An Analysis Of Chinua Achebe 's ' Things Fall Apart '

“Okonkwo’s gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy’s heart” (124).

What effects can fear have on a person? And how can these effects influence that person? Fear is defined in the Oxford dictionary as ‘an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm’. The tragic novel “Things Fall Apart”, written by the renowned Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe, is an incredibly influential text. The novel is also an example of how fear can be utilised as an approach to characterisation. Achebe composed his novel in a manner, which portrays a complex and dynamic community to represent Nigerian cultures to a western audience. Achebe was able to attain this through the Ibo communities and the main character Okonkwo. In the beginning of the novel, Okonkwo is represented as a man of pride, success, and hard

In Chinua Achebe 's novel Things Fall Apart, a well-known aphorism, "pride goes before a fall", was used. I agreed with and supported this statement. The story line itself backed up this statement as well. Through Okonkwo 's hard work he became a "great man" with a sense of pride and haughtiness, who then suffered a loss of pride, which ultimately led to his down fall and his own suicide.

Traditions is a representation of the history, beliefs, and language of a group of people or country. Traditions usually have a symbolic meaning due to the origins in the past. Unfortunately, most traditions aren't as positive as they should be. There's really negative traditions that can sometimes effect the people and the way they think. The people can sometimes become very narrow-minded or depending on the customs and traditions, they'll become violent. In the book Things Fall Apart Umuofia's traditions have a negative effect on the people, specifically Okonkwo. Okonkwo happens to be a respected member of the Umuofia clan. Okonkwo's wealth and High-ranked position in the community makes him very powerful. On the other hand his extreme

In the story Things Fall Apart the author, Chinua Achebe, uses the character Okonkwo to show that a man’s hubris can one day lead to a terrible fate. Achebe does this by having the main character Okonkwo struggle with keeping his life together. As Victor Uchendu talks about life in The Igbo World “is an equilibrium that is constantly threatened, and sometimes actually disturbed by natural and social calamities”(Uchendu 227). In the beginning of the story Okonkwo starts off as the strongest character when he defeats “Amalinize the Cat” (Achebe 3). This shows the reader that Okonkwo is the strongest and is determined to stay the strongest. Achebe uses certain events later in the story to foreshadow that Okonkwo will soon meet a terrible fate by having him kill Ikemefuna, by having him get kicked out of his village, by having the British change his son, and by displaying his rage and despair at the end of the story.

Growing up in an environment where one’s parents and society restrict the behavior of that individual, can be a very challenging situation to be in. This was so for Nwoye. Raised in the Igbo culture, social order was said to demand conformity. It was a culture where he was forced to act a certain way, or be punished by his father Okonkwo, which wasn’t a type of lifestyle Nwoye would want to be living all his life. The book, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe uses Nwoye to exemplify the outcomes in a relationship, of a father forcing masculine and cultural tradition values his son, Nwoye. Although, Nwoye’s curiosity on the Igbo culture and will to become the person that he wants to be, comes before him even if it calls for going against

Throughout Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo portrays a more austere type of person, only wanting to succeed in life to not become a failure like his father, Unoka. Achebe shows that Okonkwo cares for Ezinma most when he follows her to the cave. However, Okonkwo will never quite accept her fully because she is a woman.

Chinua Achebe’s portrayal of the role of women is significant because it disproves the stereotypes of non-western society. In Igbo society, women have many roles both in the household and in the village. “Igbo women [have] rights and freedoms”, such as “cook[ing] for themselves and rais[ing] their own children” (Ohadike xxxii). Because women are tasked with these important duties, women are very important. In Igbo society, sometimes women have more freedom than in other societies (such as western).

Throughout life many challenges come up that aren’t expected to arise. In some cases the best thing to do is help people that are hurting in tough situations. Instead of saying things about what people are doing wrong, boost them up. Everybody in life has good days and bad days. Many times you don’t understand what the other person is going through, so don’t say something that is going to hurt the other person. Everybody should watch what they say because the person you are talking to may see it in a completely different way. These tough situations could change history completely if each person took time to understand the other person that they are communicating with. In the book Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, many times the readers

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, tells the story of a warrior, Okonkwo, who watches as European missionaries slowly tear apart the culture of his village. This story takes place in pre-colonial Nigeria, where Umuofia is divided among nine villages. Okonkwo, the main character, and Obierika are best friends, even though they are polar opposites. Although these two individuals have different personalities and attributes, their culture, beliefs, and traditions are what ultimately brought them together.

This fall arises from the possession of a flaw that can ultimately lead to loss in the surrounding community as well as the hero. Okonkwo, the main character, was a rich man who possessed a high status and, “To crown it all he had taken two titles and had shown incredible prowess…” (Achebe 8). Because of his incredible accomplishments, he gained fame throughout several villages. However, “He was afraid of being thought weak,” (Achebe 61) and the only emotion he was known to express was anger.

In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, rising modern ideals challenge the traditional values in Ibo culture. These confronting principles influence changes formed through chaos and disarray. While some Ibo people are more welcoming to the newer concepts, Okonkwo, a strong warrior, famous wrestler and well known leader in the Umuofia clan stays true to his traditional ways. The devout man assures himself to not stray from the traditional path due to haunting memories of his lazy father Unoka. At a young age Okonkwo concluded to vigorously work on not become his disgraceful father. In the end, Okonkwo’s life becomes dictated by his conscious will to oppose to his father, contributing to several problems with his family, friends and

Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, is a tale about Okonkwo, erstwhile respected warrior who is troubled by his father’s actions, which causes Okonkwo to make unscrupulous decisions with his life. The novel begins with Okonkwo, an extremely skilled wrestler that was recognized throughout the nine villages especially after he defeated Amalinze the Cat. Okonkwo was tall, massive, and had wide nose that gave him a very severe look. Okonkwo disgraced his father Unoka, because to the fact that he was particularly lazy and profligate person. Unoka was a failure in life for the reason that he was poor, he barely could feed his wife and children. Unoka could not receive help due to the fact that he was a debtor and refused to pay people back. Ogbuefi Ezeudu, a respected elder and powerful orator, announces “Those sons of wild animals have dared to murder a daughter of Umuofia.” Umuofia was feared by the other villages because of their skilled military. Okonkwo arrives at Mbaino, in a settlement Okonkwo is given a young virgin and a young boy named Ikemefuna because one of Mbaino murdered a girl from Umuofia. Okonkwo is chosen to represent the Umuofia because he’s a vicious warrior. Since Okonkwo fears failure and weakness for the reasons of his father Unoka, Okonkwo ruled his house with an iron fist. Okonkwo becomes a father figure to Ikemefuna who also builds a strong relationship with Okonkwo’s son Nwoye. Ikemefuna lives with Okonkwo and his family for three years until such

“Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper.”

Nwoye likewise forms a strong attachment to the newcomer. Despite his fondness for Ikemefuna and despite the fact that the boy begins to call him “father,” Okonkwo does not let himself show any affection for him. During the Week of Peace, Okonkwo accuses his youngest wife, Ojiugo, of negligence. He severely beats her, breaking the peace of the sacred week. He makes some sacrifices to show his repentance, but he has shocked his community irreparably. Ikemefuna stays with Okonkwo’s family for three years. Nwoye looks up to him as an older brother and, much to Okonkwo’s pleasure, develops a more masculine attitude. One day, the locusts come to Umuofia—they will come every year for seven years before disappearing for another generation. The village excitedly collects them because they are good to eat when cooked.