Okonkwo's Archetypes

This unexpected shift in Okonkwo’s behavior and leads the reader and to question what Okonkwo will do with this conflict. Will Okonkwo demonstrate his strengths and slay his adopted son or will he save Ikemefuna from getting killed? This relates to what Biblical style brings according to Erich Auerbach, as we see suspense on what Okonkwo will do with the situation of choosing either tradition or family.

In order to not become like his father, Okonkwo consciously strives to be prosperous, violent, resourceful, unable to show “soft” emotion, and denies music orientation. “And no Okonkwo was ruled by one passion—to hate everything that his

7. “Okonkwo ruled his house with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children.”

Okonkwo wrestles with his fear that any sign of weakness will cause him to lose control of his family, position in the village, and even himself. Like many heroes of classical tragedy, Okonkwo’s tragic flaw, fear, also makes him excessively proud. Okonkwo’s downfall is a result of the changes created by the coming of the British Colonisers to Igbo. The introduction of the Colonisers into the novel causes Okonkwo’s tragic flaw to be exacerbated. Okonkwo construes change as weakness, and as a result of his interpretation, Okonkwo only knows how to react to change through anger and strength. He derives great satisfaction, “hubris” or proud arrogance, from the fact that he is a traditional, self made man and thinks that to change would mean submitting to an outside force (Christianity).

Throughout Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, literary devices such as foreshadowing, irony, and others are used to give the reader a deeper understanding of the text, and convey the author's ideas and points. Examples of these occurrences include how Okonkwo is often described in terms of fire and flames. Okonkwo’s nickname was even said to be “Roaring Flame” (Achebe. Page 153), because to him, the image or thought of fire symbolizes masculinity, potential, and life.

In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe employs imagery, symbolism, and themes to reveal the story of Okonkwo. Throughout the novel he weaves in these things to really tell us the tale.

Okonkwo’s fear of unmanliness is kindled by his father, who was a lazy, unaccomplished man. Okonkwo strives to have a high status from a young age and eventually achieves it. He has a large family, many yams and is well known throughout the village for his valor. He

In most cultures an individual’s gender will influence their characterization. For instance, Ibo tribes in Africa classify people according to their gender. Women are thought as submissive individuals who are to some extent weaker than men. Men on the other hand are thought of as strong beings with much expected from them. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart strongly emphasizes on the categorization of masculinity and femininity in the society of Ibo tribes. Throughout the book, Okonkwo’s idea about masculinity situates him with respect to his community. In his community Okonkwo is greatly praised for his masculine traits. It is Okonkwo integration with masculinity that leads to him becoming an

The first archetype that is introduced in the very beginning of the book and continues to effect the plotline is soma and its color. Within the book, soma is seen as a drug that is given out by the world state in order to keep control. Although it is only strawberry ice cream, it is believed to be a drug that can calm and distract the society. It is not so much the soma that is the archetype but the color of the soma; the color pink is made up by mixing red and white. The color red is seen as a intense color that represents danger, anger and passion.

The breakdown of Okonkwo’s relationship with his son is evident throughout this novel. The reason for this tumultuous relationship is, Okonkwo is too engrossed in maintaining his status quo, and his relationship was governed by his own beliefs, principles and his own “right way to do right things”. He treated his family very strictly as he believed that showing affection revealed a sign of social weakness; thus the disheartening lack of respect and love was a mal nourishing factor with in the family.

Chinua Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart regards the downfall of society and life of a big, fierce and rich man named Okonkwo, who is also an essential to the Ibo tribe. He is seen as wealthy and strong with a furious temper in which no one dares to mess with. Throughout the story, Okonkwo faces numerous major downfalls, including the destruction of the nature between him and his son, Nwoye. As a widely referenced motif in the novel, Achebe makes a connection between Okonkwo and the representation of "fire" metaphorically in attempt to establish the relevance between them. Just like that of Okonkwo's extreme personality, fire is symbolically represented as strength and fury.

One literary device the author showcased was symbolism. A symbol is something used to describe and showcase the bigger picture of a larger concept. Okonkwo is often described by many as the fire and flames. To me, fire is used to symbolize Okonkwo's determination and masculinity. Throughout the story he only ever showed anger towards people, any other emotion was shown as being feminine and weak.

Furthermore, Okonkwo’s fears cause him to act irrationally and behave in ways that are not acceptable. Moreover, he tries vigorously to do whatever Unoka did not and he avoids whatever Unoka did, which end up causing problems later in his family and town. Okonkwo goes out of his way to be the paradox of his father, often times putting him in situations that are hazardous to his heath and his family’s. The most notable example of Okonkwo’s attempts to be the antithesis of his father is in his harsh treatment of his children, which is all because he wishes to “stamp out” the “signs of laziness” that he connects with his father (33). Okonkwo flogs his children with the intention that it will eradicate the signs “incipient laziness”, and thus help them grow up to be successful men in the community.

In addition to his noble stature, Okonkwo proves to have fallible characteristics when he lets his anger get in the way of his path to ultimate nobility and popularity. Okonkwo breaks the sacred Week of Peace by beating his wife, which proves as an example as to how Okonkwo lets his anger get in the way of his success. This anger is derived from Okonkwo’s hamartia, which is the fear of rejection and failure that he has faced ever since his father, Unoka, brought shame to his family. Additionally, Okonkwo’s hamartia was fueled by hubris; because Okonkwo cared so much about society’s perception of him, he let the thought of fear dictate his words and actions. Likewise, Okonkwo’s punishment of suicide exceeds his crime.

In this scenario, the consequences of Okonkwo’s violence are different than before. While in the first two instances, the consequences befell on Okonkwo; when Okonkwo commits suicide, his internal emotions are revealed to his friends and family. This is another instance where the theme that violence has consequences is