Things Fall Apart Quote Analysis

In the book it says that “ ”Where have you been?” he stammered. Nwoye struggled to free himself from the choking grip. “Answer me!” he roared again. Nwoye stood looking at him and did not say a word.” Which shows how Okonkwo reacted to finding out that his son had an interested in the new culture. This greatly affected the way Nwoye saw his father, Okonkwo. After that it says that “He went back to the church and told Mr. Kiaga that he had decided to go to Umuofia where the white missionary had set up a school to teach young Christians to read and write.” Nwoye did this mostly to get away from his father he also disowned him from being his father. Finally Chinua Achebe uses Nwoye to show how hard it was for some people to share their acceptance with the new culture and the consequences it could

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.”

Lastly, the author had a purpose for making the characters act they way that they did. He chose everything with care for his novel. “How is your father? Oberika asked, not knowing what else to say. I don’t know. He is not my father, said Nwoye, unhappily.” (151/4) With this quote, it shows the reader how Nwoye came to hate his father. Okonkwo pushed him so hard that Nwoye became independent. He had completed his goal but not how he wanted it to happen. “Nwoye turned round to walk into the inner compound when his father, suddenly overcome with fury, sprang to his feet and gripped him by the neck.” (151/4) Okonkwo was still violent with his son because he had converted into a Christian. Which is something that he did not agree with. The author’s purpose for this part in the novel

Sven-Göran Eriksson once said, “The greatest barrier to success is fear of failure.” This quote rings true in the novel Things Fall Apart through the main character, Okonkwo. In this book, Okonkwo lets his fear of failure, his fear of weakness, overcome him and this ultimately causes his demise. The theme of the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe is how success is not associated with violence because to be successful, a person needs to not be afraid to show that they care for others. To begin, the theme of how success is not associated with violence is first shown when Okonkwo beats his wife, Ojiugo, during the Week of Peace.

And so Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced youth” (Achebe 13). This shows the relationship between Okonkwo and his son. Things start to get better when Ikemefuna, a sacrifice from a nearby village, comes to live with them. Ikemefuna becomes a brother figure and a mentor for Nwoye. He acts more manly in order to please his father and it works.

In the novel Things Fall Apart, strength and pride are very important aspects of the main character, Okonkwo, however, these traits may sound like excellent traits to possess but because of the way he was raised, Okonkwo harbours many of his emotions under an outer shell of violence, strength and pride. His traits can be shown by looking at where he has come from in his life, for example, Okonkwo has acquired a large amount of wealth in his life because of his hard work and dedication which he also puts towards his family, unfortunately, his family also suffers greatly because of this due to Okonkwo’s high expectations of his children and his violent ways when they do not live up to them. Secondly, Okonkwo possesses hidden emotions that

Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” chronicles the life of Okonkwo, a strong man whose existence is dominated by fear and anger, and the Ibo tribe, a people deeply rooted in cultural belief and tradition. As events unfold, Okonkwo’s carefully constructed world and the Ibo way of life collapses. The story of Okonkwo’s fall from a respected and feared leader of the Ibo tribe to an outcast who dies in disgrace dramatizes his inability to evolve beyond his personal beliefs, affecting the entire Ibo tribe beyond measure. The “things” that fall apart in Achebe’s novel are Okonkwo’s life – his ambition, dreams, family unity and material wealth – and the Ibo way of life – their beliefs, culture and values.

Nwoye most likely remembers the twins he heard thrown in the Evil Forest and intends to be like Isaac, and protect twins and others that the Ibo consider evil. Nwoye has also become a teacher which shows his devotion to Christianity, greater than any devotion he had in Umuofia, whether to working in the fields, his father, or his culture. Mr. Brown's friendly nature is also shown in this section. He heard of Okonkwo returning to Umuofia and "immediately paid him a visit" and "hoped that Okonkwo would be happy to hear of it," referring to Nwoye. Okonkwo, however, drove Mr. Brown away and threatened him. This treatment of Mr. Brown shows Okonkwo's genuine hatred of Christianity that stole his first-born son and any change that has come with it.

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” (p. 13-14). Okonkwo was the leader, all he wanted to do was be in power and therefore he wanted his son to take power when he became older. However, that is not the case.

Pema Chodron once stated, “Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.” This quote can be related to novel written by Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart since the protagonist Okonkwo didn’t hang himself and take his own life until he was able to gain his respect and reputation. He has proved that even when his family’s past generations didn’t leave anything for him, Okonkwo gained his own two titles with a great reputation. The title of the novel is significant since certain events in the book take place which allow things to fall apart in the novel. For example, Okonkwo taking a hand in the killing of Ikemefuna has caused Nwoye to convert to Christianity.

After contrasting Okonkwo’s greatness with his father’s meekness, Achebe dives into the mind of Okonkwo in order to establish the theme of fate vs free will. This moment is very important in the narrative, as it shows Okonkwo’s determination to rise up and become prosperous ultimately comes from his fear of confronting fate. A paradox occurs as Okonkwo, a man of natural will, is compromising his well-being and true self in order to fight fate.

Another example of Okonkwo’s lack of knowledge is ““Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (page 15). His lack of knowledge led his son, Nwoye, to be just like Okonkwo’s father. Okonkwo was so busy trying to be opposite of his father and in power, that he forgot to educate his son about the important things in life. Nwoye became exactly like Unoka.

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

The relationship between Okonkwo and Nwoye is very stressful and bitter as Okonkwo has very high expectation for his eldest son. Hence Okonkwo always “sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating” when he was irritated

Achebe uses the proverb "When a man says yes his chi says yes also" in the character development of Okonkwo. Okonkwo is a very successful man in his village of