Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

In life, conflict is simply unavoidable. No matter how hard we try to stay out of conflict, it is inevitable. Even with extremely difficult conflict, people can get through it if they have the right attitude, and make an effort to do the right thing. However, those who lack the knowledge of successfully resolving conflict will be unable to put an end to it. Three major types of conflict include man versus fate, man versus self, and man versus society. All of these types of conflicts have been seen frequently in literature, and each must be approached and solved differently. Man versus fate conflict can be resolved if one is determined to change his fate and has the perseverance necessary to do so. In “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, the

This kind of conflict can only be resolved if one can examine his life closely enough to know there is a need for change and be willing to make that change. In “Things Fall Apart,” Okonkwo struggles with man versus self conflict as he faces the consequences of his fiery temper. Okonkwo struggles to manage his anger, and this often gets him into trouble. He once became so angry with his wife that he beat her and shot at her. He was lucky enough to have missed, but had he actually shot her, he would have faced severe consequences. In addition, he often finds himself beating his son Nwoye because he sees him as being much like his father, Unoka. Instead of trying to teach Nwoye, Okonkwo just beats him out of frustration. If Okonkwo was open-minded enough to see that he needs to improve his temper, he would find himself in less conflict, and he would be able to resolve conflict more easily, but because he does not see a need for a change, he cannot make one. Another example of man versus self is seen in John Green’s “The Fault in our Stars”. In this novel, Hazel struggles to decide whether or not she should pursue a relationship with Augustus since she has cancer. Hazel knows she wants to be with him, so she makes a change. Instead of holding back because of her fear of letting him down, she begins to let go of this fear and just focus on spending time with him. Because she saw a need for change, and made a change, she

This type of conflict can only be solved if man can clearly distinguish right from wrong, and is able to convince others of that too. In “Things Fall Apart,” Okonkwo experiences this type of conflict when the Europeans come in and try to expand their church. Many people are against this new religion when they first hear of it because it goes against every aspect of the Igbo culture. However, as people began to learn more about it, they become more interested in this religion. Many of the villagers are drawn to it and end up converting to it, and one of those people was even Okonkwo’s son, Nwoye. Okonkwo struggles to watch this happen because he stands very firm in the beliefs of the Igbo culture he has grown up in. Okonkwo struggles with man versus society conflict because he feels alone, like he is the only one who sees what is happening to their culture. Okonkwo believes his culture is unraveling, and he feels hopeless because he wants to stop the missionaries, but the elders believe no one should get involved. Okonkwo can clearly distinguish right from wrong in this situation, but he is unable to convince others of it, and until he can do this, he will not be able to stop the missionaries in this man versus society