The Power Of Change In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
Benjamin Disraeli once stated, “Change is inevitable. Change is constant.” The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe discusses the Ibu culture through the tragic hero, Okonkwo. Chinua Achebe uses the fact that change is inevitable and Okonkwo to convey that he will do anything in his power to have his culture stay the same.
Okonkwo expresses different emotions, but the most obvious is anger and hate, which he has little self control over. “Nwoye struggled to free himself from the choking grip. ‘Answer me,’ roared Okonkwo, ‘before I kill you!’ He seized a heavy stick that lay on the dwarf wall and hit him two or three savage blows” (158). Okonkwo’s temper affects his relationship with his son, Nwoye, who is generally afraid of him. He tries …show more content…
Later, he starts to have trouble when he is first introduced to christianity and sees the effects of the new religion on his tribe. “Why, he cried in his heart, should he, Okonkwo, of all people, be cursed with such a son. He saw clearly in it the finger of his personal god or chi. For how else could he explain his great misfortune and exile and now his despicable son’s behavior” (152). Towards the end of the book, the white men begin to come to Okonkwo's tribe to convert them into Christians. Okonkwo watches as other tribal members begin to change around him as a result of Christianity, but he closely watches his own son, Okonkwo cannot handle the change and shows it when he assaults his son. “Now that he had time to think of it, his son’s crime stood out in its stark enormity. To abandon the gods of one’s father and go about with a lot of effeminate men clucking like old hens was the very depth of abomination.” (153) Okonkwo compares strength to the Christian religion. He sees those of his tribe who follow Christianity and abandon their god which they have worshiped for centuries, are weak people. It is exactly as he saw his father. Weak for putting money and debt before their beloved gods. Okonkwo is not willing to accept the changes starting to take place in his tribe. This mostly has to do with his status and how he is seen as one of the strongest, and admired of the tribesmen. He is not willing to give up everything he has worked for, to be on the same level of strength of everyone
Okonkwo expresses different emotions, but the most obvious is anger and hate, which he has little self control over. “Nwoye struggled to free himself from the choking grip. ‘Answer me,’ roared Okonkwo, ‘before I kill you!’ He seized a heavy stick that lay on the dwarf wall and hit him two or three savage blows” (158). Okonkwo’s temper affects his relationship with his son, Nwoye, who is generally afraid of him. He tries …show more content…
Later, he starts to have trouble when he is first introduced to christianity and sees the effects of the new religion on his tribe. “Why, he cried in his heart, should he, Okonkwo, of all people, be cursed with such a son. He saw clearly in it the finger of his personal god or chi. For how else could he explain his great misfortune and exile and now his despicable son’s behavior” (152). Towards the end of the book, the white men begin to come to Okonkwo's tribe to convert them into Christians. Okonkwo watches as other tribal members begin to change around him as a result of Christianity, but he closely watches his own son, Okonkwo cannot handle the change and shows it when he assaults his son. “Now that he had time to think of it, his son’s crime stood out in its stark enormity. To abandon the gods of one’s father and go about with a lot of effeminate men clucking like old hens was the very depth of abomination.” (153) Okonkwo compares strength to the Christian religion. He sees those of his tribe who follow Christianity and abandon their god which they have worshiped for centuries, are weak people. It is exactly as he saw his father. Weak for putting money and debt before their beloved gods. Okonkwo is not willing to accept the changes starting to take place in his tribe. This mostly has to do with his status and how he is seen as one of the strongest, and admired of the tribesmen. He is not willing to give up everything he has worked for, to be on the same level of strength of everyone