Pride In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
Pride
A person's pride is commonly used as an excuse for actions. Many people fear that relying on others makes them appear weak. Whereas a person's pride can help them to achieve greater things, excessive pride leads to downfall and tragedy, since it can cloud their judgment. Chinua Achebe highlights this idea in his novel Things Fall Apart as he describes the death of two crucial characters caused by the pride of a single man. Achebe uses the death of Ikemefuna to illustrate how Okonkwo’s pride clouds his judgment, causing him to make rash decisions without thinking about future consequences. During the death of Ikemefuna Achebe writes “Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 61); showing his judgment becomes corrupt as his fear and pride take …show more content…
control of his actions. Okonkwo proves throughout the novel he is an alpha male. He uses the death of Ikemefuna to show his strength when it is essentially a sign of weakness. Okonkwo was ignorant to the repercussions of his actions; bringing to light how his pride led to the downfall of not only himself but of another. The common phrase “think before you act” comes into play in this scenario. People often make rash decisions in the heat of the moment without entirely thinking them through.
Okonkwo begins to see that Christianity has become apart of the clan.
Knowing he is defenseless he acts out in rash ways once again. Achebe writes, “Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was dangling…”(Achebe 207). Okonkwo knew he was powerless against the newfound religion and sought to take his life over learning and changing. Not being able to control the clan’s new ways drives him to the edge. This often happens when people lose control. People often lose sight on what is important because of their own agenda: explaining once again that too much pride is overbearing and can lead to extreme consequences.
Pride, like anything else, is healthy in moderation, but problems start to arise when it becomes excessive. When Achebe explains the death of both Ikemefuna and Okonkwo, the use of death by pride is explained through Okonkwo’s actions. Describing how mass pride can lead to obscure actions, ultimately resulting in tragedy. This pushes readers to understand that personal values are not always what is most important. Using this idea will make people think before taking action and possibly change the outcome of future
scenarios.
A person's pride is commonly used as an excuse for actions. Many people fear that relying on others makes them appear weak. Whereas a person's pride can help them to achieve greater things, excessive pride leads to downfall and tragedy, since it can cloud their judgment. Chinua Achebe highlights this idea in his novel Things Fall Apart as he describes the death of two crucial characters caused by the pride of a single man. Achebe uses the death of Ikemefuna to illustrate how Okonkwo’s pride clouds his judgment, causing him to make rash decisions without thinking about future consequences. During the death of Ikemefuna Achebe writes “Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 61); showing his judgment becomes corrupt as his fear and pride take …show more content…
control of his actions. Okonkwo proves throughout the novel he is an alpha male. He uses the death of Ikemefuna to show his strength when it is essentially a sign of weakness. Okonkwo was ignorant to the repercussions of his actions; bringing to light how his pride led to the downfall of not only himself but of another. The common phrase “think before you act” comes into play in this scenario. People often make rash decisions in the heat of the moment without entirely thinking them through.
Okonkwo begins to see that Christianity has become apart of the clan.
Knowing he is defenseless he acts out in rash ways once again. Achebe writes, “Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was dangling…”(Achebe 207). Okonkwo knew he was powerless against the newfound religion and sought to take his life over learning and changing. Not being able to control the clan’s new ways drives him to the edge. This often happens when people lose control. People often lose sight on what is important because of their own agenda: explaining once again that too much pride is overbearing and can lead to extreme consequences.
Pride, like anything else, is healthy in moderation, but problems start to arise when it becomes excessive. When Achebe explains the death of both Ikemefuna and Okonkwo, the use of death by pride is explained through Okonkwo’s actions. Describing how mass pride can lead to obscure actions, ultimately resulting in tragedy. This pushes readers to understand that personal values are not always what is most important. Using this idea will make people think before taking action and possibly change the outcome of future
scenarios.