Preview

Things Fall Apart

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
921 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Things Fall Apart
Vianne Vitug
5° Honors English 09
October 10, 2012
A Theme and Okonkwo Things Fall Apart, a novel written by Chenua Achebe takes place in eastern Nigeria around the late 1800s. Achebe introduces Okonkwo, the protagonist of the novel and his ways of life. Okonkwo’s experiences in the novel are illustrated by his role, motivations, conflicts, and their resolutions. Providing readers with the theme of “The fear of emotion can ruin the quality of life.”
Achebe portrays Okonkwo, the main character of the story in many ways. Okonkwo was a man of pride and diligence. He was well respected among his clansmen. Despite the many times he tried to convince himself to never show emotion and to always maintain a manly image, his actions said otherwise.
…show more content…
These motivations may have not been the best to guide him through his problems, but they were what he had to maintain the “balance” in his life. “Okonkwo’s fear was greater than these… It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.” He had a strong drive to not become like his father, Unoka. Okonkwo believed that his father was not a “real” man therefore he had diverted anything that reminded him of his father. To be a real man, Okonkwo thought that you needed to be strong, dominant, and never show emotion. In Okonkwo’s eyes, this is what a real man should be, and that is exactly what he had become. At one point in the story, he took part in killing his adopted son, Ikemefuna although he was advised not to. According to Okonkwo, if he did not take part of the process, he would look too weak. Ikemefuna may have not been his real son, but it was evident that the two also shared a bond somewhat like that of a father and son. Okonkwo’s mentality of not wanting to show emotion destroyed what could have resulted in an even greater bond between the two. This mentality of his is what pushes him to all the decisions he makes in life, may that be good or bad. The events redirect to how the fear of showing emotion can ruin the quality of …show more content…
He had the desire to both show and not show emotion, and that was one of the biggest conflicts he had throughout the novel. For instance, when the priestess came and took his daughter Ezinma away to the caves, Ekwefi was not the only one who was worried and followed along. Okonkwo also followed along and that showed that he cared and does have emotions in him. He loves his daughter, but would rather not show any type of affection towards her. Also, going back to the time Ikemefuna was to be killed, in order not to be seen weak, his principles to take part in his adopted son’s killing. He was greatly affected by it, and it showed that he did care, but as always, he chose to not show it. Okonkwo did not realize this, but his actions uncannily contradicted with what he wanted to be seen as. There was never a real resolution to this, but in a way you could imply that Okonkwo’s suicide showed that he was just like his father. No matter what Okonkwo had done to avoid being seen as his father, his suicide does the complete opposite. By committing suicide, Okonkwo is seen as a weak person, a coward even, just like his father. Okonkwo was also someone who resisted change, an external conflict in this case. When the missionaries came to the village, Okonkwo was still in exile. The missionaries were there to spread the teachings of Christianity and their arrival meant

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    How Is Okonkwo Selfish

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages

    He hates everything that his father Unoka had loved(13). During the terrible year, his father said, “Do not despair. I know you will not despair. You have a manly and a proud heart. A proud heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more difficult and bitter when a man fails alone.”(24-25) What Unoka said is encouraging, but Okonkwo doesn’t appreciate it at all. The novel explicitly states that,“ perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fare of failure and of weakness...And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion - to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved.” (13)In deep of Okonkwo’s heart, he didn’t afraid of anything but to become his father. So he is trying his best to be totally the opposite person from his father, that’s how he became a strong and self-made person.…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo's actions take place because he is afraid of becoming "A Woman" like his father. Not only does he act masculine to appear manly to the villagers, he does it to satisfy his own conscious. Okonkwo portrays a short temper in this book. Small things such as his supper being late and remarks about his hunting anger him, and lead to his beating of his wives and his son Nwoya. His desire to appear manly often fogged his judgment. When the time came to kill Ikemefuna, the boy who called him father, he was told by his best friend that he should not take part in this because the boy looked up to him. Okonkwo knew his friend was right. When he, Ikemefuna and other leaders of the tribe went to the woods to carry out the task, Okonkwo did not want the other men to think that he was weak so he cut down his own son. Okonkwo's actions were also motivated by the fear that his whole village would become weak. After returning from his exile in Mbanta, Okonkwo realized that the Christians were taking over. Unlike the rest of his tribe he wanted to go to war with them and drive them out. Soon he realized that during his seven years in exile Umuofia had changed and no longer was feared tribe it used to be. Okonkwo continued to fight the inevitable. His actions were never able to help his village; his worst fear had come true, they had become weak.…

    • 726 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He was losing the pride he once had in his culture and society. It also caused him to kill himself. "That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself and now he will be buried like a dog..."(153) He was trying to uphold his culture and ended up disgracing it. The cultural collision deeply affected Okonkwo. “Then the tragedy of his first son had occurred. At first it appeared as if it might prove too great for his spirit. But it was a resilient spirit, and in the end Okonkwo overcame his sorrow. He had five other sons and he would bring them up in the way of the clan.”(126)…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Things Fall Apart

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages

    First, one of Okonkwo’s major weak points was his family. He tried not to let it show, but he cared deeply for his family. For example, when Ikemefuna was introduced into Okonkwo’s life, Okonkwo immediately grew a stronger bond with Ikemefuna than he had with his real children. After raising Ikemefuna for three years, Okonkwo was told Ikemefuna must be killed. Not only did he agree to it but he took part in the brutal murder. On page 61, Achebe writes, “Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak.” Although he loved Ikemefuna like his own son, he killed Ikemefuna to avoid being thought of as weak by his fellow clansmen. Another example of Okonkwo’s weakness when it came to his family was when he followed Ekwefi, Enzima and Chielo to the shrine. He wanted to ensure his daughter and wife’s safety. On page 112, Achebe says, “He allowed what he regarded as a reasonable and manly interval to pass and then gone with his machete to the shrine.”…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Things Fall Apart 6

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In another part of the story, Okonkwo is banished from his fatherland. This incident is the first where he is punished greatly for his actions. It marks a turning point in Okonkwo’s downfall, and therefore the downfall of the traditional culture that he stands for. His hopes and aspirations are almost forgotten while he is away from Umuofia, and he desperately tries to regain his status when he returns. During this period of time, Okonkwo also discovers that his son has converted to his enemy’s ways and beliefs. He abandons his son, and doesn’t want to be his father any longer. This shows that his relationships with family and…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Okonkwo’s overbearing pride in himself results in unforeseen consequences for his family and others which come in contact with him throughout the book. Case in point, when Okonkwo was told by an elder of the Umuofia not be getting involved with the killing of Ikemefuna because as he was told “that boy calls you father.” Prompting, Okonkwo to be exiled and sent to live with his mother for 7 years. Which resulted from the unfortunate killing of Ezeudu's son from the misfiring of a bullet. Rather than just listening Okonkwo’s pride slapped him in the face and being looked upon as weak was no option.…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Norman Mailer Quotes

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages

    He was masculine, hardworking, reputable, and wealthy. He didn't want to be like his father, a failure. Okonkwo believed his father was a failure because the man was very lazy, disgraceful, and poor. Over the years in his village it was said by the elders, “...if a child washed his hands...and so he ate with the kings.” This quote indirectly characterizes Okonkwo, displaying how he knew what he had to do if he wanted to be a great hero, furthermore developing his character as a young man. Towards the end of the novel one can imagine Okonkwo as a tragic hero because, like other tragic heroes, he has one major flaw. His main flaw develops from his fear of being like father, whom he dispised. He as well can't display his emotions because he doesn't want to look weak or sissyish, and when he does show any emotion, it is an uncontrollable rage. As a result of his flaws, Okonkwo has suffered countless tragedies, which ultimately leads to his ironic death. Okonkwo's tragedy was due to many things that happened in Umuofia, but the main reason was the arrival of the white missionaries, “Does the white man understand our custom about land?” (chpt. 20). Okonkwo says this, due to his…

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Okonkwo Flaws

    • 237 Words
    • 1 Page

    In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart Okonkwo was flawed like every full blood human to walk the earth. He wasn’t perfect but he had an overall character of good. He was known through Umuofia as a hard worker and good provider. From the outside it may not look like Okonkwo cares for his family but deep down he really does. Okonkwo was a good man because he could provide for his family. He came from nothing, his father was worthless but he still achieved and “had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife”(8). He was a good man with a great work ethic and wasn’t scared to stick by his words:“I am not afraid to work”(21). He worked hard at everything he did. Deep down Okonkwo cared for his family. Okonkwo let Ikemefuna…

    • 237 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Okonkwo’s father caused him to have a strong fear of becoming like his father.“Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness... It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.” This shows that his aggression towards his wives and children is influenced by him not wanting to be soft. His father caused him to become a workaholic who doesn’t show any emotion.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s actions can justify why he is an ambitious and intense leader that uses fear to control his followers. His fear tactic was also applied in his family life. In the novel, Okonkwo expresses multiple times how he does not want to be like his father; who was lazy and unsuccessful. Having this detached relationship as a child influenced him to treat his children and wives with aggression. For example, when Nwoye, his son, joined the church, Okonkwo was so enraged by it that he physically abused him. This resulted in his children and wives to do everything he said because they feared for their safety. I believe that the lack of affection that was giving to him as child had an impact on his behavior. If he had someone…

    • 339 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A firm belief in his way of life forced Okonkwo into his success at the beginning of Things Fall Apart. As it is noted in chapters one to three, Okonkwo’s birth had left him much to be desired. “Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had (Achebe 16).” Indeed, with a father like Unoka, a “lazy and improvident” man, it is hard to imagine how Okonkwo left his circumstances when his father was one that “was poor” and left “his (Unoka’s) wife and children had barely enough to eat” (Achebe 04 & Achebe 05). Yet these experiences forced Okonkwo toughen up early in life. Okonkwo’s “whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (Achebe 13). After considering how Okonkwo’s spent his entire childhood under the shameful shadow of his father, it makes sense that “even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala” (Achebe 13).…

    • 831 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Things Fall Apart Essay

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Okonkwo was happy inside that his son was finally becoming a man, but he did not want to portray that emotion because it would not have been something a man would do. He also does not display his emotions when Ezinma was taken by Chielo.…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Okonkw's Insecurity

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Okonkwo’s obsession with what others think of him started from an early age, which would drive him to be insecure. Okonkwo’s father is the reason for Okonkwo’s insecurity. His dad being viewed as a nothing would make Okonkwo wants to be viewed as everything his father wasn’t. Okonkwo’s first priority is to maintain his masculinity in front of people, which would lead him to success at first. But, later on he would be so afraid to look weak, that he breaks a lot of tribal rules just to keep his image intact. Okonkwo starts breaking the rules by beating his youngest wife Ojiugo during the week of peace because she left the hut without cooking dinner. He later one does another fatal error that would start leading to his fall down, he kills the boy which called him father although the clan’s leader and the authorities told him not to. Okonkwo loved Ikemfuna but he still killed him because he resembles any feelings with femininity and for him any sign of femininity is being weak.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Okonkwo's Masculinity

    • 1385 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Okonkwo's self-destruction was caused by his drive for masculinity . Okonkwo's fear of being a failure caused Okonkwo to hide behind a veneer of anger and aggression. Okonkwo's masculinity was all he had and was the factor that controlled his behavior. He was often consumed in his actions of masculinity that seemed to know no limits. Also, a crucial flaw was his inability to accept change in tradition. He was not able to change with the values of both societies and the changing ways around him. He could not accept the fact that in a colonized society he would be an average person, rather than a distinguished and powerful male.…

    • 1385 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Okonkwo never understood the concept of going with the flow or adjusting to circumstances. It started in his childhood. His father, Unoka, “had taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt” (Achebe 8). He was a poor farmer and a coward in war. The people of Umuofia called him an agbala, which means woman. Okonkwo was immensely ashamed by him, and his life was definitely affected because of him. “Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had. He did not inherit a barn from his father. There was no barn to inherit,” (Achebe 16). In a perfect world, his father would have been a bloodthirsty warrior, with many wives and children, and a number of cowries. Okonkwo was narrow-minded, and this quality backfired in the form of shame and discontent. “He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father,” (Achebe 2). Unoka never had the money to support his family, and this disgraced Okonkwo. Okonkwo was never able to understand his father and his different ways. Since Unoka was his father, he couldn’t say anything to him, but in his heart and mind, he meant nothing to Okonkwo.…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays