CONTEMPORARY PROSE & POETRY

Course Code:- ENG888

Submitted by:- Md Shahmun Islam

Registration ID:- 11815905

Section:- QOE03

Mittal School of Business

Lovely Professional University
Phagwara, Punjab
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Marriage is a private affair

INTRODUCTION:-
The short story "Marriage is a private affair", by Chinua Achebe is a story about young people
who fall in love and decide to get married despite the challenges that are causing their marital
problems. For several years, the boy's father did not approve of the marriage, but in the end, his
difficult father-in-law had to bow down before his son's love for the girl he loved so much.
PRIMARY BODY:-
Chinua Achebe's story Marriage Is a Private Story is about two teenagers, Naememeka and
NeNe, who love each other, but because they come from different cultures with very different
cultures, conflicts arise, especially over conflicts in belief systems from older and younger
generations.Despite the fact that Nnaemeka and NeNe are in love, Naememeka's father believes
that there is no place for love in deciding who to marry and that his son should marry according
to his tribal culture. Mnaemeka is also unsure of his father's response, which is evident when he
says in the story, "Naemeka was silent for a moment, then began slowly as if looking for his
voice: I wish I had not known it would be a joy for him" (Chinua, 1952, p.1).

Indeed, the two lovers are caught in a feud between the old and the young. While NeNe hails
from the Ibibo tribe, a region in Southeast Nigeria, Nnaemeka hails from the Ibo tribe (Mezu,
2006). In fact, the old tradition is being broken when Ninaemeka moved to Lagos, the capital of
Nigeria to live with NeNe. Although NeNe is eager to discuss her plans for the wedding,
Naemeka is quite uncertain about her father's refusal to accept marriage, especially since NeNe is
from another country.There is a glimmer of hope for Ninaemeka who believes that in time, her
father will change his mind, but the old man reassures himself and sticks to his decision not to
meet NeNe again.Under these circumstances, as Chinua wrote, "Naemeka saw that there was no
hope for the success of the conflict" (Chinua, 1952, p.1), Naemeka had no choice but to continue
his plans without the necessary permission of his father, as he must continue to build a family by
marrying the one he loves.

MAIN BODY:-
The story of family love did not come from Okeke because so far he did not see the importance
of family and bong tat involving family members.She refused to keep in touch with her son
despite Ninaemeka repeatedly urging her to visit him. At the same time, NeNe is having a hard
time in Lagos dealing with the discrimination of women who do not include her in their
community because she does not belong to the Ibo tribe.
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Eight years later, Okeke received an unexpected letter from NeNe that surprised and embarrassed
him because he had to make a very difficult decision after reading the letter. Nee wrote to her
father-in-law that her grandchildren wanted to meet her.

Apparently, Okeke's determination was broken because even though he could not continue to
stand up against his son and daughter, his love and care for his grandchildren made him very
sorry and saddened by what he had done, he had heard of the decision he had made for many
years to fall.He could not ignore or refuse to meet them because even though he thought of his
own tendency, he also saw them as his repetition and the continuation of his family. Finally, the
story reveals that Okeke is experiencing a complete change.It is clear that Marriage is a private
affair told by someone who knows what will happen in the end in terms of the fact that in the end
the family bond shows that it is stronger than tradition and other things. The timing of the story
cannot be seen but it can be quoted that time is related to the beginning of the 20th century.

According to Mezu (2006), normal feelings seem to be as distressing because all the characters
seem to be bothered most of the time. Mnaemeka remains embroiled in rejection of her father's
marriage, and Okeke is in trouble at the beginning of her son's decision and in the future because
of a relative who has trouble making the decision to meet with her grandchildren, the most
difficult decision in her life.The story unfolds the harsh realities of life in which even the most
difficult and stubborn people can face traumatic situations. It is surprising that the reader realizes
that Okeke's pride drives him away from his son's life and that similar pride makes him open
doors for his grandchildren. This is because they are innocent and have the same blood as
him.The final storyline is marked by a rainstorm, which is the beginning of the season. This
feature proves to be a great solution to the issue because the rain causes feelings and tears and
sadness according to Okeke's grandchildren and the birth of the earth.
As the rain falls on his head, Okeke thinks sadly about his grandchildren standing outside in the
rain. At the same time it can be seen that he thinks of himself as a descendant of the rain, it is
important for the survival of his grandchildren. It now appears for the first time in the story that
Okeke fears his death lest he die without meeting them. In the salvation of his grandchildren
Okeke sees his life and death (Mezu, 2006).

By diverting away from the main theme of the story, which is related to family love and
commitment, the characters in the story are all portrayed as diverse but ultimately connected to
each other in certain ways. NeNe is a very loving person and very much in love with
Naemeka.She will do anything to fulfill her dreams and her relationship with her lover. He does
not care about the important aspect of his relationship that the father of his lover will not accept
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their marriage. On the other hand, her husband Ninaemeka is portrayed as among other things
because she is overly concerned about her father's refusal to accept Nene as his wife.This
concern intensified when he came to visit his father in the last attempt to improve the
relationship between the two, before they got married. Being among the elderly among the Ibo
people, Okeke strongly believes in the traditional ways of his nation and is unwilling to
compromise on any of this before.This became evident when he refused to allow his son to
marry a Ibibo girl. Demonstrates strong character and high levels of determination; sometimes
it's too cold for her son.But he is humble at the same time because after realizing that he has
grandchildren, he longs to meet them even though he strongly disagrees with his earlier decisions
not to associate with his son and daughter (Mezu, 2006).

Upon reading the entire story, the reader realizes that marriage is a complete private affair and
that the culture or the nation or other things are not compatible as long as two people love each
other and voluntarily decide to marry and live together. Everyone has the right to freedom of
opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to
seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.At
the same time, the story conveys the profound message that any father's attachment to his
children, eventually leading to bloodshed, can lead to feelings of inadequacy.
The author does not intend to advise that a person should marry outside of his or her culture but
simply conveys that there is no barrier to a loving relationship due to cultural differences. After
all, marriage is a private affair!