Cultural Collision In Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe features the character Nwoye, the son of one of the strongest and most powerful men in the village, Okonkwo. Okonkwo is scared of failure because that is what his father became, so he is incredibly harsh on Nwoye. When the western men invade, Nwoye is torn between two worlds: converting to Christianity where he can start a new life, orstaying loyal to his family and village. Nwyoe ultimately makes the choice to go against his father. Due to the arrival of western culture, Nwoye leaves his family, converts to Christianity, and changes his name.

In “Things Fall Apart” Nwoye is the oldest son of Okonkwo. Nwoye willingness to accept to the cultural collision shows how others react to those who were willing to accept the change and why they were okay with the change.

Cultural collisions cause many things to happen but one person took that and made his life better. Nowye is the first son of a man named Okonkwo, who never never liked his son because he was lazy. This caused tension between the two and it stayed that way until Ikemefuna came along. But of course later on Ikemefuna was murdered and Nowye and Okonkwo’s relationship just got worse then it was before. So when this new culture came into Africa, Nowye has the chance to create a new life for himself. A new life were he doesn’t have to live up to what his dad wants him to be or what other people think he should follow. In the novel Things Fall apart, Chinua Achebe demonstrates that cultural collisions can alture the character’s prespective through

Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures-national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional. Such collisions can call a character’s sense of identity into question. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, there is a cultural collision that takes the form of the missionaries coming to Umuofia and forcing their religion upon the people. Different people react differently to this clash of cultures, ranging from simply conforming to going as far as killing somebody.

Nwoye’s new culture allows him to find a new sense of selfhood. The narrator explains, “And he was already beginning to know some of the simple stories they told”(Achebe 150). The adaptation of Nwoye to the western culture allows him to let go of his past and form a new identity. Likewise, Nwoye’s former culture does not prevent him from finding a place in the new culture. The narrator explains, “But Nwoye resembled his grandfather, Unoka, who was Okonkwo’s father”(Achebe 153). Nwoye is shunned by Okonkwo for being too effeminate like Unoka, but his identity with the European culture allows him to grow as an individual. Nwoye’s new identity goes from being labelled by Okonkwo as effeminate to Nwoye finding a better life with a new

In the novel “Things Fall Apart” One character tells us how his culture become great to fall apart at the end of everything to killing himself. The response to the cultural collision by the western ideas into the ibo culture we got from what happen is that why did he get mad and wanted war so bad. From what he did and to what he killed himself for might have been to protect his tribe from being attack by the white men and his tribe or better meaning is for peace.

We see evidence from the text when Okonkwo found out about him joining the missionaries an when Nwoye came home his father tried to kill him and Nwoye walked away. This evidence supports my claim because it helps to understand Nwoye’s reason for being in the missionaries and his feelings. The second reason Nwoye’s sense of identity was challenged with the introduction of Western ideas was because of him not feeling appreciated from his father because of the things he do. We see evidence from the text when Okonkwo was talking about Nwoye not being a man and that he’s lazy he also feels ashamed to have him as a son.

The novel “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe, is a tale based on the traditional beliefs and customs of an Ibo village during late 1800’s Africa. Through the telling of this story, we witness the remarkable depth of Igbo culture through its functions of religion, politics, judiciary and entertainment.

One of the brothers they lost was the son of a very important hero, Nwoye. In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Nwoye is very different than the other characters when responding the cultural collision. Nwoye embraced the cultural collision and wants to spread it. Nwoye's identity, experiences, and decision shapes the overall message of the novel that even though you are raised in a certain culture and religion, you can want different things.

Imagine one day to the next the culture that some despise shows up out of nowhere and wants to take control. How would someone feel about this cultural collision? In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo the main character is a wealthy, titled man, has 3 wives , 8 children, and is a young leader of Umuofia. Okonkwo shows very little emotion, but one that he shows most of the time is anger. Everything changed with the western’s arrivals. Okonkwo’s response to western ideas illustrates the theme that no matter what culture, never let one emotion take control over the way other cultures are and how they are viewed.

Kaitlyn King 22 March 2018 English ll U3EA2 “How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us,” (Achebe, 176). Western culture believes in one God.

Things Fall Apart is a story about personal beliefs and customs and also a story about conflict. There is struggle between family, culture, and religion of the Ibo people which is all brought on by a difference in personal beliefs and customs. There are the strong opinions of the main character, Okonkwo. We are also introduced to the views of his village, Umuofia. Finally, we see how things fall apart when these beliefs and customs are confronted by those of the white missionaries. Chinua Achebe is a product of both native and European cultures. This has a great effect on the telling of the story. When he tells the story with an understanding and personal experiences in both cultures. He does not portray the African culture and their

Chinua Achebe author of Things Fall Apart illustrates a change in Nwoye when the white missionaries arrive in their clan. Nwoye grew up in a strict household with an abusive father, but he would soon find his courage and identity in an unlikely place. But Nwoye soon found courage in the missionaries.

When one hears the word “collision”, the mind tends to construct a negative image such as crashes destruction. However, despite the negative connotation, collisions can result in many more outcomes than destruction. Collisions between two cultures, for example, has the power to impact and shape the character of those who are searching for their cultural identity. Correspondingly, the cultural collision among the Ibo people and Western ideas leaves a great impression on Nwoye.

Throughout the novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe (1958) discusses the pattern of conflict between traditional African values, as practiced by the Igbo society, and those of the