Okonkwo's Change In 'Things Fall Apart'

In the novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected and determined individual whose fatal flaw eventually works against him. Throughout the novel the readers are shown that Okonkwo has many of these Characteristics because he is obsessed with the idea of becoming just like his father. This becomes his flaw in the novel that puts him into exile and makes it hard for him to adjust to the changes that were made with in his village.

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.

Okonkwo’s story portrays the major differences between African culture and the idea that the Western society had on the African culture. Okonkwo is native to the Umuofia tribe and represented this oversized human being who with holds no emotion. All this makes Okonkwo seem very unrelatable and unfriendly, but this is what makes his relationships with the characters in the book so entertaining. For example, Okonkwo had a very negative connection with his father that affected him so much that it brought him to the point where it changed his life and is also the reason why he is so strict with his kids. With the introduction of these missionaries into the tribe, it completely changed the way the tribe acted and ended up bringing Okonkwo to a point where he had to pay the ultimate price. It was all because they couldn’t get along.

There are 3 stages of the novel, “Things Fall Apart”. The first stage is when Okonkwo gains his glory. In this stage Okonkwo gains his glory by wrestling and honoring his people, he also gets married and has children, who all respect him. The second stage is about Okonkwo having internal conflict with the crime he committed, accidently killing a boy. Okonkwo is banned from his people, so he moves away, but in all the years that he is banned he planned his return. Finally, the last stage is on Okonkwo’s return and him trying to get rid of the new religion. When Okonkwo returns he immediately starts to rebuild and tries to get rid of the foreign religion. Despite Okonkwo’s hardworking return, Okonkwo still has internal conflict and commits suicide.

Okonkwo feels as though his seven year exile was a waste of time, so he plans on

Okonkwo’s demise In Things Fall Apart Okonkwo’s anger led to his demise. In the book Okonkwo’s anger, let him beat his wife, when Okonkwo was in a rage he just want to hurt and killed people, his friends always want to stop him, his anger also let him to kill the messenger. The anger always lets him to doing wrong thing over and over again.

From Progression to Failure Western ideas changed the perspectives of many people in Africa, but in the book Things Fall Apart it grasps an image of how their identities are altered. Robust, sedulous, and stern was the definition of Okonkwo a man who strived to become the strongest and highest man of his clan. Okonkwo had many setbacks, but always kept pushing forward even when he had to reinstate his life all over again to become the strongest again. But when the Western ideas had arrived in Africa he had slowly fallen succumbed to it and had perished. Yet those ideas had left a mark in his life, even though he had rebuked them, Okonkwo had diminished from taking any action in those ideas, but he had ended his life because of it.

Toil has a negative connotation as it refers to hard work without cessation. While Okonkwo was serving his punishment in exile, Obierika brought word to Mbanta about the government the white men had brought with them. In this government, the District Commissioner oversees the judging of “men who had offended against the white man’s law” (174). The court messengers were the ones who had to do hard work: they, nicknames “Ashy Buttocks,” were responsible for fetching the defendant and forcing prisoners to work (175). When Okonkwo finally returns to Umuofia, the District Commissioner continues to do his facile task of judging the Ibo people and dishing out punishments. To describe the District Commissioner’s work as a toil is an overstatement.

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.

Cheyenne Watkins Mr Wulf ELA 10, P.3 29 March, 2018 Okonkwo’s Change In the book “Things Fall Apart,” the Europeans came to these tribes in Nigeria and have changed them because of their influences. In this story they have impacted Okonkwo negatively.

Okonkwo shows throughout the book Things Fall Apart that he fears weakness and failure. Often times he also shows that he is bitter and gets angry easily. This bitterness and fear leads to some consequence such as exile and death. After several encounters with failure Okonkwo realizes his weak points and gains sympathy from that. There are ways that Okonkwo shows theses things throughout the book and evidence that makes them true.

Things Fall Apart, by: Chinua Achebe, I think Okonkwo changed a lot from the beginning from the book because, When we first met him he was a stern hard man who was known for having everything and being the best, to losing everything and starting over. In that time where he lost everything he began to change, he became nicer cared a little less, and realized to truly become your best you have to lose everything you were before. When Oknokwo beat the “Cat” he became something. He got Notability, respect and much more. This is where everything started, once he beat the cat something changed in him he got more mature more stern more respected, He became a man.

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).

Things begin to fall apart when Okonkwo kills a young man and is exiled for seven years. Throughout the seven years, Okonkwo thinks only of his return to Umuofia and how he will rebuild his fame and fortune and how much he must have been misssed by his people. Upon his return,

Okonkwo is a strong and confident man who has vowed to never be like his father Unoka. His father was lazy, unsuccessful and carried no titles. The relationship between Okonkwo and his father motivated Okonkwo to gain titles and become successful inside the clan. In this sense, Okonkwo has gained many titles, has three wives, and respected by the clan. Okonkwo chose to feel that identity in the clan was most important, and through this he had become a presence in the clan, noticed by the elders. However after the arrival of missionaries, who had come to convert the clans to Christianity, Okonkwo’s view is completely contradicted by the missionaries. Okonkwo had grown accustomed to members of the clan being ranked by certain tiers, while the