Okonkwo's Exile Analysis

Because of the lack of acceptance from his family, especially his father, he is forced to make a choice between his new culture, or his loved ones. He chooses to leave, and when ask by his father’s friend, obierka, Nwoye says [quote about Okonkwo not being his father]. Okonkwo doesn’t take it well either stating to his children [the thing about them being dead to him or something]. This action shows Nwoye’s willingness to value his new faith in Christianity over his own blood. His troubling past with his father and sense of belonging makes it easy for him to change his life for the better by leaving. The missionaries offer Nwoye a better alternative to the oppressive life he is living, which gives him peace of mind as he leaves his family behind. In the wake of Nwoye growing up and struggling to find himself, he managed to go through a cultural shift and completely change his identity. As some Ibo people also choose to convert also, the missionaries gain more and more power over the village. Things begin to fall apart for the Ibo clan as they are divided because of the forces within themselves. The village of Umuofia is ultimately destroyed because of the split between the people living there. Although Nwoye never felt quite in the right place before, he finds peace of mind in his new sense of self, and easily forgets his past to start a new and better

9. “Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness. At any rate, that was how it looked to his father, and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating. And so Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced youth.”

“They have meetings every Sunday and I saw Nwoye at one of them.” Obierika waited Okonkwo’s response but Okonkwo said nothing. He told his friend, he did not wish to speak about Nwoye as he had disowned him. Obierika nodded his head like a rocking chair in agreement to let Okonkwo know that he understood. The day had come and gone but Okonkwo still refused to speak about Nwoye. Just then, Nwoye walked into his father’s compound with fear

However in chapter 16 on page forty seven, it was just poetry with a new religion in it to Nwoye something that he felt within him. It opened his eyes realizing that his own father did so many injustice making him hate and lose respect for him. He also appeared to be relieved about the twins crying in the bush and Ikemefuna death after he heard the christians preach. It made him have peace for his own soul. Later on in the novel in the beginning of chapter seventeen when it says “Although Nwoye had been attracted to the new faith from the very first day, he kept it secret. He dared not to go too near the missionaries for fear of his father,” he was in fear to show others in the village and his father that the western culture had an effect on him. Although Nwoye kept on going to the church secretly, it was not long that his father knew about it. Okonkwo was furious to find out and disowned him by saying that he is no longer a son to him and to leave the village because he is a great disappointed to their society. He left, but was glad to do it in the thought of returning soon for his mother, brothers, and sisters to introduce them to this new faith, christianity.

Nwoye has an attraction to a new religion and culture. Okonkwo slowly and surely pushes Nwoye away. When the missionaries had arrived it rose curiosity in Nwoye. Nwoye reveals their ways and is attracted to their culture, their

I would describe Nwoye as a very curious and sensitive character. Not everyone is proud of the man Nwoye had become, for example Okonkwo. “ Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness.”(13/2). Based on his father's observation you can come to a conclusion that Nwoye was very lazy starting at a young age. As you can see Okonkwo was fairly disappointed on the person Nwoye had turned out to be. Okonkwo and Nwoye never had a great relationship and sums up Nwoye as very naive having none of Okonkwo's traits. “What are you doing here?” Obierika had asked when after many difficulties the missionaries had allowed him to speak to the boy. “I am one of them”, replied Nwoye.”(144/2). Nwoye

In the second part of Things Fall Apart, Oknonwo has been exiled from Umuofia and could not return for seven years. While exiled, Oknonwo went to live in his motherland, Mbanta, where he was "well received by his mother's kinsmen (129). Oknonwo started planning his return very quickly. When he would return to Umuofia, he wanted everything to be the same as it was before he had left; he wanted to be treated as one of the greats again. Though he wanted all these things, he knew that once he left, it would never be the same. He knew that someone else would soon take his place because "a man's place was not always there, waiting for him" (171). In chapter twenty, it says, "the clan was like a lizard, if it lost it's tail, it soon grew another"

This damages Okonkwo's relationship with his son forever, which ruins Nwoye's respect and faith towards the Ibo traditions. Because of this, Nwoye feels like he has had enough and decides to convert to Christianity in protest against the Ibo traditions. Aside from burning Nwoye's honor in following the Ibo ways and traditions, Okonkwo's fierce anger also crushes his own spirit, as it sinks himself down deep into depression. This leaves him completely disappointed, angry, and failed in his son. At this point, lots fall apart within him and his everyday life.

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

Okonkwo has become determined to climb his way back up the social ranks after have been knocked to the bottom. “He was determined that his return should be marked by his people. He would return with a flourish, and regain the seven wasted years. Although this determination took his mind off of things, he still remembered the tragedy of Nwoye. “At first it appeared as if it might prove too great for his spirit. But it was a resilient spirit, and in the end Okonkwo overcame his sorrow. He had five other sons and he would bring them up in the way of the clan (172).” Okonkwo goes as far as to say “Now he is no longer my son or you brother (172).”

Okonkwo despises his father to an extent that Okonkwo strives to be nothing like Unoka. Okonkwo lives his life and his goal is to be one of the high lords of the clan (Achebe 131). Okonkwo’s life goal is to be the opposite of his father, who is seen as a failure in the Ibo society. Unlike his father who did not fulfill the community's ideals of success Okonkwo did, and strives to achieve his whole life to prove that he was not similar to his father, because he does not want to be like someone who he despises. Similarly to Okonkwo, Nwoye does not have a good relationship with his father, because Nwoye does not act like him. Nwoye Knew that he should act violent like his father, but he preferred to be with his mother and listen to stories (Achebe 53). From a young age Nwoye knew he did not want to be like his father, because he did not approve of the way Okonkwo acts thus he rebelled by being like his mother and preferring kindness and stories over violence. Besides not wanting to be violent like his father, Nwoye rebels by converting to christianity. Nwoye converts, changes his name to Isaac and goes to college to become a teacher (Achebe 182). Nwoye converting and changing his name is the ultimate rebellion because he literally changes everything Okonkwo tried to make Nwoye. Okonkwo attempted to make Nwoye a strong man in the eyes of Ibo society just it in turn made Nwoye rebel and turn

Even his son Nwoye as the book stats “Nwoye among the Christians”(page 151) they were turning all the low-class clan's, and before they knew it some did start to rebel an ask question ultimately, he took charge and ended up killing one of the missionaries. He notices he was the only one standing up for the clan, so he saw no purpose, so he ended his life. He is a tragic hero since even his blood had converted and he was willing to take his experience of sorrow to help the clan notice what was wrong. He was born in a life that was filled with hatred and debt which he overcame. After he was kicked out of his clan for stepping out of line which he accepted. Once he came, he was the only willing to fight back for his beliefs and was not willing to live under other condition that was not his religion which he had work very hard for. This way he is considered hero but this is still a tragedy because he was the only one willing to fight and life was falling apart since the beginning and again falling apart toward the end. The book things fall apart is the tragedy and its purpose to show tragic life a couple men or women that lived in Nigeria that had to live through. A specific about Okonkwo and how his life is the tragedy, but he chooses to be a tragic hero and stands up for he believes

Okonkwo was influenced man many external forces. Okonkwo beat his children and his wives because “He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had had no patience with his father” (4). Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, was a very lazy man and an outside force that helped craft Okonkwo’s lifestyle. Okonkwo saw the way his father lived and hated how useless he was to the world, so he was influenced to not become lazy and especially not to allow his kids to become anything like his father or they got beat. Okonkwo was a brave and powerful man “ But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (13). Okonkwo didn't want people to see him as weak, and because of this Okonkwo was very wealthy. In Okonkwo’s clan, how many titles the person has taken and the number of barns full of yams was the way to tell if someone was wealth and success. Of these circumstances, Okonkwo had two tiles and two barns full of yams, so he was a extremely successful and wealthy man. In Okonkwo’s clan, British colonialism settled to try and convert the Ibo people to Christianity. Okonkwo did not like this and wanted to kill them all but his clan said no. Okonkwo ends up killing a Christian messenger and

European missionaries came to take over his community and forced Christianity upon them, Okonkwo was basically and outcast in his own village. He tried to fight this change but no one would join him and he became helpless. In the end Okonkwo lost hope for his village and dealt with change by committing

Nwoye is Okonkwo’s eldest son who Okonkwo considers unforgivably emasculate and very much like his father, Unoka. As a child, Nwoye usually receives the brunt of his father’s criticism and remains feeling unwanted. Eventually, Ikemefuna comes to fill that void and Nwoye, in his adoration of his adoptive brother, begins to takes after him. Also In a take strange way, Ikemefuna fills the role of both father and brother for Nwoye, providing him with a peer to share his thoughts and a person to look up to. As Ikemefuna rubs off on Nwoye, Okonkwo begins to find more favor with both of the boys. As a result , the three begin to form an unbreakable bond, or so they thought.