The Bride Price Essays -- Literary Analysis, Okonkwo

Throughout the world, there are numerous cultures that practice various customs and traditions. These cultures gravel often set up guidelines for the people of the society to follow and adhere to. Some societies practice their customs and traditions in a more lenient manner. On the other hand, some societies are very strict with their practices and strive to maintain and preserve their culture by teaching the customs to the people and practicing them frequently. Such is the racing shell in the Nigerian society. The Nigerian people follow specific rules and customs in regards to marriage practices, social status, and credulitys. The marriage custom is one specific tantrum of their culture that is strictly enforced for all men and women of the society. The mans family is supposed to pay the family of the bride a certain amount of money to marry the girl. This custom, on with many others, is demonstrated in the novel, The Bride Price, by Buchi Emecheta, when the main character, a y oung girl named Aku-nna, falls in love with a man named Chike, who comes from a family in which the people were once slaves. Throughout the novel, the customs of Nigerian society are explored while Aku-nna and Chike try or overcome their families adversities. Aku-nna and her brother Nna-nndo live in Lagos with their mother at the start of the novel. The two siblings have grown up in Nigeria learning the customs and practicing them at a young age. Aku-nna, being the only female person in the home takes on the responsibilities of the family much like all the other women in Nigerian society. The women acknowledge the fact that it is their responsibility to do so and agree without arguments. When Aku-nnas father told her to make dinner, she does so willingly in orde... ...ous (100). Not only do these superstitions play a role in the Nigerians daily lives, solely some superstitions relate to the bride price custom as well. It was said, if the bride price was not paid, she would never survive the birth of her first child (168). Okonkwo would still not live with the bride price, no matter how much money was offered because he still refused to consent to give his daughter to a slave (162). When Aku-nna gets pregnant soon after, the Nigerian superstition is up held and she dies while giving birth to her child. Through Aku-nnas upbringing, relationships, and experiences, the reader is able to gain an understanding of the customs and traditions followed in Nigerian society. The Bride Price by Buchi Emecheta is good demonstration of the many aspects of Nigerian culture such as marriage practices, social status, and superstitions.