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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-contentdisposition=filename%3D%22A_Celebration_of_Grandfathers___Rudolfo_Anaya.pdf%22% 3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF8%27%27A%2520Celebration%2520of%2520Grandfathers%2520-%2520Rudolfo%2520An aya.pdf&Expires=1543937603&Signature=LytrPqzsgFmGbTp86q5fm0T6RAurLY4ewjfGj5 Nok14GClxlQFds-XYXB6BWFQLeuvOKAsmHE4C4DusRoZk2FOeuP5Ax3m63IP5O2JUBkXEkg3shHF4ksZQYHzFuhQAk4E6yvc6Z8I6GGizdlfsfj0UPZH~H5rUGYnqVbYvtClvT UijXszfuMcDybtU2M35o73KLPeyt6OLrRuyZTmI4pwL6lS3HGYObhMB4ngK4zwoN8XIryrao8Xj2rVtty6VY3TIoW8ysnRRt1PtyjvVeiYKw7bmODyeptVP8BBeLu2GlC4y0fO84hLQuKxqfW~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-contentdisposition=filename%3D%22After_Empire___Ruth_Franklin.pdf%22%3B%20filename%2 A%3DUTF8%27%27After%2520Empire%2520-%2520Ruth%2520Franklin.pdf&Expires=1543937605 &Signature=thWumLzZBQxAHk6EwAWAMZoz4oh9LZCzVPb2QnVJZUUim6YC~lInwQ SbSLeSfjGyAUA6Ns8xaEE3ETZ7aRpcpI-4DZi5yX9qIb5eZuRyFtf4Icp1uNZG~~MtayoaTlR21rfehza2EqvCkxlCEj6MGWV-

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