The story is about a man named Okeke from an Ibo
tribe of Nigeria who has a son (Nnaemka) that wants to marry the woman (Nene)
he loves, even though she is not from the same tribe. When Okeke hears about
his son’s plans he refuses to take any participation in it and expresses that
he will not give notion to the idea of his son marrying someone from a different
tribe. Nnaemka marries Nene anyway and the two live happily with their children.
The story ends with Okeke reading a letter from Nene and entering a crossroads
where he has to choose whether to keep his pride and sense of tradition, or
accept that his son can make his own decisions and see his grandchildren.
The story’s theme
which is the clash of two different generations whom themselves think in very
opposite ways. This has happened throughout history especially in the modern
world we live in. This is because the present day world is subject to rapid
cultural change and people are realizing that the ways of the old sometimes isn’t
the right way to go about things. This generation gap has made parents and
children stop talking because of the immense difference in their thinking and
the time they were raised in. What may be inappropriate for a generation can be
totally appropriate to another. The other theme of the story is the cultural
way of arranging marriages for their children. Religious beliefs, social class
and culture play an immense role when it comes to arranging marriages. People
in the world should be free to believe what they want to believe but they
should not force their beliefs unto others.
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