The Okonsequences of Sin

Erikson Corbin

Professor Athey

ENG 1123-11

30 April 2015

The Okonsequences of Sin

        Chinua Achebe was the father of African literature, an author of a powerful novel with over ten million copies sold, and a teacher of his native African culture. Achebe was born in Ogidi, a small town in Eastern Nigeria in 1930. He was highly educated, speaking Igbo as his native language while also being educated in English and fluent in several other languages. His first and most famous novel, Things Fall Apart, was published when he was just twenty-eight years old in 1958. Achebe “was inspired by the history of his own family, part of the Ibo nation of southeastern Nigeria, a people victimized by the racism of British colonial administrators and then by the brutality of military dictators from other Nigerian ethnic groups” (Kandell 1). Growing up Achebe faced trials with what religion to take part of although his family lead in the direction of Christianity.  “His father became a Christian and worked for a missionary teacher in various parts of Nigeria before returning to the village” (1). Being raised in a European home led Achebe to later take great interest in learning about the indigenous cultures and religious aspects of African tribes.

        Things Fall Apart is a novel about an African tribe, the Umuofia, which is a part of the greater Igbo region in southeastern Nigeria. Okonkwo, one of the tribe’s leaders, is living in great fear of becoming the man his late father once was. His father was a man known for his laziness and cowardice, which were both characteristics that no man of the Igbo people should ever posses. So far in his life, Okonkwo has been greatly successful and is very respected by all the Umuofia people. He always strived to be the best leader of his tribe in his actions, religious contributions, and how he raised his son. Certain events occur which get Okonkwo exiled from Umuofia for seven years. During his exile, white missionaries come to Umuofia and begin converting the Igbo people to Christianity. Okonkwo hears of this and as a tribe leader and follower of the traditional Igbo religion, was certainly not pleased. Once finished with his exile, Okonkwo returns to Umuofia and becomes very aggressive with the missionaries and eventually realizes that he will not win this battle and hangs himself. His passion for his native culture and religion is seen clearly through these aggressive actions taken by Okonkwo to stop the conversions of his Igbo people. Achebe’s passion for the native African religion is also demonstrated with how he portrays Okonkwo. In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is the antichrist.

        In Things Fall Apart the Umuofia tribe was one of nine tribes in the Igbo culture. However, in this culture and in this particular part of Nigeria they did not traditionally worship the one and only God worshiped by Christians worldwide, Jesus Christ. This might not come to surprise to anyone because religions are practiced differently in every nation and not every ethnic group in the world is lucky enough to be exposed to the love of Jesus. Their worship includes the admiration of “the three major pillars of Igbo traditional religion, namely the Supreme Being, divinities and ancestors” (“The Supreme Being” 90). Throughout Acheb’s writing in Things Fall Apart we see several instances in which clan members, leaders, and children talk about these three pillars, however not directly calling them by “the three pillars.” “And in fairness to Umuofia it should be recorded that it never went to war unless its case was clear and just and was accepted as such by its Oracle…If the clan had disobeyed the Oracle they would surely have been beaten” (Achebe 9). This oracle that is spoken of is a belief in the Igbo culture of a person who is believed to have direct communication with a god or gods. The oracle is a very prominent and repetitive theme in Things Fall Apart with not only Okonkwo but also everyone who has any question to what they are being told, or why certain things are the way they are. In the Igbo belief there were many gods and one Superior Being, though there were some gods that were considered more important than the others. Ala and Uhejioku were the two most prominent deities with Ala being “the deity of the moral code and punishment”, and Uhekioku being “the yam deity, which was responsible for agricultural production” (“Religious Change” 73). Tribe members and farmers would go from one harvest season to another relying on their gods to provide to them everything they need to be successful and produce for their many wives and children. “These deities also received sacrifices in particular seasons of the year to thank them for all they did the previous season and ask for their continued favour in the season ahead” (73). Being that Igbo people worshiped many gods and Christianity is founded on the belief of there only being one god in Jesus, these two belief systems differ in many ways.