page 44, when Ezinma says, “Can I bring your chair for you?”, and Okonkwo replies

"No, that is a boy's job.” It illustrates that there is a clear distinction between the tasks that

women can do and tasks that they cannot do. Despite the fact that Ezinma is Okonkwo’s
favorite daughter, she is still subjected to the tradition set by the society. Her gender has set the

girl apart from doing many things, particularly things that only men can do. The society in

Umuofia always label what the people can do or cannot according to the role of their gender.

Some tasks, like carrying the chair is viewed as masculine task and can be carried out only by

men. Consequently, women, like Ezinma, cannot accomplish the task and is subjected to

feminine tasks in the household.

Lastly, Religions and beliefs play paramount roles in controlling children’s life in Igbo

society. Religion and beliefs are considered as the most significant component of every society

since the prior times and until now. In addition, traditions and cultures are influenced by these

two components and shape how particular society is. The imprint that religion leaves are

illustrated through aspects like the lifestyle, how people would live their lives in the society.

However, without realizing, religion can also cause tremendous conflicts, and even the

disruption among the people in the society. It is also stated that children serve as the victims

from this religious influence for most of the time (Phillppe, 2012). The question has arisen

whether the religiosity within the society really a blessing or a misery for children. The fact

that religion and beliefs serve as a threat to the children in the society is illustrated throughout

Things Fall Apart. This is evident when Ezeudu says “Yes, Umuofia has decided to kill him.

The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves has pronounced it…” (p. 57). This is when Ikemefuna,

the adopted son of Okonkwo, is killed due to the order of Oracle of the Hills and the Caves.

The Oracle of Hills and the Caves serve as the sacred divine which the Igbo people really value.

In times of misfortune, the villager would always come to consult the oracle, to discover what

their future will be. Furthermore, the condition of the clan also relies on this sacred Oracle. If

the oracle said that there should be no war, the clan could never declare war, or else it would

be heavily punished by the oracle. Due to this religious belief dominated by the fear of Oracle,
the Igbo people take away the boy’s life. Ikemefuna hasn’t done anything wrong. However, his

death is inevitable no matter what, if the oracle said so.

Not only Ikemefuna’s life is commanded by the beliefs and traditions, but also the life

of osu. According to the text, Achebe states, “These outcasts, or osu, seeing that the new

religion welcomed twins and such abominations, thought that it was possible that they would

also be received” (p. 155). From this quote, we realize that the children who are born as twins

are rejected from the Igbo society. This is based on the fact that the osu are born dedicated to

god, and a forever taboo. Those who are born as osu cannot interfere or even live together with

the free born people. There are no roof in which the osu can shelter under. These religious

belief determine the fate of the twin children. This points out why the osu decide to abandon

the traditional culture of Igbo and convert to Christianity, where they are accepted as who they

are. It is the same in the “After Empire”, where it states that “Some customs are cruel: newborn

twins, thought to be inhabited by evil spirits, are “thrown away” in the bush.” (Franklin, 2008,

p. 2). This somehow resembles the osu born children, where the twins are viewed as outcast

and are left out by the society. They are also maltreated by the clan, people like how the

newborn twins are described in “After Empire”. These evidences sum up that the life of

children who are part of the Igbo clan heavily relies on the religions and beliefs.

In conclusion, Things Fall Apart has intensely demonstrated that the most outstanding

element that dictates the fortune of the people in the society, including men, women and

children, are traditions and beliefs. In the story, men are stuck with the social standard

determined by the Igbo culture which is to be full of masculine power and have the ability to

rule over women. In addition, women are labelled by the role given by the traditional Igbo

culture such as in charge of all the housework and raise the children. Lastly, children’s lives

depends on the religious belief embedded in the Igbo society which is determined by the Oracle

and the belief toward different races people. As time passes by, things also changes, nothing
remains the same which is the same as culture, traditions and belief. Who knows later on in the

future, the village of Umuofia might be ruled by new faith and new culture would dominate

the society again.

 References

Achebe, C. (1995). Things Fall Apart. New York: Penguin Books.

Anaya, R. (1983). A Celebration of Grandfathers [PDF file]. Retrieved from

https://e.edim.co/77762013/A_Celebration_of_Grandfathers.pdf?response-content-

disposition=filename%3D%22A_Celebration_of_Grandfathers___Rudolfo_Anaya.pdf%22%

3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-

8%27%27A%2520Celebration%2520of%2520Grandfathers%2520-%2520Rudolfo%2520An

aya.pdf&Expires=1543937603&Signature=LytrPqzsgFmGbTp86q5fm0T6RAurLY4ewjfGj5

Nok14GClxlQFds-XYXB6BWFQLeuvOKAsmHE4C4DusR-

oZk2FOeuP5Ax3m63IP5O2JU-

BkXEkg3shHF4ksZQYHzFuhQAk4E6yvc6Z8I6GGizdlfsfj0UPZH~H5rUGYnqVbYvtClvT

UijXszfuMcDybtU2M35o73KLPeyt6OLrRuyZTmI4pwL6lS3HGYObhMB4ngK4zwoN8XI-

ryrao8Xj2rVtty6VY3TIoW8ysnRRt1PtyjvV-

eiYKw7bmODyeptVP8BBeLu2GlC4y0fO84hLQ-

uKxqfW~tLASutsJ2psRE2xJu6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJMSU6JYPN6FG5PBQ

Philippe, M. (2012). Children and religion. Retrieved from

https://www.humanium.org/en/children-and-religions/

Franklin, R. (2008). After Empire [PDF file]. Retrieved from

https://e.edim.co/77762013/After_Empire_-_Ruth_Franklin.pdf?response-content-

disposition=filename%3D%22After_Empire___Ruth_Franklin.pdf%22%3B%20filename%2

A%3DUTF-

8%27%27After%2520Empire%2520-%2520Ruth%2520Franklin.pdf&Expires=1543937605

&Signature=thWumLzZBQxAHk6EwAWAMZoz4oh9LZCzVPb2QnVJZUUim6YC~lInwQ

SbSLeSfjGyAUA6Ns8xaEE3ETZ7aRpcpI-4DZi5yX9qIb5eZuRyFtf4Icp1uNZG-

~~MtayoaTlR21rfehza2EqvCkxlCEj6MGWV-
GNZit3QsRghNlE1q2E71kyhA37kPbSFL7xQThU5muaoVaoOlO-gRT8Zt6p1-

7HLw6Yv0Kr6j7GAdjoAnJ6TzWvAF6Ixct17ei31kwrOPG~EzALg8aipvp4yWly3Jxl-

M00JmQBYvLJs4uVw6~iPTVZXVg1bEX2J0QH1FcL-M~0RrSTJeUYvY7Ps-

744dw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJMSU6JYPN6FG5PBQ