In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, village societies are structured according to age and honor as well as reverence for religious practices and tradition. Let's look at this in more detail.

The leaders of the village in which Okonkwo lives are the elders. They are the ones charged with guiding the villagers and making decisions. Age is important, for it is supposed to bring wisdom, and it certainly brings honor.

Yet there are other systems of social status in the village as well, and Okonkwo wants to climb the social ladder in that way. He is the son of a lazy man, and Okonkwo is embarrassed by that. So he decides he will become great and gain honor and wealth for himself. He begins with a wrestling contest and then builds himself up to be a successful farmer. He has wealth in land and crops but also in wives and children.

Okonkwo becomes determined to do almost anything not to lose the status he has achieved and the power that has come with it. He will not allow his youngest wife to insult him, and he even kills Ikemefuna so as not to lose face. Yet the elders question Okonkwo for this act, showing that they still have more power than he does. Eventually, they exile Okonkwo from the village after an accident with a gun that causes a death. The elders in Okonkwo's new village are also head of the community, and they counsel Okonkwo about fate and suffering.

You should also mention the role of tradition and religion in village structure. The people follow their customs strictly, for they dread what would happen if they failed to observe them. Think, for instance, about the Oracle and the medicine man, the uri celebration, and even Okonkwo's exile. Tradition is central to village life.