Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Religion is highly important in one’s life. For some people, faith assists with their alignment of beliefs and practices. People have an understanding of what is acceptable versus what isn’t acceptable, and the many consequences that come with modifying the religion one may practice. One’s reliance on faith illustrates that people believe they are destined for something better. The struggles that some may face depicts that something good will come out of their downfall. Having faith can also show that people don’t want to interrupt the plan that is meant for them. The promising thoughts of people can lead to positive outcomes. The theme of religion is highly shown in Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart.” In this narrative, Achebe explains how

They don’t go against the Gods because they know that life can be taken from them. Focusing on religion demonstrates how people of the Umuofia society based their beliefs on traditional rituals. However, as part of believing in the same religion, many people aren’t able to figure out their identity. The way one thinks is shown through their behavior and everyone else will think the same as well. Furthermore, the purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast how traditional religion was practiced in the Umuofia society with the practices of European religion. First, people of the Umuofia society, make sense that family is important. Without the support of family, many people would not be able to function in life. For Okonkwo, his family, accompanied him with all of his endeavors. Although Okonkwo didn’t show any

Yams signified one’s social status amongst their peers, and the masculinity that came with it. It is related to religion because its associated with the masculinity of the ancestors. If the ancestors displayed signs of power through their crops, generations to come would have to do the same. Okonkwo wanted his son, Nwoye, to have show signs of being in control, but he didn’t grasp the concept. Oppositely, Nwoyke showed signs of weakness, even though he wanted his father’s approval. Achebe describes that “Okonkwo knew that the boys were still too young to understand fully the difficult art of preparing seed yams. But he thought that one could not begin too early. Yam stood for manliness, and he who could feed his family on yams from one harvest to another was a very great man indeed” (33). This passage explains how Okonkwo wanted the best for his children. Okonkwo followed the customs of ancestors and wanted to express those same customs towards his children. This proves the point in how family structure is solely related to religion. Okonkwo didn’t want to change the beliefs of his ancestors because that is how he was able to gain his power. His hard work and determination proved the masculinity and religious beliefs that his ancestors