Things Fall Apart

"He felt relief as the hymn poured down his parched soul. The words of the hymn were like the drops of frozen rain melting on the dry palate of the panting earth."

Religion is commonly paired with rain. In the Bible,it caused Noah's flood but also provided libation for the Jewish crossing the Sinai Desert. For the early people, rain was seen as a miracle. There was no way to efficiently carry water over long distances; rain did that for them. Rain also purified the body because it easily washed away dirt.For Nwoye his whole life was "dry"; his father felt no love or compassion for him and treated him abrasively. But religion accepted him. It was a source of comfort and something soothing. He was no longer out in the "heat" of his father's wrath, but under the cool and calm of a spiritual place. And this naturally reminded him of rain because rain is a respite from the heat. It also is the sustenance for Nwoye's crops and cattle. But now religion is the "nourishment" of his life, like the rain for his farm.