30 pages 1 hour read

Chinua Achebe

Marriage is a Private Affair

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1952

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

Consider the story’s cultural and historical context. How are the characters impacted by Britain’s colonization of Nigeria? How does Achebe capture the tension between Indigenous Igbo culture and British colonial influence?

2.

How does the evolving relationship between Nnaemeka and Okeke develop the theme of generational conflict? Why does Achebe choose to end the story where he does rather than depicting a reconciliation between the father and son? How does this open-ended resolution impact the story’s overall meaning?

3.

How does Achebe use setting to develop the tension between tradition and change? How do the cosmopolitan capital city of Lagos and the unnamed Igbo village shape Nene and Okeke, respectively? How does Nnaemeka’s knowledge of both settings influence his relationships with the other characters?

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 30 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,500+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools