Spiritual Aspects in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart

In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, the beliefs of an afterlife and spirit world were strong factors in the daily events of an Ibo person’s life. These beliefs controlled their actions and thoughts all the time. The Ibo believed in not only personal spirits, but also in a supreme deity, the Creator of the world and the Ibo, as well as the minor gods and entities of the spirit world. To the Ibo, it was customary for one to approach a great and powerful man through his servants. Sacrifices were made to the minor gods and spirits, but when these fail to bring about the desired result, the Ibo went to the Supreme Deity for final intervention. Chukwu The actual Supreme Deity, or God, of the Ibo religion was called Chukwu, which seems to be†¦show more content†¦Achebe writes: †¢ â€Å"They had no hatred in their hearts against Okonkwo..they were merely cleansing the land which Okonkwo had polluted with the blood of a clansman†¦the Earth had decreed that that they were an offence on the land and must be destroyed. And if the clan did not exact punishment for an offence against the great goddess, her wrath was loosed on all the land and not just on the offender.† This shows that the Earth goddess was a ‘force to be reckoned with the Ibo’s eyes. Most of their life depended on pleasing her. If they didn’t, it had terrible consequences. Chi The personal god, or chi, that the person worshipped was not the most important spirit worshipped by the Ibo, but was seen as a protector spirit, somewhat like a guardian angel, of a previous incarnation of the person, possibly a grandfather, in the case of a male child, or a grandmother, in the case of a female child. The Igbo believed that if: †¢ â€Å"He had a bad chi or personal god, and evil fortune followed him to the grave , or rather to his death for he had no grave.† When Okonkwo called the man who had no titles at the meeting to discuss the next ancestral feast, a woman (agbala), he was told by the old man to be humble, because not everyone had a chi as good as his; †¢ â€Å"The oldest man present said sternly that those whose palm kernels were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble.† After being reproached by the oldShow MoreRelatedChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1719 Words   |  7 PagesThings fall apart is a classic novel written around the turn of the century, the novel focuses on the protagonist who we can also call a hero, Okonkwo. Okonkwo is a wealthy and respected leader within the Igbo tribe of Umuofia in eastern Nigeria. Strong individual with a passionate belief in all the values and traditions of his people. 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