Fear Of Change In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

In the novel, Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is a sympathetic character and unsympathetic character in regards to his family relationships with his adopted son, Ikemefuna, his daughter, Ezima, and his father, Unoka, as a result of he appears to genuinely care about his family; but, the pride within himself prevents his expression of such pride and concern openly.

Okonkwo, Nwoye, and Ikemefuna all shared similar and different characteristics. This is significant because in all books there needs to be different and similar characteristics. Okonkwo and Nwoye grew apart as the book came along. Okonkwo preferred Ikemefuna over Nwoye. Although Nwoye could care less. He enjoyed living his own life with his own religion. In our lives, people grow apart from each other and have their own

Jake Chromcik Mr. Jones 4/15/24 Persuasive Essay Rough Draft Persuasive Essay Rough Draft Survival is attributed to the ability to change, and change is something that a person will experience and will have to overcome. However, survival also relies heavily on one’s fate and events that can occur outside their control. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo’s stubbornness and fear of change are displayed in the book. As colonization occurs, Okonkwo cannot adapt to the conditions that ultimately lead to his demise.

Okonkwo was the main character in “Things Fall Apart”. He was respected and revered by all as a man willing to fight for his people. However his eagerness

“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe has a lot of unique characters, but the one that is the most unique and really makes the novel interesting is Okonkwo. Due to his frustrating childhood and exhilarating life, he really adds a lot to the story. Okonkwo may seem flawless, and in some ways he is, but in reality he has a lot of insecurity and worry on his plate.

His behavior is more controlled, and he can communicate his thoughts better without being rash. The seven years he were in exile allowed him to develop into a better man than he was years ago. Changes Okonkwo goes through mainly occurs after important events. The events help him develop a better understanding to his surroundings, and his behavior towards certain subjects. In the novel, Okonkwo’s actions are based upon the fear to be like his father.

In Achebe’s book Things Fall Apart Okonkwo is arguably made out to be a “coward” due to the killing of the messenger and to himself. Many reader’s don’t see that Okonkwo is no coward at all, but should be considered a “tragic hero”.

Okonkwo, as presented by Chinua Achebe in the novel Things Fall Apart, wished to be revered by all as a man of great wealth, power and control--the antithesis of his father. Okonkwo was driven by the need to exhibit utmost control over himself and others; he was an obsessive and insecure man.

Change. Our world is all about change now in days. One phone to the next, one hairstyle to another, or new style of clothes. All we do now is change and go with the flow. But do we have to change. Things Fall Apart is a story all about change. It’s written by Chinua Achebe. I don’t believe that we do and neither did Okonkwo. Okonkwo did what I believe what was right which was stood up for his beliefs.

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, takes place in Umofia, consisting of a group of villages on the lower Niger. Okonkwo’s tribe is named the Igbo. The Igbo tribe is a strong and mighty clan. They have great skills in war and have a good population with strong traditions. However, though they may be a strong and mighty clan, fear plays a huge part in their lives. Fear is shown all throughout Things Fall Apart in a negative way and leads to some of the character’s downfall; whether it is fear in a single person’s life or the clan all together, one can easily identify the fear these characters have.

For many people, change could be a scary thought to think about. If you encounter change it could bring you out of your comfort zone. When out of your comfort zone, it could bring stress and many different emotions out. This could definitely change how you handle things in life, because everyone in the world goes through change whether it be mentally, or physically. In the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the character Okonkwo is a stubborn hard-headed male from Umuofia. His stubbornness leads to many downfalls in his life. Okonkwo refused to change because of the fear of becoming like his father, and the theme that change is inevitable is revealed.

Not many people like change, especially when it comes to how you live your life. Okonkwo’s sense of identity was challenged when western ideas were introduced. In the beginning of Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo was strict when needed and hated everybody who resembled his father. As time progressed, and the westerners came, he started to see start to become his father and that frightened him. It frightened him enough to disown his son, whom he had been trying to make a better man,not saying much when he and the others got captured when he would usually talk about how he was going to kill them, and lastly, he killed himself.

He had had no patience with his father,”(Achebe 4). Okonkwo was a determined man who despised general laziness. “ Okonkwo wanted his son to be a great farmer and a great man. He would stamp out the disquieting signs of laziness which he thought he already saw in him” (Achebe 33). This quote describes Okonkwo very well because it shows how he did not tolerate any signs of idleness because he saw the effects of this on his father.

During the mid 1800s and 1900s, the continent of Africa was being invaded by European superpower nations such as Great Britain, France, and others. The proper act was named as Colonialism which according to my lecture notes means: “a racially based system of political, economical, and cultural domination forced on an indigenous majority by a technological superior foreign minority” (Zeitler). For instance, many European nations enforced imperialism on the continent of Africa because of its recently discovered natural resources which would be beneficial for their countries, and Europeans used western education and religion as a moral “cover” for their easy access to the native African’s lands and enforce the natives to be more civilized

In the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, it carries a very common theme; fear is destructive and can provoke the most daunting actions. Okonkwo and his village went through a bunch of disasters and events because they feared a lot of stuff. Okonkwo was driven to madness by fear and most of his actions were driven by fear.