Things Fall Apart: ObiErika and Nwoye

          After reading the first two parts of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Obierika and Nwoye are two characters that have really caught my attention. Just to make things clear, this is not only due to the fact that Obierika has my name in it! 
       Like everyone else in their clan, Obierika and Nwoye follow the rules that have been set up by their ancestors, but they begin to question why certain actions must be followed through.
       After Okonkwo flees Umuofia because he accidentally kills a boy, Obierika is one of the men who burns and destroys Okonkwo's home in order to cleanse the land. When the deed is done and Obierika is all alone, he begins to ponder over the situation and over his friend's misfortune.  He wonders, "Why should a man suffer so grievously for an offense he [has] committed inadvertently?"(Achebe 125)Obierika does not understand why Oknonkwo should be punished and forced to leave his home, when his action was merely an accident. Furthermore, he goes on to remember how he threw away his twin children even though they hadn't done anything to deserve this faith. Obierika is filled with conflicted emotions and questions why such unfair situations must occur to innocent people. 
        Just like Obierika, Nwoye does not agree with some of the clans orders. In his childhood, Nwoye was scarred by the death of Ikemefuna who was like a brother to him. His death was ordered by the Oracle and the orders were driven out by Nwoye's own father. It was no surprise when Nwoye felt attracted towards the white men and their new religion. It offered a different perspective in which Nwoye hoped to obtain explanations which he had not received from his own people.