Chinua wrote this book to bring in light the traditions and culture of the African tribes, that were looked down by most
of the communities. The book has the beautiful revelation of the true spirit of African tribes. If today we know much about the cultural heritage of these tribes then its because of the initiative taken by writers like Chinua Achebe, Mugo Gatheru and Mongo Beti.
The whole story revolves around the life of Okonkwo. It also focuses the rituals that prevailed in their tribe then. Though not much is known if the story is based on true accounts, but don’t know people feel this particular book to be very close to reality (left for open discussion).
Okonkwo is the son of Unoka, a lazy man. Okonkwo never shared a sound relationship with his father due to his easy going life-style. And soon after his father’s death, Oknokwo all of a sudden finds him empty handed, since his father never cared for the future. Then the journey of Okonkwo begins, marking all ups and downs in his life. it also lay open, how Okonkwo makes fortune with his hard work and how everything is taken away from him.
But the main attraction of the novel are the tribal rituals, which included leaving the aged and ill in the Evil forest to decay and die. The tribal men believed well in the theory of “a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye”, therefore Ikemefauna is brought away from his family and put to death after a period of 3 years.
Towards the end we see the coming of the white and transposition of culture, leading to confusion, anger, insecurity and threat among the common men of Africa.
The whole novel is more of a biography, dealing with the relationship of the main character, Oknonkwo with his three wives, chidren and the people of his community. A must read foe the people who look down these tribes and their blood-curdling rituals