The Role Of Umuofia In Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines civilization as the “condition that exists when people have developed effective was of organizing a society and care about art, science, etc.” Civilized is defined as “marked by well-organized laws and rules about how people behave with each other.” When asked if the British brought civilization to Umuofia in Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe, the answer would be no because the people there were already a civilized group. In order to be civilized, there are certain things that a society must have- government, economy, societal roles, and religion, all of which Umuofia possess. The government of Umuofia and their religion are tightly intertwined. The people of Umuofia are polytheistic meaning they have more than one god. The supreme god of Umuofia is Chukwu who made the world and all the other gods (179). The gods were responsible for telling the people what they should and shouldn’t do hence also forming their government. When Okonkwo accidently kills Ezeudu’s son, it is a crime against their Earth goddess, Ani. Their religion dictates that

Men could achieve titles for which he would wear anklets as indication. The titles were a great sense of pride within the clan. Okonkwo suffered greatly when as a child, a playmate had called his father agbala which also meant woman or a man with no title (13). Wealth and age could afford a man with the title of an elder. The men were also responsible for taking care of their families financially. Acquiring wealth would allow them to take multiple wives. The women of Umuofia were mostly tasked with looking after the children and cooking. Woman could also take on religious roles as when Chielo became the priestess of Agbala. The women were also responsible for painting and scrubbing the house of the egwugwu although they were not permitted to look inside or ask questions about this prestigious