Significance Of Exile In Things Fall Apart

Edward Said once wrote that exile is an “unhealable rift”, but can also be an “enriching” experience. These are contradicting statements however they go hand in hand in the concept of exiling. In Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, the protagonist experiences this tragic situation. Through being exiled, Okonkwo faces his cowardliness and the significance of understanding different cultures. From the very beginning of the novel, Okonkwo displays a deep loathing towards cowards and woman-like actions. He is a renowned leader for his great strength, specifically for his war victories. Okonkwo’s strength and courage in wars proved him to be manly in his tribe as these were the highest prized traits. However, his son was in fact the opposite of what Okonkwo and the tribe expected of a young man. In actuality, this loathing of Okonkwo is only a cover-up of his intense fear of becoming a coward, so much so that he takes it the point of striking his wife. This is an extreme offense in his tribe and he is exiled back to his motherland. Because of his infatuation, he lost everything that he had worked so diligently for in his tribe. Okonkwo realizes all that he has lost and is in utter devastation. Regardless of his understanding of how
Okonkwo cannot seem to change his own ideals or improve the relationship of the missionaries with the tribe people as they try to convert the people to Christianity. Because of his indifference, he is unable to connect the cultural difference of the missionaries with his tribe which leads to him killing a missionary without authority to do so. Because of this cultural offense he committed, Okonkwo is confronted with self-questioning and comes to the conclusion of the most cowardly action any man could execute, suicide. Throughout the entire novel, he hid behind his façade of strength when ultimately in the end, he exposed his