- Custom and Tradition– Okonkwo’s struggle to live up to what he perceives as traditional standards of masculinity and his failure adapt to a changing world, help point out the importance of custom and tradition in the novel. The Ibo tribe defines itself through the age-old traditions it practices in the novel. While some habits mould tribe members daily lives, other customs are reserved for special ceremonies. Ceremonial customs are more elaborate. The feast of New Yam provides an illustration. This feast gives the tribe an opportunity to thank Am, the earth goddess and source of all fertility. Preparations for the feast include thorough hut cleaning and decorating, cooking, body painting, and head shaving. Relatives come from great distances to partake in the feast and to drink palm wine. Then, on the second day of the celebration, the great wrestling match is held. The entire village meets in the village playground , or llo, for the drumming, dancing, and wrestling. The festival continues through the night until the final round is won. As the tribe views winning a match as a great achievement, the winner earns the tribe’s ongoing respect. Tribal custom dictates every aspect of members lives. The tribe determines a man’s worth by the number of titles he holds, the number of wives he acquires, and the number of yams he grows. The tribe acknowledges a man’s very being by the god’s approval of him. Without custom and tradition, the tribe does not exist.
2. Choices and Consequences– In the novel, the protagonist makes a choice early in life to overcome his father’s legacy. As a result, Okonkwo gains the tribe’s respect through his constant hard work. The tribe rewards him by recognizing his achievements and honouring him as a great warrior. The tribe believes that Okonkwo’s personal god or chi is good. Nvertheless, they realize that he has worked hard to achieve all that he has. When he breaks the Week of Peace, however, the tribe believes that he has begun to feel too self-important and has challenged his chi. They fear the consequences his actions may bring. The tribe decides to kill Ikemefuna. Even though Ezeudu warns him not to be a part of the plan, he kills Ikemefuna. He chooses to kill the boy rather than to appear weak. When he is in exile, he ponders the tribe’s view of chi. He thinks that maybe they have been wrong that his chi was not made for great things. He blames his exile on his chi. He refuses to accept that his actions have led him to this point. He sees no connections among his breaking of the week of Peace, his killing Ikemefuna, and his shooting Ezeudu’s son . In his eyes, his troubles result from ill fate and chance.
3. Alienation and Loneliness – Okonkwo’s exiles isolates him from all he has ever known in the novel. The good name he had built for himself with his tribesmen is a thing of the past. He must start anew. The thought overwhelms him, and he feels nothing but despair. Visits from his god friend, Obierika, do little to cheer him. News of the white man’s intrusion and the tribe’s reactions to it disturb him. His distance from the village and his lack of connection to it gave him a sense of helplessness. Even worse, his son Nwoye joins the white man’s missions efforts. His return to the village does nothing to lessen his feelings of alienation and loneliness. The tribe he rejoins is not the same tribe he felt. While he does not expect to be received as the respected warrior he once was, he does think that his arrival will prompt an occasion to be remembered. When the clan takes no special notice of his return, he realizes that the white man has been too successful in his efforts to change the tribe’s ways. He grieves the loss of his tribe and the life he once knew. He is not able to overcome his sense of complete alienation.
4. Betrayal– In the novel, Okonkwo feels betrayed by his personal god or chi which has allowed him to produce a son who is effeminate. Nwoye continually disappoints him. As a child, Nwoye prefers his mother’s stories to masculine pursuits. As an adult, Nwoye joins the white missionaries. Okonkwo also feels betrayed by his clan. He does not understand why his fellow tribesmen have not stood up against the white intruders. When he returns from exile, his clan has all but disintegrated. Many of the tribe’s customs are being ignored. He mourns the death of the strong tribe he once knew and despises the womanlike tribe that has taken its place.
