Universal Justice In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Justice, or receiving a punishment based off of a past action, usually requires some form on debate on its ministry. However, the Igbo believe a basic form of justice exists and a past action is responsible for future consequences. In the case of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the protagonist, Okonkwo, eventually receives his karma, or universal justice, for all of his past actions. Therefore, Okonkwo's fear of others seeing him as weak and his violent personality lead to his own ultimate demise, aligning with the Igbo idea of universal justice.
A prominent fear of others seeing him as weak ultimately causes Okonkwo's demise, lining up with the Igbo concept of universal justice. Instead of staying home as he was warned, Okonkwo accompanies

Ikemefuna, a boy who was sent to live with Okonkwo, on his final journey, "[Okonkwo] heard Ikemefuna cry, 'My father, they have killed me!' as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down" (61). Okonkwo believes if he fails to partake in the sacrifice of Ikemefuna, his image would be tainted; the fear of perceived weakness causes him to kill someone who saw him as a father. He hates any and all forms of fluffy weakness, and it leads to nothin more fear and misery. suggesting that every negative moment in his life was caused by himself. After Okonkwo kills one white messenger "He knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He knew because they had let the other messengers escape. They had broken into tumult instead of action. He discerned freight in that tumult. He heard voices asking: 'Why did he do it?'" (205). As a strong, traditional clan member, Okonkwo cannot bear the thought of his people turning against their own sacred past. Naturally, his According to the Igbo theory of universal justice, the lack of people joining Okonkwo can only stem from his own violent action. His constant fear of weakness only leads Okonkwo to a path of over-aggressiveness, confirming his fate determined by universal justice. Fearing the judgment of his peers, Okonkwo acts brutally towards everyone.
By harboring an overly aggressive personality, Okonkwo plays a prominent role in his own demise, supporting the Igbo interpretation of universal justice.

When Ojiugo returns home too late to make dinner from getting her hair plaited during the Week of Peace, Okonkwo "beat her very heavily...[, and f]orgotten that it was the Week of Peace" (29) because he "was not the man to stop beating somebody half-way through, not even for fear of a goddess" (30). In extremely superstitious societies, like Umuofia, fearing a greater power, such as a goddess, typically keeps people in check. By completely disregarding any sort of respect, Okonkwo violently deals with a minor issue. As brutality is often his solution, universal justice sees that he ends up humiliated multiple times for his misjudgements. Later, as Nwoye struggles with the art of yam planting, Okonkwo swears, "I will not have a son who cannot hold up his head in the gathering of the clan. I would sooner strangle him with my own hands. And if you stand staring at me like that... Amadiora will break your head for you!" (33). The very threat of personally strangling his son shows that Okonkwo shows no fear in sharing any aggressive thought that passes his mind. Strangling Nwoye will not fix any problem with his behavior, despite Okonkwo's ideas. So, as Nwoye grows farther and farther from Okonkwo and his family, universal justice sees that Okonkwo dies with a rope around his neck, a very similar punishment to what he would

have awarded to his son.
Fearing a weak reputation and possessing a violent disposition causes Okonkwo to ultimately induce his own demise, paralleling with the Igbo concept of universal justice. Throughout entertainment, karma is a common form of justice, displaying that most cultures also believe what one does to others will affect them later. For example, in The Lion King, Scar murders Mufasa, only to be torn apart by hyenas at the end of the movie. In Beauty and the Beast, the prince refuses to give shelter to an old lady who turns out to be an enchantress in disguise; in retaliation, she curses him to remain a beast until he finds true love by the time he turns twenty one. In both examples, some sort of universal justice is set upon a character, causing them a similar pain to that which they caused others.