Who Is Nwoye In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

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

In “Things Fall Apart” Nwoye is the oldest son of Okonkwo. Nwoye willingness to accept to the cultural collision shows how others react to those who were willing to accept the change and why they were okay with the change.

Once Nwoye took his place his place with the missionaries his whole life changes in huge ways. Nwoye has threw aside his old culture and religion to invite this new and prosperous culture into his life that will change it in a good way. When Okonkwo returned to Umuofia, Mr. Brown tells Okonkwo that “ He had just sent Okonkwo’s son, Nwoye, who was now called Isaac, to a new training college for teachers in Umuru”(170).This shows change in Nwoye because he has now left his clan and his hometown to go to a training college in Umuru. As well as his name being changed from Nwoye to Isaac. Everything around Nwoye is changing as well. When Mr. Brown starts getting more people to join the missionaries before Nwoye left for college. The narrator says

““Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” --George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones. Nwoye’s sense of identity was challenged with the introduction of Western Ideas into the Ibo culture. Nwoye started out as a weak boy, in Okonkwo’s eyes, in the novel. He spent most of his time with his mother, he was very emotional, and he was betrayed by Okonkwo when he killed his best friend, Ikemefuna, however, the cultural collision of the British colonists and Ibo people affected Nwoye to the point that he eventually switched over to Christianity. He became a missionary and had a major fallout with his father and ended

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

 The cultural collision involved with the novel caused Nwoye to convert to Christianity, and helped him find his sense of freedom. Freedom to him meant belief in his religion and  culture without restraints or barriers. By restraints and barriers, what is being talked about is the acute drive for power that Okonkwo drilled into Nwoye’s life, and how he had to live by the “typical man’s” lifestyle. “Nwoye did not fully understand. But he was happy to leave his father. He would

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

For Nwoye, after Ikemefuna's murder Nwoye seems to have finally given up on his father and loses reverence towards him. When Nwoye was at the stage of confusion he experiences an epiphany after being drawn to the new religion that made him “feel a relief within as the hymn poured into his parched soul” following his exposure to Christianity (147). This was an escape for Nwoye to finally find meaning in his life and ultimately make the decision to start a new life and leave the past behind. Compared to Nwoye, after Okonkwo’s time of crisis, he is faced with a transformed village and culture seeing that at the time of Okonkwo’s life many things were changing. This causes Okonkwo to experience denial and “mourn for the clan, which he saw breaking up and falling apart” (183). Drowned with memories of the past, Okonkwo misses the time at which he knew and was comfortable with. Ultimately, Okonkwo chooses to end his own life in fear that no longer exists in his clan and feels he is no match against the white men, as compared to Nwoye who chooses to live life

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.

“Although Nwoye had been attracted to the new faith from the very first day, he kept it a secret. He dared not go too near the missionaries for fear of his father” (Achebe 149). Nwoye refuse to go to the church and enter but everyday he would go to the marketplace and list to their short stories. “ And he was already beginning to learn some of the simple stories that they told” (Achebe 150). Eventually Nwoye summons enough courage to enter the church but one of Okonkwo’s cousins was passing by and happened to see him. So he quickly rushed to Okonkwo and told him the news. “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” (Achebe 151). Nwoye eventually told him where he was and Okonkwo became very angry but then he was overcome with sadness. Okonkwo didn’t know how he could raise such a weak son. The cultural collision not only changed the way Nwoye felt but also his relationship with his father and

Okonkwo’s culture tells him to beat what he cannot fix, this idea evolved from his father, his mother culture and the lazy ways that came with it. The major factors that shape Nwoye’s view on a culture are his father, his mother culture and the white man. Along with Christianity he completely destroys the values of Okonkwo’s culture. “ Nwoye had been attracted to the new faith from the very first day, but he kept it a secret”(Achebe 149). Nwoye is too afraid of his father, as is, symbolically the clashing culture afraid of the mother culture and the outcome of the clash. The notion of the white man, along with Christianity assimilates Nwoye and his culture. And the factors above shape the view of what he wants a culture to be.

Nwoye believed these men; Nwoye abandoned his father for a new life, a new religion. “Although Nwoye had been attracted to the new faith from the very first day, he kept it secret. He dared not go too near the missionaries for fear of his father. But whenever they came to preach in the open marketplace or the village playground, Nwoye was there.” (Pg.112 TFA) Okonkwo feared the white men, because he feared Nwoye would become a Christian, ultimately losing his son. During the speech in chapter 24, Okonkwo’s last straw had been drawn; “In a flash Okonkwo drew his machete. The messenger crouched to avoid the blow. It was useless. Okonkwo's machete descended twice and the man's head lay beside his uniformed body.” Fear had destroyed Okonkwo so much he killed a man out of nowhere, and later on in the book he committed suicide.

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.

The impact of Ikemefuna’s death on Nwoye is devastating. Something gives way inside of him when he thinks of his father and the killing of Ikemefuna. The fear of his father and the horror over the sacrifice of Ikemefuna separates Nwoye from tribal customs and the sense of community. His family’s banishment isolates him further. Hearing the Christian hymns, which cater to