Igbo Body

Upon his return, Okonkwo wants people to see him as a leader again with many titles. However, that wasn’t the same as before. He was even shocked that none of his people wanted to go to war after the Europeans have taken over. Okonkwo realize that his old village and the people there have converted and changed, including his son, Nwoye. He even proposed to go to war with the European men and the missionaries. “‘The waiting backcloth jumped into tumultuous life and the meeting was stopped. Okonkwo stood looking at the dead man. He knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He knew because they had let the other messengers escape. They had broken into tumult instead of action. He discerned fright in that tumult. He heard voices asking: ‘Why did he do it?”’(205). This illustrates the enormous change in their society. At the start of the novel, everyone is willing to fight one another and to show that they are better and well respected than others. In this situation, we can see that everyone is following stringent rules set up by the Europeans. This change in religion will bring an end to the Igbo

Following Okonkwo’s seven year exile, the village Okonkwo once knew has changed due to the influence of Christianity and the influence of the British missionaries and officers. Okonkwo’s initial reaction is to arm the clan against the Colonisers and drive the British people out of Igbo.

Through the character of Okonkwo, Achebe illustrates the dangers of being selfish. Although successful, Okonkwo is one of the most aggressively selfish men among the Igbo people based on his self-centered needs and desires. This characteristic is prevalent throughout the entirety of the novel, and there are always consequences to his actions. For example, Okonkwo is fond of calling men “women” to make himself look more masculine. He does this to Osugo in front of a group of men in a meeting. “Okonkwo knew how to kill a man’s spirit. Everybody at the kindred meeting took sides with Osugo when Okonkwo called him a woman” (Achebe 26). Since the other men sided with Osugo, Okonkwo’s punishment for this narcissistic outburst is embarrassment. Continuing,

Therefore, Okonkwo’s realization of not being perfect emphasizes the lack of justification European missionaries had to completely disregard and eliminate the Igbo. Another scholar Donald Wehrs exposes the Igbo for being flawed pre-colonization-- “… we see that Igbo culture has within itself internal correctives. Just as Mosquito buzzes around Ear, so the maternal Ani forces Okonkwo, who dismisses the “silliness” of women, to take refuge in his motherland. Achebe implies that the crisis of Igbo society, the “falling apart” evident prior to the appearance of British colonizers, involves more than an imbalance between masculine and feminine goods” (Wehrs 133-164). Wehrs is implying that the troubles of the Igbo run deeper than a simple imbalance and the “falling apart” of the Igbo society cannot all be credited to the British colonizers, but rather the Igbo themselves. Issues arose internally even before the colonization occurred which is shown in Okonkwo’s exile to Mbanta. Therefore, Wehrs does not disregard the negative impact the arrival of the colonizers had on the Igbo, however, he argues that the impact isn’t as drastic as some

Okonkwo is initially introduced as a proud, hardworking, successful warrior. He is described as "clearly cut out for great things" (6). But he is the son of a ne'er-do-well father; though genial and inoffensive, Unoka must certainly have been considered a failure. He is lazy and does not provide for his family. Not only is this disgraceful, but life-threatening as well. He is dependent on other members of the clan and must have been considered unsuccessful. Okonkwo chafes under such disgrace and his success is a consequence of his desire to be everything his father is not; society's vision of an exemplar citizen. The fact that Okonkwo is able to rise above his poverty and disgraceful paternity illustrates the Igbo's acceptance of individual free will. But Okonkwo's fate and his disharmony with his chi, family and clan are shown to cause his ultimate disgrace and death.

This is an example of cultural collision. When the introduction of Western ideas came into the Igbo culture, Okonkwo’s sense of identity was challenged. Okonkwo started out in the novel as strong, independent, and honorable, but the culture collision of the britain

Okonkwo abides by the rules of masculinity long after it suits his life. Okonkwo thought women we inferior to men. During the Week of Peace, Ojiugo lied to her husband; in the novel it states, “And when she returned he beat her very heavily” (Achebe 29). Okonkwo’s anger took over him. His vision of himself was so great that he thought he could beat his own wife, even during the Week of Peace. Okonkwo’s favorite child would be Ezinma, but she cannot be as great as he would want her to be because she is a female. Okonkwo openly said, “She should have been a boy” (Achebe 64). Okonkwo thinks that his daughter is great, but because she is not a boy he can not admire her. He thinks she would have been better a boy because, in his mind, he thinks men are greater beings than women. Okonkwo cannot wait for his son Nwoye to grow up and be as great of a man as he was. The novel states, “He wanted Nwoye to grow into a tough young man capable of ruling his father’s household when he was dead and gone to join the ancestor” (Achebe 53). Even though Okonkwo likes Ezinma, he thinks Nwoye will keep his legacy going after he is dead. Ironically, Nwoye leaves his father’s side and joins the missionaries, while Ezinma stood by Okonkwo’s side. The reasoning for Okonkwo’s exile was due to Okonkwo shooting a young boy

Therefore, enumerated amongst Okonkwo’s list of accomplishments is his “incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars (8).” The arts, such as music and its connection to feasting and dancing, also hold a minor role in Igbo society. The individual is expected to serve the community and uphold its laws and decisions. Men are also expected to fight and protect others in the community. Similar to Igbo beliefs, I also worship multiple gods.

First, Okonkwo starts off as a poor child, as shown when the book states, “Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had, he did not inherit a barn from his father. There was no barn to inherit” showing that Okonkwo and his family were penurious, compared to others in the Igbo tribe (Achebe 16). Eventually, through his hard work and effort, he became a noble leader, which emphasizes his role as a tragic hero. Throughout the story Okonkwo goes through many challenges, but “In the face of futility, however, he maintains his nobility of character”(Gaydosik).

Okonkwo was “a man of action, a man of war” who only feared showing femininity (Achebe 10). Just as Okonkwo wants to be strong in providing food and shelter for his wives and kids, he wants to be physically strong in defending his village from anyone or anything that threats to change his way of life. Okonkwo “could stand the look of blood” and in the villages latest war “he was the first to bring home a human head” (Achebe 10). Because of his high status in the African Igbo community of Umuofia, Okonkwo was “treated with great honor and respect, two days later he returned home with a lad of fifteen and young virgin” as a piece offering to prevent war (Achebe 12). Okonkwo takes pride in his duty as an aggressive warrior, something his father could never be because of his cowardliness.

The only thing he (Okonkwo) fears most is not ending up like his father, Unoka. However, Achebe ‘‘makes an insightful comment on the nature of masculinity through his representation of the tribal leaders. Achebe basically, was conducive in creating four alter egos of Okonkwo: one of which were the masculinity; next of his fatherly abilities; and the last of his family progress and four of his likelihood of success’’ (Achebe.179). My paper will explain how Okonkwo’s Masculinity from Achebe’s Things Fall Apart will be characterized by his fears, beliefs, and emotions for several reasons.

He does not agree with the Western ideas such as converting the Ibo people to Christianity. Okonkwo thinks that the Ibo people should work together to remove the Western people. In multiple situations, Okonkwo attempts to fight the changes happening within the Ibo society because he does not like what was resulting from these changes. “Okonkwo was deeply grieved. And it was not just a personal grief.

Okonkwo has constantly worked immensely hard to create his affluence as a sharecropper. The author, Chinua Achebe utilizes Okinkwo metaphorically for the Igbo tribe in order to illustrate diversity through means of cultivation and civilization. In the beginning half of the book, the reader presented to the duties

The description given early in the novel clearly establishes his character as being a strong and wealthy man who is well respected among the rest of the tribe due to his superior fighting abilities and his influential personality. Having achieved such elite status within the Umuofia clan, Okonkwo appears to be old-fashioned as it is seen in his approach in raising his family and tribal people. However, Okonkwo’s character changes incrementally with the emergence of a boy, Ikemefuna, from a neighboring village, who was brought to him because of his brutal attack against his wife Ojiugo during the ‘week of peace’. Amongst the Umuofia clan, the ‘week of peace’ is a tribal ritual whose conditions are not to complete any evil sins in a certain week span. After having accepted Ikemefuna into the family, Okonkwo experiences a shift in his mental state. Shortly hereafter, he questions this change, which demonstrates his lack of willingness to change which is clearly demonstrated in the book in several different ways like in chapter Eight, Okonkwo proclaims to himself, “When did you become a shivering old woman, you, who are known in all nine villages for your valour in war” (Achebe 56). This represents that his character has become a weaker, less influential individual amongst the nine tribes where he is well known. Symbolically, this depicts a fragile reputation in Okonkwo’s status within the community to which he belongs.

This paper reflects the novel “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe in 1958. Achebe gives an overview of pre-colonialism and post-colonialism on Igbo, detailing how local traditions and cultural practices can “fall apart” in some scenarios through some introduced, externally created hassles elevated because of colonization. The protagonist named Okonkwo mentioned in the story is a proof showing the lifestyle of the tribe. My main objective and focus is to lay emphasis on Africa specifically the Igbo society, before and after the arrival of the Europeans in Umuofia community; the results of their arrival concerning Igbo culture, thus leading to the clash of cultures between the two categories. I will also draw on post-colonialism with respect to globalization.