Okonkwo's Alienation

“Things Fall Apart” is a novel about Okonkwo, who is a man that does not want to end up a coward such as his father; Okonkwo desires the following of traditions and rising in rank within his tribe. During Okonkwo’s years of exile, he is compelled to recognize the meaning of cowardice and the alteration of tradition. While Okonkwo desires respect and reputation, he eventually is ostracized by his own tribe, which gives the character a sense of alienation, and leaves the character suffering from abandonment, but can also provide an enriching experience.

Okonkwo’s abhorrence of cowardly acts, leads him to believe that courage is the most important attribute of a man. Anyone who does not illustrate their strength is seen as “feminine.” So
Upon his return, Okonkwo realizes that the village has changed because the Europeans “destroyed” the traditions and customs that exemplified his intrepidity. His refusal to accept the customs that the missionaries brought resulted in further damage of his character. When he witnessed the revisions of the tribe’s religion, Okonkwo allowed his strength to overpower his actions by attacking one of the Christians. He feels so isolated from what he is accustomed to that he believes that killing himself is his only liberation. It is ironic that he would choose to commit suicide, a cowardly act, that goes against what he believed in. Now his influence on others has no meaning, due to his inability to overcome his own cowardice and aversion to new
His time away from his tribe allowed him to reflect on his barbarous behavior and how his violence was irrational. He also realized that he was the causes of his own problems. By refusing to allow any change within himself or the customs of his tribe, Okonkwo realized that was not able to positively alter his character. His exile was also able to teach him humility and how to cope with failure. He lacked humility because he only valued the strength of men and ignored the value of women. Although he was able to gain a portion of his reputation back with his courage, he knew that he allowed his obsession with dominance cause his downfall. While he was able to realized that his loath toward cowardice and his inability to accept change lead to his demise, he was unable to rid himself of his hubris. So, even though his exile gave him insight on how his refusal to alter his beliefs on courage was negatively affecting him, Okonkwo refused to allow a change in his