Passage Analysis

Passage 1: 

The ogbanje scene with Enzima 

Chapter 9 

In this scene, Okwonkwo is suddenly awoken by Ekwefi with news that Enzima is dying. Okwonkwo reassures Ekwefi that it is only a fever and he sets out buying her medicine. The audience is introduced to Ekwefi's character more and learns that nine of her other children have died as infants. A medicine man told them that it was an ogbanje, a "wicked" child that keeps entering its mothers womb and dies again, only to torment the parents. When Enzima was born, she suffered many illnesses but was able to survive. When Enzima was 9, a medicine man found her iyi-uwa, a small pebble that is Enzimas physical link to the spirit world. Enzima and Ekwefi have more than a mother and daughter bond. It is clear that in Igbo culture, for women, being a mother is highest possible rank a women could have. This passage also shows that because of the iyi-uwa, the Igbo culture really values the link between the physical and the spiritual world and that many people try to find a proper balance between these two things. The Igbo culture also tries to find some sort of spiritual and superstitious link between every phenomenon that occurs, such as all of Ekwefi's children dying. 

Passage 2: 

Legal Ramification of Okwonkwo's crime

Chapter 13  

Ogbuegfi Ezeudi's death calls for a large and elaborate funeral because he was a great man that took 3 out of the 4 clan titles. Okwonkwo's gun accidently goes off and kills Ezeudi's 16 year old son. Because killing a clansman is a crime, Okwonkwo must take his family into exile for 7 years and goes to his mothers land, Mbanta. Obierika questions why a man should suffer so much for an accidental killing. This chapter shows the importance of kinship and the consequences that violating that could have. the Igbo people highly value titles and the bond of the clan but when someone violates that, their punishment is very harsh. With that being said, men often question whether the punishment is too harsh 

Passage 3: 

Throwing out the twins into the evil forest

Chapter 7

When Ikemefuna is killed and Nwoye senses it, something inside him breaks. The  audience is then introduced to the idea that newborn twins are left to die when Nwoye shares that the first time he broke down was when he heard the cries of newborn twins that were left to die in the evil forest. In Igbo culture, twins were not allowed and they would be "thrown out" right as they were born. Again, this shows some questionable Igbo cultural practices. Nwoye and Obierika often question these traditions. The Igbo are very loyal to their beliefs and they follow the rules perfectly, but right as something may damage their way of thinking or change how they view the world, their punishment is often questionable.