Women, Ogbanje, and Egwugwu---Ch. 9-10 (Customs of a Culture)

Through Ekwefi's struggles, Achebe draws a parallel between Igbo and European women. Achebe asserts that, regardless of race or culture, all women share certain human experiences such as the agony of losing a child. This fundamental similarity refutes claims of Western novelists, such as Joseph Conrad, who tried to portray African people as unfeeling and primitive.

Undoubtedly, the attempts of Ekwefi and Okonkwo to find a way to prevent the frequent deaths of their newborn children do highlight a difference between European and African cultures. Although Ekwefi and Okonkwo seek expert advice just like European families, their expert comes in the form of a medicine man instead of a licensed doctor. It is clear to readers that the Igbo people have as much trust in the medicine man's magic as Europeans place in doctors' scientific knowledge. The medicine man's explanation for the frequent deaths of Ekwefi's children is heavily based on the supernatural beliefs held by the Igbo.

In Chapter 10, readers learn about another important aspect of the Igbo culture: the egwugwu who preside over cases concerning disputes within the clan. Believed to be the spirits of the clan's dead fathers, the egwugwu are highly respected and strike fear into women and children. Indeed, part of the purpose of men taking the role of egwugwu is to preserve the order of the Igbo community, which places women (with exceptions such as priestesses) below men.