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Summary Of Buchi Emecheta's The Bride Price

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The Bride Price is set in Nigeria, and while the year is not explicitly defined, it is likely set somewhere around 1960. This was the year that Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom and was trying to find a foothold in its newfound freedom, with dreams of education and a progressive society; before the discovery of the oil wells that tore the country in two, sending it into a series of civil wars that would finally end a decade later. Buchi Emecheta had spent her youth in Nigeria, before moving to London in 1964. The feminine oppression and poverty experienced by the main lead in the novel could well be founded in her own experiences. However, Emecheta stepped out of an abusive and unhappy marriage along with her children to pursue her career in writing. She has woven an intricate web of Nigerian culture into this small novel to show the struggles of a young woman Aku-nna, striving to grasp her own …show more content…

Also, Okonkwo wanted a share of the money his brother had left his family, thus he happily went ahead with the marriage. Another feature of the African society was the undue importance given to the number of wives a man had in his compound. The more number of wives meant more respect in the society, as if they were property to men. So, following tradition, Ma Blackie becomes the fourth wife of Okonkwo. However, she had one condition, that her children would continue their schooling. Her late husband ‘ had left over one hundred pounds in savings and had joined a progressive Ibuza group called the Pioneer Association, whose aim was to ensure that on the death of any member the first son of the family would be educated to grammar-school level. So there was nothing Okonkwo could have done to stop Nna-nndo’s

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As the british came into the picture, Okonkwo and his family were in his 7 years of exile. Many people loved Ezinma. Many people also wanted to marry her. She was the most beautiful woman in the motherland. “His future sons-in-law would be men of authority in the clan.

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In “Things Fall Apart” Achebe gives background information on Okonkwo saying “He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife.” (5). This quotation from chapter one demonstrates that Okonkwo’s nobility of prosperity is revealed by his success’ from his early years and forward. The villagers within Okonkwo’s clan love and honor him for his personal achievements, and he

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“ And so so at a very early age when he was striving desperately to build a barn through share-cropping Okonkwo was also fending for his father 's house¨(Achebe Pg. #22). Okonkwo provided and supported

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Towards the end of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo decided to take his own life due to the changes in his tribe caused by the white missionaries. This makes it harder to distinguish if the colonists were responsible for Okonkwo’s death and the diminishing of the Ibo Tribe. However, these colonists are gradually pushing an agenda to the Igbo people where Okonkwo is critical against. The collision between two separate beliefs causes various conflicts occurring in Things Fall Apart that eventually causes Umuofia to fall apart. This undermines Okonkwo’s drive to succeed in traditional terms and his desire to be a leader in his tribe.

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As a child, Nwoye is the frequent object of his father's criticism and remains emotionally unfulfilled. Okonkwo, “wanted Nwoye to grow into a tough man capable of ruling his father’s household when he was dead and gone to join the ancestors”(38). When Nwoye finds out that it is Okonkwo who killed a “brother” who he is extremely fond of, and grows very close with, he loses all appreciation for Okonkwo and decides to go against his father and his cultures.

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The novel narrates the life of Okonkwo. The latter was very successful in everything he undertook. The opening lines of the novel clearly demonstrate his success. He had three wives and eight children. His life, however, starts to shatter little by little through a series of events, leading him to being exiled for seven years from his village.

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Fear is the core cause of the dramatic shift of lifestyle for both Okonkwo and Nwoye. Through the management of reputation and the avoidance of their father’s likeness, Okonkwo and Nwoye built new lives for themselves. Okonkwo sought power and authority to prove his masculinity and make up for Unoka’s reputation as a weak man. He did this to the point where manliness became his character. Fearlessness and violence were masculine qualities that in Igbo culture signifies strength and influence.

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