ensure a bountiful harvest from the gods before the seeds are planted, and is a way of ensuring that the tribe gains the blessing of the earth goddess. Note what is said toOkonkwo when he breaks this tradition:

You know as well as I do that our forefathers ordained that before we plant any crops in the earth we should observe a week in which a man does not say a harsh word to his neighbour. We live in peace with our fellows to honour our great goddess of the earth without whose blessing our crops will not grow.

The Week of Peace therefore functions as yet another example of how strongly this tribe lives under the law of taboo and tradition, and how they will avoid doing anything that will anger the gods and threaten their survival. However, the second way it functions is to give us a clear indication of the kind of character Okonkwo is. He becomes so angry that he beats his wife in spite of this taboo. Okonkwo therefore shows himself to be a character who becomes easily overwhelmed by his emotions, in particular his anger. It is this anger that leads him to act impulsively without thinking about the consequences of his actions. This of course foreshadows a point later on in the novel when he becomes similarly overwhelmed by his anger and acts rashly, with horrendous consequences.

The Week of Peace is an annual festival celebrated by the villagers of Umuofia. The festival is celebrated in honor of the earth goddess, Ani, prior to the planting of new crops. In pagan societies, it was quite common for such festivals to take place. It was believed that the gods must be appeased in order to ensure a successful harvest. Otherwise, it was feared that the crops would fail and that the whole community would be plunged into starvation.

The Week of Peace is so called because during this period the villagers refrain from doing any work. Instead, people visit their neighbors, where they drink palm wine. The week is also peaceful in that it is considered taboo to say a harsh word to a neighbor during this time; there must be no physical violence of any kind, either. Anyone who breaks this taboo is required to make an appropriate sacrifice at the shrine of Ani.