In Chapter 10 we learn about the legal system of the tribe in Things Fall Apart. How does this legal system compare with the American legal system?

Chapter 10 gives us a real insight into the tribe and in
particular their way of settling disputes. We are told that trials happen in the centre
of the village. Only men are allowed to participate and women are only allowed to
observe. The "judges" take the form of egwugwu, who are the nine masked spirits of the
clan, each of whom represent one of the villages in Umuofia. The leader is called Evil
Forest, and he has a terrifying appearance. Having heard all the evidence, the egwugwu
confer together in a hut before Evil Forest pronounces the verdict of the
egwugwu.

Clearly there are some similarities between the
American legal system and this legal system, but also some blatant differences. The
egwugwu are held as spiritual forces and fear is a part of their
identity:

The
egwugwu with the springy walk was one of the dead fathers of the clan. He looked
terrible with the smoked raffia body, a huge wooden face painted white except for the
round hollow eyes and the charred teeth that were as big as a man's gingers. On his head
were two powerful horns.

The
way that fear and superstition are built in to the Ibo legal system is one obvious
difference, as is the exclusion of women. However, the fact that the egwugwu are
selected, one from each village, and that they confer before pronouncing a judgement,
gives this legal system a representative nature, that is similar. Likewise the members
of the tribe are able to call on the egwugwu to pronounce judgement if they want to, and
of course in America we can take something to the courts if we feel strongly enough
about it.