Okonkwo's Change In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

Abstract:

The novel, ‘Things fall apart’ by Chinua Achebe, highlights the inability of Okonkwo to change with the society. Okonkwo starts off as a perfect macho man who is well off, strong and stern. In the course of the novel he constantly tries to resist the changes which came his way. He feels helpless when his tribe is ready to accept Christianity and leave behind their culture. As the title suggests, soon Okonkwo's world starts falling apart. Reluctant to change, he commits suicide leaving back his family. On the other hand, Nwoye, Okonkwo's son chose to change his attitude and accepted Christianity. Similarly, in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ the reader can clearly see personalities of characters like Elizabeth and Darcy evolve. Both of them
start off with certain prejudices about each other. They gradually start understanding each other and changing as a person and finally end up in a successful relationship.

The characters in both the novels come across the need to change with time and circumstances. Some of them accept it some refuse to co-operate. Nwoye, Elizabeth and Darcy find peace and success because they accepted the change. On the other hand, Okonkwo became a tragic hero. After looking at these characters cope with change in both the novels we can say that the ability to change one’s attitude is the key to a person’s success.

"Change is the only constant in life" – Heraclitus
Our journey through life involves a series of changes which occur at different stages of our lives. These changes can be physical, mental or spiritual. Basically, change is the way of life, it is inevitable and that is the reason we cannot and should not try to resist it. The texts that I have read are ' Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen and 'Things fall apart' by Chinua Achebe. Both these texts have something in common which is 'Adapting to change'. In these texts we can see the main characters evolve through time which ultimately leads to their success or failure.

The titles of both the texts reflect the fact that change is constantly involved in the lives of the characters. Pride and Prejudice throws light on the prejudices people of different classes in a society had against each other. The protagonist of the novel, Elizabeth Bennett starts off with some mistaken prejudices about Mr. Darcy. Her first impression of Mr. Darcy was overpowered by her prejudice against rich brats like Mr. Darcy because she saw him as the useless drones in the society who do nothing, but expect to be waited upon and fited. Mr. Darcy was intelligent and forthright but, he too had a tendency to judge too hastily and harshly. The fact that he was born in a wealthy family made him overly proud and conscious of his social status. Pride and Prejudice is about Elizabeth and Darcy’s journey which requires them to modify their personalities. These changes finally lead them to realize the error in their initial prejudice against each other.

The character of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart was driven by fear, a fear of change and losing his self-worth. He needed the village of Umuofia, his home, to remain untouched by time and progress because its system and structure were the measures by which he assigned worth and meaning in his own life. When the structure of Umuofia changed, as happens in society, Okonkwo was unable to adapt his methods of self-evaluation and ways of functioning in the world; the life he was determined to live could not survive a new environment and collapsed around him .

Elizabeth was the second daughter in the Bennett’s family.
Her quick wit allowed her to rise above the general nature of the people belonging to the same class as her. Elizabeth was very proud of who she is, about her position and her ability. Nevertheless, her sharp tongue and tendency to make hasty judgments often lead her astray. Mr. Darcy had strikingly similar personality traits as that of Elizabeth. He was almost like a male counterpart of Elizabeth. When Elizabeth first met Mr. Darcy at the Meryton ball, her first impression of him was that he was the most proud and rude man, present in the room based on his demeanor and attitude. Darcy conversed and danced only with his friends or people he knew, refusing to meet anyone new, which she assumed reflected his arrogance. It is true that Darcy, to a certain extent felt that the society was beneath him, but his assessment was based on the intellectual standards of Mrs. Bennet who wanted young people to dance. He even said that there wasn't a single woman in the room that "would not be a punishment" for him to dance with. When Bingley encouraged him to dance with Elizabeth, Darcy replied that she was "not handsome enough to tempt" him . He further declared that he was "in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men" (Ch. 3. Vol.1). Darcy’s pride and prejudice about ‘young ladies’ like Elizabeth are clearly visible in the above examples. As the story progresses, both Elizabeth and
Darcy start interacting which makes them realize their misconceptions about each other. For instance when Lydia had run away with Wickham, Darcy could have treated Wickham with total contempt. But, Darcy chose to act in a more mature way and not only helped them, he financed Lydia and Wickham’s wedding. This saved the reputation of Elizabeth’s family and Elizabeth finally realizes that Darcy is now a changed man. By the end of the novel, Elizabeth successfully changes and develops a new attitude towards Darcy. She finally realizes that he is genuine and cares for her deeply. She returns the sentiments and marries Mr. Darcy. They started off not very fond of each other and ended up being in a successful relationship. So, in their case change actually leads them to success.

Things fall apart is about Okonkwo’s struggle between change and tradition.
Okonkwo was the most powerful and respected man of his tribe. All his life, Okonkwo tries to be a perfect macho man unlike his father Unoka, who according to him and tradition of his ancestors that he believed in, was poor, cowardly and effeminate. His son Nwoye was very much like Unoka and hence, Okonkwo wasn’t really fond of him. Throughout the novel the readers are introduced to the ‘Igbo life’ including several traditions and rituals like the abandonment of the twins or the sacrifice of Ikemefuna. Okonkwo being a respected and responsible leader of the clan participated and enforced these traditions even if he wasn’t convinced of them. Particularly the sacrifice of Ikemefuna, because even though he was very fond of Ikemefuna, he killed him because it was a ritual. But when the missionaries entered the village, Okonkwo struggled to prevent a cultural loss. He watched helplessly as many young people joined the new religion and rejected the strong macho principles of the traditional religion. Gradually, the people of his clan converted to Christianity while Okonkwo continued to resist the change. Nwoye didn’t want to be a part of a culture where a man had to be strong, perfect and couldn’t express his true feelings. Therefore, Nwoye chose to accept the change. Nwoye’s decision to leave his culture behind hurt his father more than anybody else’s. Okonkwo realized that the Igbo tribe existed because
of its people. If the people have chosen to let go of their culture then he can’t do anything to save it. He felt helpless and committed suicide. In ‘Things Fall Apart’ Okonkwo and Nwoye both face a wave of social and cultural change when Christian missionaries come to their village. But, both the characters react to the change very differently. Okonkwo’s decision to resist the change led to his downfall. Hence we can say that because Nwoye changed he survived and therefore, he was more successful than his father because he could cope with change.
“Change is the law of life.
And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
- John F. Kennedy
We all know that mankind has progressed because we have changed. Similarly, in Pride and Prejudice and Things Fall Apart we can see characters change their attitudes, views and cultures to evolve as a person. Elizabeth and Darcy’s example shows us how people with very different personalities can be in a successful relationship if they are willing to co-operate. On the other hand Okonkwo’s tragic end gives us a hint of what consequences one can face if he or she refuses to go with the flow. After looking at these novels we can conclude that the ability to change is the key to a person’s success.