Things Fall Apart : Themes In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

Okonkwo’s oldest son, Nwoye, has to achieve high expectations, to be just like his father. If he falls short of Okonkwo’s near perfection, he will face consequence usually in the form of physical harm. Okonkwo wants Nwoye to be strong, powerful, independent, and hard-working. He must be like is father, and not like his grandfather, Unoka, or his mother. Unoka was an absolute failure in Okonkwo’s eyes, and a terrible father, who did nothing to help the family. Okonkwo is a man and wants his son to be a man too, not womanly like his mother. Okonkwo wanted “his son to be a great farmer and a great man” (33). Okonkwo is “worried about Nwoye....my children do not resemble me...too much of his mother in him” (66). Okonkwo knows that Nwoye resembles more of his mother than him, but also knows that he resembles Unoka too. Both fathers want their sons to be just like them, but do little to ask what they want in life, and neither father will budge on what they want for their sons.

     Just as Okonkwo did not want to be like his father, Nwoye did not want to be like Okonkwo. Nwoye possessed traits that Okonkwo did not such as gentleness, forgiveness, and acceptance. Okonkwo saw these as signs of weakness. "Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength" (Achebe 28). Okonkwo considered Nwoye to be lazy and wanted him to be a success like himself. "Okonkwo wanted his son to be a great farmer and a great man. . . . I will not have a son who cannot hold up his head in the gathering of the clan. I would sooner strangle him with my own hands" (Achebe 33). This is an example of the difference in personal beliefs among family.

Who are you? Have you ever wondered where you get your identity; what exactly defines you as a person? The obstacles in our lives shape us people, Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart illustrates the circumstances one man and his son face in an Ibo village in Nigeria. Okonkwo, the protagonist/antagonist has a tragic flaw, the fear of weakness which ultimately causes him to expect more from his son, Nwoye who never falls short in disappointing him. The relationship between the two is not the most desired seeing that they both do not show the affection most father-son relationships do. Traditionally, most sons follow their father's footsteps, however, this is not the case for both

Growing up in an environment where one’s parents and society restrict the behavior of that individual, can be a very challenging situation to be in. This was so for Nwoye. Raised in the Igbo culture, social order was said to demand conformity. It was a culture where he was forced to act a certain way, or be punished by his father Okonkwo, which wasn’t a type of lifestyle Nwoye would want to be living all his life. The book, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe uses Nwoye to exemplify the outcomes in a relationship, of a father forcing masculine and cultural tradition values his son, Nwoye. Although, Nwoye’s curiosity on the Igbo culture and will to become the person that he wants to be, comes before him even if it calls for going against

Okonkwo’s judgemental nature impels distrust in his son Nwoye. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s twelve year old son struggles to find his masculinity. With Nwoye’s joy for music and fables, “[Okonkwo] sought

When people read books, they look for the shared connections, ideas, and similar memories to advance their insight of the book, or make it more interesting. I guess you could say this makes the character more personable. When the characters share common characteristics with the reader, they begin to feel attached to the story and they feel what the character feels. The book I felt the most in sync with was Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I feel like I shared the greatest connection with Okonkwo out of all the characters in the novel. I feel this way because I can relate to the feelings he holds toward his father anger, embarrassment, and hatred just to name a few.

The most traumatizing and destructive statement someone can say is to “Be a Man.” As Carlos Gomez once stated, “So many men in this world (are) living in this sort of quiet desperation, confined in this box of toxic masculinity.” In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, some characters are the epitome of this toxic masculinity. Things Fall Apart shows the dimension of both Igbo people and culture, while highlighting the tale of a tragic hero, Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s rise to glory was demonstrated by his humble beginnings and eye for prosperity. However, abundant cultural differences show how conflict emerges between individuals and what society expects of them. The novel also in part traces Okonkwo’s lack of emotional awareness as he murders his surrogate son while simultaneously criticizing his other biological son for being effeminate. Ultimately, Okonkwo’s obsession with masculinity sparked aggression between the white missionaries, and eventually he was driven to commit suicide. Chinua Achebe reveals that the overpowering theme of hyper masculinity portrays one as emotionally unacceptable, and although one ideal, the author demonstrates how heavy masculine qualities tear apart relationships and structure in life.

Another form of political resistance is through the characters in Achebe’s Things fall Apart. The character’s use their bodies and morals to rise against oppression. What the characters do is isolate difference or let, “Umuofia…decided to kill him… [in fear] of being thought weak” (Achebe, 1986, pp. 40-43). Through the physical act of death the end is inevitable and while the Africans decide to act upon it, the colonization is what refrains the movement of the town. There is a clash of cultural conflict because of the way societies deal with political situations. Resulting in separation in Okonkwo’s morals, especially when, “All was silent… Okonkwo’s gun had exploded and a piece pf iron… [In] the…heart… [Forced] to flee.” (Achebe, 1986,

For centuries, women have been and continue to be the quiet leaders and the backbone of our society. Although they are often times not in high positions of power they are powerful, and vital for society to function. In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, it is clear that women are viewed as the weaker sex. Throughout the novel, women are treated as property, shown as weak, and are ruled by men. Okonkwo's greatest fears are failure and weakness. When he was a child he learned that, "… agbala was not only another name for woman, it could also mean a man who had taken no title" (Achebe, p.13). Although they are viewed as weak and powerless, when Okonkwo returns to his motherland, Uchendu explains to him that, "… when there is sorrow and bitterness

The author illustrates a clear picture of a man more concerned with playing his flute and drinking plum wine. A father who ignored his patriarchal duties and instead was deeply in debt and unable to care for his wife and children. In a cultural society where a son was to inherit a barn, a title, a wife and crop; the author describes a much different life for Okonkwo (Achebe, 1959). In addition, based on the religious culture of the Igbo tribe, Unoka was considered to have bad chi, an ill-fated death of evil fortune and a dishonorable burial. Thus, Okonkwo hated his father for these attributes and swore to be the opposite of him. Achebe articulates this fear by saying, “He was possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life and shameful death” (Achebe, 1959, p. 18).

At the conclusion of Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart it states how profound changes lead to the demise of Umuofia’s great warrior. “ Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was dangling, and they stopped dead.”

Imagine your favorite TV show, and think about the characters. Which character is your favorite? Most of us would say it is the main character, the one that is the most relatable. That character is called the protagonist, and it is often the one that we identify with the most. In contrast to the protagonist, a character we think about less often is the foil character. This character is the complete opposite of the main character. Usually, a foil goes through the same events as the main character however he will see things differently and have a different opinion. The purpose of this character is to shed light on the main character, and to show how things could work out differently

Chinua Achebe develops the theme that women are unjustly secondary to men through the motif of demeaning women and irony in the historical fiction novel, Things Fall Apart. He shows the establishment of white culture in the African tribes in the lower Niger in the late nineteenth century. The story follows Okonkwo, one of Umuofia's leaders and top men, whose emotional turmoil leads to eventual suicide.

Have you felt like the world was changing around you? Chinua Achebe writes about African culture. His works are sometimes referred to as apocalyptic. Chinua Achebe’s fiction as a depiction of social change in the colonization of Africa is shown through the social change of religion, government, and of norms and values.

“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe ha1st s multiple themes in its story. These themes change throughout the story and help the reader to fully understand the meaning of the book. The book itself shows the life of an African native named Okonkwo and his family. Okonkwo was by no means a laid back man. He spent all his life trying to not be like his dad, and that made him turn into a very dark person that affected him both mentally and physically. On multiple occasions Okonkwo is given advice from the many people that he meets throughout his lifetime. Most of the time he decides to ignore this advice and go out and do his own thing however he saw fit which eventually led to his downfall. If Okonkwo maybe were to have taken the advice that he was given then he probably would have survived longer than what he did. That is a theme right there; the theme is listening to others could have its rewards.