Polygamy In Things Fall Apart

In Things Fall Apart, the world of the Ibo people was turned upside down when the white men invade their village, bring their customs with them. Despite the new customs the white men brought, the people of Umuofia stuck to their own principles. Previously the lifestyle of the Ibo was questionable. For instance, the women and children were treated immorally. Foreigners were murdered for gratuitous reasons. Unnecessary rules/traditions prevented the Ibo from completing certain things. Moreover, the society did need to fall apart at the hands of the white men in order to improve it. First of all, the relationship between husband and wife was debauched. It was more of a master slave bond. The wife 's job was to take care of the husband, children, and area they lived in. In Umuofia, polygamy was acceptable. In a man’s house, it was common to see three or more huts, one representing each wife and their kids. Their duty was to plant the crops and then harvest them themselves. In the Ibo society, it was an accomplishment to have many wives. It signified great wealth. Women are passed down like objects in the Ibo society. “Do what you are told woman, Okonkwo thundered.” (Achebe 5) Wives were also expected to obey their husbands. If not, repercussions would follow. For example, Okonkwo’s second wife Ekewifi, cut leaves off a banana tree that was very much alive. Okonkwo claimed that she killed the banana tree. “Without further argument,

In conclusion, the Ibo society needed to fall apart at the hands of the white men. The village of Umuofia profited from the foreigners being invading there society. Their religious beliefs were essential in all parts of their lives. The hierarchy between husband and wife needed to come to an end. The constant killing of other human beings was inhumane. To conclude with, the society desperately needed to collapse at the hands of the white men, in order to improve