In September 1997, in Oslo, Norway, a meeting was organized in co-operation with the Norwegian National Commission for UNESCO where international observer B. Mustakim said, “Highlighting masculinity may be seen as a way of excusing violent men, since their behavior is attributed to a masculinity which many believe to be "natural" and unchangeable.” Georg Tillner, author of Men and Masculinities, responded, “Power is the one aspect all variants of masculinity have in common, not necessarily as the real possession of power, but rather as a "demand for dominance" or an "entitlement to power". Masculinity is an identity” (Mustakim). Throughout Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, masculinity takes an impressive role in molding the clan’s male-dominated society, and plays a vital part in influencing characters’ decisions. In the novel, Achebe reveals the definition of what it means to be a man in Nigerian society; he should be masculine and protect his family and friends in that he is willing to fight, earn his good reputation, and preserve and expand the honor of his family.
In Nigerian society, a man was responsible for the protection of his family and friends in that he was willing to fight. No character in Things Fall Apart demonstrated this ideal better than that of Okonkwo. This was apparent in the very beginning of the novel when it is brought to the reader’s attention that Okonkwo had, at such a young age, already taken two titles and demonstrated undivided skill in two inter-tribal wars. At the closing stages of the novel, Okonkwo yet again attempted to protect his clansmen when five court messengers arrive at one of the clan’s meetings. Without any hesitation, Okonkwo pulled out his machete and killed the head messenger. Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, however, did not fit the same mold of masculinity as that of his high-achieved son. While Unoka and his neighbor, Okoye, were sharing a kola nut (a symbol of life and vitality) one day, they talked about several things including that of the impending war with the village of Mbaino. Unoka did not condone war, but not because he believed that it was barbaric. He was simply a coward and could not stand the sight of blood. Thomas Alva Edison, a great inventor, businessman, and true Renaissance man, once said, “The successful person makes a habit of doing what the failing person doesn't like to do” (Woopidoo!). Okonkwo became an important and successful asset to his clan by achieving things in which his father refused to partake.
In the novel Things Fall Apart, by Achebe Chinua, the brutal downhill of Okonkwo is well displayed through his thoughts and actions. It becomes clear to the reader, Okonkwo is not who he thinks he is, he is soft and loving. He wears a mask and brings pride upon himself through the false belief and actions of whom he wants to be. In his search for the ideal and his future, he finds who he truly is, and reality finds him hanging. He was the strongest man who used his strength to drown the confusions of his life away. Nwoye’s father was a fearful coward, who could not find reality until reality found him.
Okonkwo, as presented by Chinua Achebe in the novel Things Fall Apart, wished to be revered by all as a man of great wealth, power and control--the antithesis of his father. Okonkwo was driven by the need to exhibit utmost control over himself and others; he was an obsessive and insecure man.
How is it possible for one the greatest men in lower Niger that had pride in the Ibo culture ended his own life and viewed as an abomination due to his actions? Since the beginning of the novel “Things Fall Apart” Okonkwo always strived to be a superior man in his clan with his hard work ethic to become something better than his abomination of a father that he had. Later throughout the novel he achieved his goals and became a high titled man in Umuofia. So what caused Okonkwo to end his own life? After his unfortunate exile he realized that he had lost everything that he had worked so hard and the Umuofia people had been overcome by the white people and their Christian culture. Chinua Achebe, author of the brilliant dramatic nonfiction novel
Achebe describes him saying, “His fame rested on solid personal achievements” (Achebe 1). From the very beginning, Okonkwo is introduced as an honorable man who works hard and achieves the results he wants, although he beats his wives and children. His honor stems from his goal, to be a leader in his village, and he does everything in his power to achieve it. Things Fall Apart is fictional, but is used as an example of the colonialism period of African in African literature. Emad Mirmotahari describes Okonkwo as, “Perhaps Okonkwo embodies the flaws of Ibo society, flaws that hasten their downfall when the British arrive” (Mirmotahari 378). The Ibo society was the society that existed in Nigeria before the British colonialism and it was what Okonkwo knew and grew up with so he lived by it and its codes. Macbeth on the other had lived in Scotland with a king and the kingdom and everyone in it, including Macbeth, followed and was supposed to be loyal to the king. Macbeth did not follow the code of his land and betrayed its very core aspect in his assassination of the
The novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, reveals the dynamics of the Ibo tribe that eventually led to Okonkwo’s demise. Okonkwo was taught the values and ways of the tribe which prepared him for failure in a more modern society. The family structure that existed caused many struggles with his father and even his sons. Also, the Ibo tribe valued strength and status. Such ideals opened the door for conflict with the missionaries who are trying to enforce laws and civility. Altogether, Okonkwo was mislead and unwilling to learn another way of life. Although many things contributed to Okonkwo’s downfall, one must explore each reason separately in order to understand. Starting with Okonkwo's father.
Things fall apart is a story about a man’s life before and during the European invasion and colonization of Africa. Okonkwo, the main character and protagonist of the story, is a highly respected warrior and wealthy leader of the Umuofia clan. His victories and military prowess will forever bring great honor to the village that he lives in. Throughout the story, however, Onkonkwo and his fellow leaders of the village will face problems that could potentially put their tribe into great danger.
The character of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart was driven by fear, a fear of change and losing his self-worth. He needed the village of Umuofia, his home, to remain untouched by time and progress because its system and structure were the measures by which he assigned worth and meaning in his own life. Okonkwo required this external order because of his childhood and a strained relationship with his father, which was also the root of his fears and subsequent drive for success. When the structure of Umuofia changed, as happens in society, Okonkwo was unable to adapt his methods of self-evaluation and ways of functioning in the world; the life he was determined to live could not survive a new environment and collapsed around him.
The Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa, they emphasize on personal achievements, and taking titles which means leadership and respect (Ohadike Don C., p. xxvi-xxvii). In the book Things Fall Apart, the main character, Okonkwo is affected by the influences of the Igbo society and vows to become a man of the highest title and to gain respect from all the lands. Okonkwo and his family live in male dominant society where men are superior to women, therefore, Okonkwo thinks he is the owner of his household, and constantly beats his three wives and children. Okonkwo develops arrogant characteristics and a fear of being weak from the traditions of the society, and throughout the book he puts up a hard exterior and beats his son Nwoye, because he thinks Nwoye is lazy and weak. In the end, Nwoye betrays Okonkwo because of his father’s cruel attitudes towards him and the fact that his father murders his adopted brother, Ikemefuna. Due to the influences of the Igbo society, Okonkwo is afraid of being a man without a title and being buried without dignity, so he strives all his life to achieve his dream, this is the cause of his impatient, arrogant characteristics and inner “fear” which eventually leads to his self-destruction. The influence of the Igbo society develops an inner “fear” and traits among the villagers, especially on men, causing negative impacts on their lives.
Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, tells the story of Okonkwo, a respected leader of the Umuofia village. He is a multifaceted character who is ambitious, hard working and tenacious. He is committed to preserving his people’s culture at any cost. However, Okonkwo’s beliefs have faults which made him a vulnerable character. Okonkwo grew up with a father who was lazy and a poor provider for him and his family. Okonkwo's determination to be the opposite of his father, earns him titles of his own that helped him succeed. He achieves great social and financial power by embracing these ideals. He was wed to three women and fathered several children, but all of his accomplishments also were his deadly flaws. They created an internal fear of losing his worth and becoming like his father- weak and effeminate. Therefore, Okonkwo morphed into a man with a masculine personality and uncontrollable anger. Okonkwo’s flaws enveloped him and controlled his actions- he becomes resistant and unable to bend with the changes taking place in his village. In Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, the main character Okonkwo self-destructs due to his internal flaws of fear, masculinity, anger and inability to adapt with change.
In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Okonkwo’s relationship with his father affects all of his actions. In his childhood, Okonkwo was exposed to ignominy because his father, Unoka, was not respected by the rest of Umuofia, the village they lived in. In adulthood, Okonkwo’s shame grows with him and with the shame comes a fear of being like his father. He spends his whole life avoiding acting like his father and ultimately fails in his death. Okonkwo became ashamed of his father in childhood and this shame affected his behaviour throughout his life and ultimately lead to him dying in similar circumstances to his father.
In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, the reader gets a look into how drastically one culture can change the traditions and lifestyle of another. The novel shows their influence mainly through the main character, Okonkwo, and his downfall throughout the story with the collision of the Ibo and Western culture. Achebe uses Okonkwo, a strong warrior and important male leader in his village, to show a person’s perspective of the invasion. He spent his entire life trying to prove that he is the strongest man, and he showed this both physically and emotionally in the beginning. He even killed Ikemefuna, a boy he called his son, and even after he was told not to have any hand in his killing by the Oracle because he did not want to feel weak by not
In the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo’s tragic downfall is illustrated alongside the downfall of his clan. Okonkwo was, the protagonist, was borne with a father that was a pathetic, selfish man. His whole life was controlled by the fear of becoming what his father once was, and this showed who he truly was. Throughout the story, Okonkwo, who was once a great man, undergoes a dramatic change. He falls from the top of the clan to the bottom, having to deal with many conflicts along the way, the toughest being his own fears. Okonkwo’s collapse ends with his suicide. Okonkwo’s fear of becoming his father was paralleled by his fear of appearing weak to the members of his clan. Okonkwo’s downfall occurs
In Chinua Achebe’s masterpiece Things Fall Apart he portrays the evolution of Okonkwo, a tribal leader, struggle to get out of poverty, and the colonization of Africa. Due to the colonization of his country and the changes it had brought caused the tear in Okonkwo’s tribe leaving him with nothing, and leading to his fate. Okonkwo had started his life from the very bottom, and he clawed his way to the top of social status in his tribe. Okonkwo didn’t receive any help from his family, causing him to put very high expectations on all his children. Just like Okonkwo, his village had high expectations for all its people, but those expectations were not kept for long. The colonization of Okonkwo’s home was the final part to push Okonkwo over the tipping point. However, for one to see how the colonization of Africa destroys Okonkwo’s morals they would have to look from the beginning to see the big picture.
Plot - In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the main character adopts a son from another village as payment for the killing of a “daughter of Umuofia.” Three years after later Okonkwo even says he loves Ikemefuna more than his own son. But it is then decreed, by the village spiritual leader, that Ikemefuna must die. Many people walk together and take him out to the woods, but Okonkwo himself ends up being the one to carry it out. Here is Okonkwo killing Ikemefuna: “He heard Ikemefuna cry, “My father they have killed me!” as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 61). His action causes him much internal turmoil and grief. It also causes him to push away his oldest son, Nwoye, who feels pressure to be great from his father, Okonkwo, who had father/son issues of his own. This shows that Okonkwo is a very traditional person that does not tolerate change and will go to any length to protect the traditional ways and that his pride is his greatest fault. Another key moment is the death of Ezeudu’s son. Okonkwo kills him accidentally when his gun explodes, because of this Okonkwo and his family is banished. He travels to his mother’s homeland of Mbanta, where they encounter the missionaries. The encounter with the missionaries is the first clash of culture in the book and of it Okonkwo says this, “Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the
Okonkwo was a legendary man of his time holding many titles. From the very beginning he had distinguished his masculinity from all the others in the village. He wished to prosper in the way great Igbo people always had. Okonkwo’s form, ideas, and life, all represent the African tradition and memory. The western culture and memory ruined everything that Okonkwo held dear. This was seen as early as Okonkwo’s banishment from the tribe. Okonkwo had brought his gun to a festival that was honoring the marriage of a girl in the village. That gun accidently exploded and killed a clansman. This was seen as the ultimate disgrace and was banished for seven years from the tribe. The gun, which was a western tool, had caused Okonkwo to be separated from