The novel focuses on Okonkwo, an ambitious and inflexible clan member trying to overcome the legacy of his weak father. Okonkwo vowed, perhaps not knowing it, that he would never become like his father and fail alone, but instead strive to be the best so that when he fails everyone else around him will fail as well.
If Unoka, Okonkwo, and Nwoye are symbolic of three successive generations, how does society in Umuofia change over the course of their lifetimes? Can silence be characterized as a positive or negative occurrence? One day in Okonkwos village a man called Ezeudu had just died.
He heard Ikemefuna cry, My father, they have killed me! Although Okonkwo has reached a high place in his community, this quote also reveals that Okonkwo strived to become a man as fast as he could therefore he must have not had much of a childhood.
Several reviewers have also noted his use of African images and proverbs to convey African culture and oral storytelling. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down.
Several references are made throughout the narrative to faded traditions in the clan, emphasizing the changing nature of its laws and customs. Achebe does not paint an idyllic picture of pre-colonial Africa, but instead shows Igbo society with all its flaws as well as virtues. His determination never faltered once, which is seen especially when Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna.
While maintaining status was easy enough, Okonkwo much prove during his seven years in exile that he is the best of the best. Women suffer great losses in this novel but also, in certain circumstances, hold tremendous power. Much of the critical discussion about Things Fall Apart concentrates on the socio-political aspects of the novel, including the friction between the members of Igbo society as they are confronted with the intrusive and overpowering presence of Western government and beliefs.
Ezeudu had been such an important man to Umuofia, cannons were shot and rifles fired in his honor. This proves that Okonkwo is still a man as simple like any other and that he has feelings under all of his achievements. Where does Ikemefuna fit into this picture?
Age respected among his people means that the older a person is, the more respect he will attain. Okonkwo was determined never to do anything his father did. In the second part he is finally exiled when he shoots at his wife and accidentally hits a clansman.
His victory made him a celebrity among the nine villages of Umuofia because Amaline had been undefeated for seven years.
However, although Okonkwo has been quite damaged psychologically, he managed to live through the exile and get his family back to Umuofia. He points out that Okonkwo would have done well to stay out of it, too, because such an action as killing someone who considers you his father will displease the Earth.
He was afraid of being thought weak. Major Themes The main theme of Things Fall Apart focuses on the clash between traditional Igbo society and the culture and religion of the colonists.
Is there any difference between his interaction with specific women and his understanding of women and femininity in general? Ironically, suicide is considered the ultimate disgrace by the clan, and his people are unable to bury him.
Think about the role of weather in the novel. Animal imagery abounds in the folktales and proverbs circulated among the clan members.
Although he grew quickly and prospered in Mbanta, his progress there meant nothing because it did not increase his stature in his native village.
A proud heart can survive general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. English More essays like this: Are rain and draught significant? His kinsmen there receive them with open arms and help them restart their lives and endure the seven years away from home.
Thus instead of becoming lazy and gentle, Okonkwo transformed himself into a hardworking and aggressive man. The arrival of the locusts comes directly before the arrival of the missionaries in the novel.
However, Ikemefuna was boy from another village sacrificed to keep peace, thus soon there came a time when Ikemefuna had to die. Other themes include duality, the nature of religious belief, and individualism versus community. At this point, Okonkwo began on the path to high social status among his village, which was his goal throughout his life.Things Fall Apart: Quote Hunt We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you Gender (), Woman (), Chinua Achebe (82), Things Fall Apart.
Things Fall Apart is a story about personal beliefs and customs and also a story about conflict.
There is struggle between family, culture, and religion of the Ibo people which is all brought on by a difference in personal beliefs and customs. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Essay.
In Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, the Ibo culture revolves around structured gender roles, from the crops that the men and women grow, to the characterization of crimes,which creates tension between the sexes and will ultimately lead to detrimental consequences.
- Things Fall Apart - White Missionaries Caused Umofia to Fall Apart Faith has always been a guiding force in man's life.
Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart is a story that describes the effects of a new Christian religion in a tribal village of Africa.
Mar 12, · [In the following essay, Nnoromele addresses the question of why the character Okonkwo fails at the end of Things Fall Apart and asserts that Achebe acted as a neutral narrator throughout the novel.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe- 5 Meaningful Quotes Revolving Around Okonkwo Essay Sample. In the essay Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, there are five meaningful quotes that revolve around Okonkwos status during his life.Download