How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Nnu Ego laughed with them, and she knew then that, had they lived in times gone by when families used to stay together, several generations living and dying on the same portion of land, Okpo's children would never suffer. For she saw the look of childish love that went from her son to this young girl his father had married. If it had been that time, If Nnaife should die, Okpo would never need to go back to her people, because on a day like this, she had given the boy Adim the spontaneous reaction which he needed and which said: "Well done. We know you will do your duty by us when you grow up." (16.71)
Okpo shows Adim his duty in the traditional culture. Nnu Ego is glad that her son is learning the lesson, even while she sees that they no longer live in a traditional culture.
Quote #8
"I shall still kill you. No child of mine is marrying a tribe that calls us cannibals. A tribe that looks down on us, a tribe that hates us," Nnaife growled, struggling in the hands of his captors.
"So that is it!" shouted the senior man of the Yoruba family, the man Nnaife had wanted to kill originally. "Your girl is only a girl. You cannot prevent a girl from marrying anybody she likes."
"We don't do so in my town Ibuza. I will choose husbands for all my girls. They are too young to know their own minds."
"Look, this is Lagos, not your town or your village." (17.95-98)
Traditions are changing. It used to be that girls could only marry the man their father chose for them. In Lagos, the young people are marrying the European way, and are choosing their mates for themselves. People are marrying outside of their tribes, as well.
Quote #9
"Don't blame anyone for what has happened to your father. Things have changed drastically since the days of his own youth, but he has refused to see the changes. I tried to warn him…but, no matter. The fact is that parents get only reflected glory from their children nowadays, whereas your father invested in all of you, just as his father invested in him so that he could help on the farm. Your father forgot that he himself left the family farm to come to this place. He could only help when he was well settled in a good job. For you, the younger generation, it's a different kind of learning. It also takes longer and costs more. I'm not sure that I'm not beginning to like it. My only regret is that I did not have enough money to let the girls stay at school. So don't' blame your brother for anything. And don't forget Oshia is my son, just like you. Some fathers, especially those with many children from different wives, can reject a bad son, a master can reject his evil servant, a wife can even leave a bad husband, but a mother can never, never reject her son. If he is damned, she is damned with him….So go and wash, put on your clean school uniform and hold your chin up. I shall see to it that your fees are paid before we leave. After that I'm afraid, son, your life is in your own hand and those of your chi."
"Thank you, Mother," Adim said simply, and he determined to do well in his forthcoming examination. (18.12-13)
Nnu Ego has sacrificed mightily to give her children an education, expecting they would take care of her someday. But now she sees that traditions have changed, that the education she has given her children is different than the training children used to get. Likewise, she can no longer expect her children to follow the traditional path of providing for their mother. Nnu Ego also recognizes that Nnaife didn't help his family in the traditional way, the way he now expects his sons to do.