Essay on Yeatsian and Western Influences on Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

The notion of balance in Achebe's novel is an important theme throughout the book. Beginning with the excerpt from Yeats's poem, "The Second Coming," the concept of balance is stressed as important, for without balance, order is lost. In the novel, there are many systems of balance which the Ibo culture seems to depend upon. It is when these systems are upset that "things fall apart." Okonkwo, the Ibo religion, and ultimately, the Ibos' autonomy were brought to their demise by an extreme imbalance between their male and female aspects. These male and female aspects can be generally be described as the external, physical strength of the male; and the internal, passive, and nurturing

The evangelists are very accepting, as they take in the osu, outcasts from the clan. They offer salvation along with freedom, which Nwoye has been searching for for a long time. However, because of Nwoye’s action, Okonkwo disowns him. Later, when Obierika goes to visit Okonkwo, he finds that “Okonkwo [does] not wish to speak about Nwoye.” Moreover, Okonkwo tells his other children that “if any one of [them] prefers to be a woman, let him follow Nwoye” (Achebe, 172). Okonkwo then asks himself how he could have “begotten a woman for a son” (Achebe, 153). According to Okonkwo, Nwoye has become weak because he has joined another religion. Since Okonkwo believes he is the most masculine man in Umuofia, it is unbearable that his child turned out to be such a failure. This unbearable change in his family creates a ripple effect of events that become worse and worse for Okonkwo.

Because Okonkwo was never too fond of Nwoye, as he was towards his daughter Enzima or even Ikemefuna a non related child, Nwoye didn’t gain a father son relationship. Nwoye, as a child, knew his fathers tributes and character so tried to not to anger him. This included listening to explicit stories depicting death and violence even though he preferred his mothers stories about animals learning morals. As the time went by Nwoye started becoming more distant with his father. Finally, when the European starting practicing and trying to convert their religion to the Ibo, Nwoye felt something awaken and mesmerizing about them. It was depicted by stating, “He did not understand it. It was the poetry of the new religion, something felt in the marrow. The hymn about brothers

The timeless essence and the ambivalence in Yeats’ poems urge the reader’s response to relevant themes in society today. This enduring power of Yeats’ poetry, influenced by the Mystic and pagan influences is embedded within the textual integrity drawn from poetic techniques and structure when discussing relevant contextual concerns.

Who are you? Have you ever wondered where you get your identity; what exactly defines you as a person? The obstacles in our lives shape us people, Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart illustrates the circumstances one man and his son face in an Ibo village in Nigeria. Okonkwo, the protagonist/antagonist has a tragic flaw, the fear of weakness which ultimately causes him to expect more from his son, Nwoye who never falls short in disappointing him. The relationship between the two is not the most desired seeing that they both do not show the affection most father-son relationships do. Traditionally, most sons follow their father's footsteps, however, this is not the case for both

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

In Things Fall Apart, Achebe indeed demonstrates that the lack of an open mind drives destruction and havoc through the character of Okonkwo. His stubbornness and intolerance for Christianity leads him to devastation and frustration, tearing himself apart. First and foremost, Christian missionaries come and influence the people surrounding Okonkwo. In one case, his son Nwoye ‘had been captivated’ (147) by this new religion in Nigeria and saw it as a relief in his life. To demonstrate, Nwoye consistently visits the church and observes the missionaries’ practices. Another example of Okonkwo’s negative opinions on Christianity is when he is talking to Obierika about how ‘their own men and their sons have joined the ranks of a stranger’ (176).

Although initially there were a limited number of converts, as the missionaries persisted they were able to convert more and more natives. This decision amongst the natives on how to deal with the missionaries quickly led to the creation of a rift in their society that would prove to be unrepairable. The birth of this rift can be seen through how the converts became swept up in Christian ideology and began disgracing the religion of the Igbo people. This was exemplified when a convert kills Mbanta’s royal python which results in Mbanta banishing Christians. Okonkwo returns to the Umuofia tribe to find it falling apart due to the introduction of missionaries. The Europeans holding Okonkwo prisoner represents them holding the Igbo culture hostage, as well as them slowly destroying the culture to be what they want it to be. This symbolism comes to a head at the end of the novel when Okonkwo is found to have committed suicide; the Europeans forced the Igbo culture to collapse in on itself and

The whole clan visits the funeral of the once great warrior, owner of three titles, Ezuedu. Oknonkwo takes part in the funeral by firing his gun as the drums are hit. His gun goes off unexpectedly, killing a 16 year old, Ezuedus son. Okonkwo is immediately sent to exile in his motherland of Mbanta for committing this crime against the earth goddess. He slowly began to start his life over “without the vigor and enthusiasm” he once had in his youth. Okonkwo was not pleased with his new work of developing a farm and when he got a break “he sat in a silent half-asleep” (131). Okonkwo felt as though “he had been cast out of his clan like a fish onto a dry, sandy beach, painting” (131). Obierka visits Okonkwo four years into his exile to tell him that Christian missionaries have been seen in ufomia. They had already built their churches and built a community of evangelist that had welcomed the new faith. Initially, most of the followers were known as efulefu, worthless, empty men” (143) but soon enough the whole clan had converted to Christianity. Okonkwo was upset with the news and even more raged when he realized his son, Nwoye had converted too. The missionaries “caused a considerable stir in the village” (144). Soon the missionaries’ word had spread and most of the village had converted despite the many setbacks and conflicts. Back in Mbanta,

From the outset it is important to acknowledge that the primary motive cause for Okonkwo’s destruction must be located in the fact of British colonisation of Igboland. Put bluntly, if the British had not come to Umuofia, the clan would not have fallen apart and Okonkwo would not have been led to commit suicide. Of course it is true that there are flaws and contradictions in Umuofian clan tradition which give rise to internal tensions and which alienate certain members of the society. These include such specific instances as the throwing away of twins, the irrational taboo of the osu or outcasts, as well as, at times, the apparently senseless decrees of the gods and oracle, which produce fear and uncertainty rather than stability in the society. More generally, there is the societal privileging of masculine, warrior-like qualities which leads to the marginalization of the gentle and the weak, such as Unoka and Nwoye; of the unsuccessful, who are labeled efulefu, or worthless men; and, most notably, of women, who are everywhere rendered subordinate to patriarchal domination. There is also the instance of Okonkwo’s seven-year banishment from the clan, which seems an overly harsh penalty for an inadvertent crime, and which causes Obierika, at least, to question the fitness of the punishment. Nevertheless, Achebe is at pains in the lengthy first part of the novel to establish that Umuofian society is generally stable and coherent, and that such flaws as do exist are insufficient

Describing what, for Christians, should be glorious and beautiful, he states “mere anarchy is loosed upon the world” (4). Mere--as if anarchy is not such a big deal. Like Blast, Yeats has a strong sense of irony, though he uses it a bit more subtly than Blast did. “The best lack all conviction” (7), showing that “the best”--those that tried to follow the rules that Jesus had laid down--now have no idea where to turn since their law was taken from them. “The ceremony of innocence is drowned” (6) after all, as no one truly is as innocent as they might pretend to be, and ceremonies are a simple facade--a ritual done out of tradition and politeness, which the modernists

Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” chronicles the life of Okonkwo, a strong man whose existence is dominated by fear and anger, and the Ibo tribe, a people deeply rooted in cultural belief and tradition. As events unfold, Okonkwo’s carefully constructed world and the Ibo way of life collapses. The story of Okonkwo’s fall from a respected and feared leader of the Ibo tribe to an outcast who dies in disgrace dramatizes his inability to evolve beyond his personal beliefs, affecting the entire Ibo tribe beyond measure. The “things” that fall apart in Achebe’s novel are Okonkwo’s life – his ambition, dreams, family unity and material wealth – and the Ibo way of life – their beliefs, culture and values.

Secondly, the Christians unite the converts, but this unity does not prevent the new converts from demeaning others because of their religion or beliefs. When Mr. Kiaga, the missionaries’ interpreter, persuades the converts to accept the osu, or those who are cast out of the clan, Achebe writes, “‘Before God,’ he [Mr. Kiaga] said, ‘there is no slave or free. We are all children of God and we must receive these our brothers’”(136). The people are guided by Mr. Kiaga’s words as he teaches that they are all children of God and are, therefore, equal. One might think that converts would subsequently show the other religion in Umuofia an equal amount of respect as before, but they do not. While the church is still new to the village and does not perish in Evil Forest, Achebe says, “Three converts had gone into the village and

Okonkwo’s culture tells him to beat what he cannot fix, this idea evolved from his father, his mother culture and the lazy ways that came with it. The major factors that shape Nwoye’s view on a culture are his father, his mother culture and the white man. Along with Christianity he completely destroys the values of Okonkwo’s culture. “ Nwoye had been attracted to the new faith from the very first day, but he kept it a secret”(Achebe 149). Nwoye is too afraid of his father, as is, symbolically the clashing culture afraid of the mother culture and the outcome of the clash. The notion of the white man, along with Christianity assimilates Nwoye and his culture. And the factors above shape the view of what he wants a culture to be.

Nwoye most likely remembers the twins he heard thrown in the Evil Forest and intends to be like Isaac, and protect twins and others that the Ibo consider evil. Nwoye has also become a teacher which shows his devotion to Christianity, greater than any devotion he had in Umuofia, whether to working in the fields, his father, or his culture. Mr. Brown's friendly nature is also shown in this section. He heard of Okonkwo returning to Umuofia and "immediately paid him a visit" and "hoped that Okonkwo would be happy to hear of it," referring to Nwoye. Okonkwo, however, drove Mr. Brown away and threatened him. This treatment of Mr. Brown shows Okonkwo's genuine hatred of Christianity that stole his first-born son and any change that has come with it.