Questions for "Marriage is a Private Affair"

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“Marriage is a Private Affair”
1. Why doesn’t Nnaemeka want to write to his father about his marriage plans?

2. What characteristics does Okeke require in a wife for his son?

3. How do the villagers react to the news of Nnaemeka’s behavior?

4. What does Okeke do with his son’s wedding picture?

5. What request does Nene make of Okeke?

6. What is the irony of the story’s title?

7. This story bursts with conflicts among people and ideas. What are at least two of these conflicts? Does the story resolve them? If so, how?

8. How would you describe Okeke’s character? Use details from the story to support your answer.

9. What do you think happened to the herbalist, and why would Achebe include that anecdote?

10. What might the rain at the end of the story symbolize?
11. The story’s subject is a marriage that occurs against a parent’s wishes, but what is the story’s theme?