In the novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe Okonkwo was seen in his village as a strong and brave man but in reality he was very weak. Okonkwo hangs himself after he cut the head of a British man. The clansmen arrange Okonkwo’s burial by telling the British that they should take care of Okonkwo’s burial because in the Igbo culture the clansmen don’t have to take care of someone’s burial if that person kills himself. The clansmen also said that Okonkwo did an abomination because he killed himself and that only strangers have to take care of Okonkwo’s burial and one of the clansmen told the Commissioner that they are strangers and that’s why the clansmen are asking the Commissioner’s people to take care of Okonkwo’s burial.
The author is telling us about their culture that if you commit suicide you are offending their gods and your body is evil. Also if you commit suicide your people don’t take care of your burial and only strangers take care of your burial if you commit suicide. Another thing about their culture is that in the land that you committed suicide your people clean that land with sacrifices after you have been buried by strangers. Basically if you kill yourself you are making a sin just like in the Christian religion.
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Okonkwo was an important person in Umuofia because he represented his village and he was the idol of his village. Everyone in his village respected him for being so brave, for example Okonkwo beat in a wrestling match Amalinze the Cat when Okonkwo was eighteen this shows how brave Okonkwo was. But Okonkwo had a weakness in his mind he didn’t thought important decisions twice that’s why he ended killing himself after he cut the head of a British