In Ibo society you are not born into a social class but instead you are accepted into one. The social standing of one's parents does not determine the social standing that you will have. Through their actions and accomplishments in life they earn various titles, each one more coveted than the previous. You earn these titles based on how well you uphold tribal values. These values include the ability to support yourself and those in your family, respect for sacred objects and traditions, and the ability to adapt to new change in surrounding. Titles can be bought and you must pay a large initiation fee to the men who already hold these titles, and each title is more expensive than the last. Titles can not only be bought for yourself but as well as male members of your family. Each title taken is marked by either a anklet or signifying marks.
We learn that Ibo societal organization is comprised of polytheistic religion, familial traditions, farming traditions, and belief in evil spirits. Other things include indicators of wealth (yams/cowries), marriage customs (multiple wives), social rituals (kola nut), and symbols of honor in the form of titles. The social structure of the Umuofia tribe consisted of a hierarchy of skill and strength. Okonkwo is the villages most successful wrestler and he flaunts this by having three wives and large amounts of money. This means that Okonkwo is superior to other men. The tribe was fair and a man was judged based on skill and not by lineage. “Fortunately, among these a man was judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father” (Pg. 8). Age was another determinant of social order. Those who were elders were given a lot of respect and often held the most titles. Women however did not play a large role in society and were only seen fit for childbearing. Women are inferior to men. Sometimes, men who held no titles were teased and called a woman due to the fact that they were contributing nothing in society. Okonkwo can recount a time from his childhood that he had once heard his father be called a woman. The Oracle was held to the highest esteem in society. A tribal member can do nothing before consulting with the Oracle, not even go to war.
Women were seen as much less than men and were deemed inferior. The only thing a woman is seen good for is childbearing in the Ibo culture. A woman’s role in politics is much more limited than that of man. A woman is seen as not part of a man’s family but more as a man’s property. Women were not even allowed to be buried with their husbands family but had to be buried with her own due to the fact that she is not a part of the man’s family. A man was part of his father’s family and a woman was part of her mother’s. Therefore, the children that the women beared belonged to the women and her family and not the males. Women also did not have much protection in society within the rules. It was legal to beat a woman (except during the Week of Peace) and men did not receive punishment typically. If you were to commit a male crime you would be exiled from the land, but received less punishment for a female crime. The only time women were protected was when the beating was too harsh or during the wrong time (Week of Peace). A woman’s role in religion was much more important. Some women were priestesses in the culture and could bring the words of God. If a woman was not a priestess however then her role in religion was limited just like in everything else.
Conflicts and disagreements were regulated by Ibo customs and traditions that were sacred to the tribe. The village lives by these customs and traditions and holds them to the highest standard and uses them as a set of rules and regulations in daily life. They were essentially the laws of the land. For example, it is custom that if you commit a crime you are to go into exile in some cases. Therefore, Okonkwo goes into exile for seven years. There can be disagreement and confusion but the village must follow through with it due to the fact that it is customary in their culture. Their opinion does not matter.
Religion is one of the most fundamental aspects of Ibo culture and society. It runs in their daily lives as the cornerstone of what they believe in. It navigated all of Ibo life. The belief in spirits, and the tradition and cultures were taken very seriously and used as the law of the land. The Oracles nearly controlled the town and all its functions considering one could not do anything and the town could not wage war without first consulting the Oracle, a religious figure.
Okonkwo has many character flaws that we see come out throughout the story. His rage can be his own downfall, he is driven by the urge to not appear as a weak person and not by an urge to be strong. His fear of failure sometimes leads to anger and aggression. We see this during the Week of Peace whenever he beats his wife during a time when violence is not allowed. Okonkwo attempts to not be anything his father was such as the undesirable traits like laziness and shame but also the good ones such as compassion, gentleness, and acceptance. His fear of looking weak like his father makes his commit irrational acts of violence. He commits murder against Ikemefuna whom he loves, beats his wives, and disowns his eldest son. His inability to adapt leads to his own demise when he takes his own life. "…they came to the tree from which Okonkwo's body was dangling, and they stopped dead" (pg 207).
Okonkwo’s goals in life are motivated by the wrong reasons. He is seeking to bury the shame that his father had brought him caused by his failures in life. His goal in life is to essentially be everything that his father was not. He aspires to be strong, powerful, and have wealth. He is the greatest wrestler in the village and one of the strongest men. Although he is not an elder, he still holds great power and a title, and he hopes to keep gaining power. He is fighting an internal never ending battle for a higher status. However, his life goal of being powerful and idolized is never achieved whenever he commits suicide and dies a shameful death just as his father did.
The people attracted to the Christian beliefs were the Efulefu, people who were ignored by the village, and didn't really hold a place amongst the other villagers. The people in the village who did not hold much of a place or felt that they did not belong converted to Christianity. These are the people that stand profit from social change since they have nothing to lose. They felt as if the British and Jesus Christ would value them and they would finally have a role in society. Okonkwo’s son Nwoye converts to Christianity as well and wants his family to convert too, but not his father.
The downfall of Ibo society is due to the white man’s external influence, and internally the discontent and disunity of the tribe was rising. Ibo society would have continued to prosper had the british not come and imperialised it. However, them coming alone was not the only reason for the downfall. They could have stood ground and protected their traditions but instead they did not for the sake of the inevitable downfall. The beliefs held by the Ibo culture not only uphold their ways of life and structure, but also lead to their downfall. Their irrational beliefs would be their tragic flaw. Such as when they sent the Europeans in the Evil Forest with the belief that they would not survive, but to their surprise they did which in turn led the Ibo to question. "[The white man] has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart." (p. 176).
The Europeans imperialized Ibo society by coming in and turning their culture into their own system of beliefs and government. The Europeans replaced their religion with Christianity and their government was replaced as well and they were directly responsible to the monarchy. Conflicts and challenges arise when the Europeans come which is what is typical during imperialization of a new society due to the uprising and confusion from the inhabitants. The book directly relates to imperialization because that is what is occuring with the Europeans coming into their society.