Things Fall Apart

In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe whenever somebody does something wrong it always affects the people closest to them. An example of this, is in chapter thirteen when Ezeudu dies. In this chapter Okonkwo accidentally shoots Ezeudo sixteen year old son. "Guns fired and the last salute and the cannon rent the sky. And then from the center of the delirious fury came a cry of agony and shouts of horror. It was as if a spell had been cast. All was silent. In the center of the crowd a boy lay in a pool of blood. It was the dead mans sixteen year old son,"(Achebe 124). Since his son was a clansmen, Okonkwo had to flee from his clan. But not only did Okonkwo have to flee the land but also his wives and children had to leave too. This was all because of an accidental shooting. This shows us that as a whole the family system is more collective because if one person does something wrong then everyone in the family must suffer. Also in this chapters Obierika remembers his wife's twin children who he had to throw away. "He remembered his wife's twin children, whom he had thrown away. What crime had they committed? The earth had decreed that they were an offense on the land and must be destroyed." (125). Because  these twins were thought to be offensive the whole family had to suffer even though there was no crime committed.