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Themes of colonization as things fall apart
An illustration of cultural identity when things fall apart
Themes of colonization as things fall apart
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Fate and Destiny Achebe's Things Fall Apart demonstrates how a character's actions determine their destiny. Okonkwo,the protagonist, is a great example of this. He is constantly living in fear and uses violence to get what he wants, which results in a short lived destiny. In contrast to Okonkwo, characters such as Obierika and Mr. Brown who pursue their goals with patience and respect end up with better futures. Obierika ends up having a much better destiny than Okonkwo due to his acceptance to new ideas. Mr. Brown is used to portray Achebe’s thoughts on colonization , “Achebe shows that the novel, far from subverting imperialist constructions, falls victim to them”. Although Mr. Brown is cruel, he first respects the Igbo people's beliefs in order to gain control, which he eventually gets. Okonkwo, Obierika, and Mr. Brown’s actions underscore Achebe's use of destiny and fate. …show more content…
Due to his inflexible nature, he is destined for self-destruction. In some beliefs, this could also be known as karma, which is the belief that a person's past actions determine their destiny. Okonkwo made bad decisions in order to not be seen as weak, which is his worst fear. Due to his fear, he unknowingly becomes cruel and obsessive, “He [Okonkwo] had a slight stammer and whenever he got angry and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fists” (Achebe 4). His obsession to be seen as strong eventually got so bad that he killed his own son. He didn't necessarily want to kill his son, but if he didn't, his colleagues would think he was too weak. He continued to live in fear and got expelled from his village for accidentally killing a boy. This exile was the first count of his actions affecting his destiny. Okonkwo is a man of action and force, which is the opposite of
“They will take him outside Umofia, as is the custom, and kill him there. But I want you to have nothing to do with it. He calls you his father. (57)” This quote explains that Ogbuefi expresses concern for Okonkwo, because the Oracle explains how it would be wrongful of Okonkwo to kill Ikemefuna. “Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak. (61)” This quote portrays that Okonkwo completely disregarded what Ogbuefi and the Oracle cautioned him about, because he was too concerned about his status of what others thought of him. “At last the man was named and people sighed “E-u-u, Ezeudu is dead.” A cold shiver ran down Okonkwo’s back as he remembered the last time the old man had visited him. (121)” At this point in the story, it appears that Okonkwo is starting to realize his wrongdoings, primarily because he takes religion and his spiritual life very seriously, in regards towards the Oracle. Okonkwo begins to lose trust within his family, especially with Nwoye. (As mentioned in the previous paragraph.) In the beginning of the book, Okonkwo relied on Ikemefuna to help Nwoye become more masculine and tough. After Ogbuefi warns Okonkwo about taking part in the murder, Okonkwo thinks about what could happen to him once the gods find out. Once again, Okonkwo lets his emotions
Their beliefs are completely opposite each other because of Okonkwo's need to fulfill his own pressures and ideal image, which he burdens himself with. Certain characteristics he holds which his father does not is seriousness, determination, and brutality. Okonkwo cannot move on from his past, instead he forces his future to be effected by his past, which results in his emotional separation from others around him. Oknonkwo describes his father as "lazy, improvident and quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow.
... his words that he committed a great evil; we live in peace with our fellows to honor our great goddess of the earth without whose blessings our crops will not grow. You have committed a great evil (Achebe 30). Okonkwo displays another fit of anger during the feast of the new yam, when he almost killed his second wife with a gun because she cut a few leaves off the banana tree to wrap some food. Without patience to discern her explanation; she was beaten mercilessly and almost got killed. Okonkwo lacked a sense of affection towards his family, which can be linked to his fear of weakness. He repudiates any show of emotion or patience in order not to appear weak. His household lived in a perpetual fear, he never gave them the opportunity to get close to him without been scared of him, and this really had a great effect with the relationship he had with his household.
In the first section of the paragraph it is made known that Okonkwo was “…ruled by a great passion - to become one of the lords of the clan.” This was evident at the very beginning of the book by his fear of failure. The loathing he had for his father and what he stood for had driven Okonkwo to work hard through his entire life. This commitment help confirm the manliness that he had be seeking for, the one thing that could separate him from the shame of his childhood. However his strong will and determination has left him with a very egomaniacal self-image that leaves Okonkwo helpless when he actually fails in something. His banishment to Mbantu was a very hard blow to his self-image, leaving him weak and broken while trying to live there.
Okonkwo’s first and most distinctive flaw is his fear of failure. Many people would agree that this flaw is driven by the fear of becoming his father, but Okonkwo takes this fear too far. Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, was known for being a very lazy and carefree man. He also had notoriety of being “…poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat.” (Achebe 5). A big tradition in Umuofia is having a father who is supposed to teach his children right and wrong. In Okonkwo’s case, these lessons had to be self-taught. Okonkwo had to commit to his own understandings of what defined a “good man” and to him that was the exact opposite of his father. Because of his fear to be seen as weak, Okonkwo even murders a child that calls him father. Ikemefuna was sent to live with Okonkwo because someone was murdered in a nearby village. An example of Okonkwo’s ill-hearted actions are shown in the following quote: “As the man drew up and raised his machete, Okonkwo looked away. He heard the blow. 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). The fact that he kills Ikemefuna shows that his reputation is more important than the life of a child. Okonkwo’s fear permits him to receive more respect from his tribe, but only because it inclines him to do better than anyone else.
With the white men from Europe bringing new traditions and customs, the Igbo culture is damaged. Some people went against their own beliefs and converted to the white man’s religion. The end of the novel justifies this being the main idea when Okonkwo sees his tribe as people who are to afraid to fight for their ancestor’s beliefs. Knowing that the Europeans would continue to invade their land, he chose not to see his culture slowly drift away and took his life. Things did fall apart in the culture and in Okonkwo’s life. The author, Achebe, uses his novel as a way of conveying historical fact through a fictional story. He uses fiction to show his views and beliefs about the European explorers and the religion that they brought. In the novel, Achebe shows the white men’s ignorance to the customs and beliefs of the native people. He also uses Okonkwo’s character to show the lack of change in the native’s lifestyle and to show the contrast that lies between the two cultures. The author also put a story in the book when the missionary and an elder of the tribe are discussing religion. This can be shown as evidence that the author believes that the Christians and the natives could have learned things about their own religions by sharing their faith and facts amongst each
Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, tells the story of Okonkwo. As a fearful and stubborn protagonist, the novel retains a clear focus upon his thoughts and actions. Through the skewed perspective of a character-focused narrative, Achebe presents the complexities and subtleties of life in the Ibo community. Although the rigid frame of Okonkwo’s fears and beliefs restrict most of the narrative to his myopic account of Ibo life, the views of those in contrast to his can be seen on the outskirts of the text. These alternatives to the central narrative, at first, appear distant and periphery possibilities of reality, but through the associations between repeated terms and the recurrence of themes the novel foreshadows importance and influence of this alternative perspective. Perspectives, which will, eventually, overwhelm Okonkwo. The most prominent examples of these splits in understanding often concern the treatment and actions of characters who, at the beginning of the narrative, hold no voice or power in the eyes of Okonkwo or the clan. Yet, as the influence of these characters becomes increasingly more visible within the life and future of the clan, the revelation of such importance destroys Okonkwo’s reality.
Fear of failure and weakness dominates Okonkwo throughout his life. At first this fear motivates him to rise to success by working diligently and doing everything his father did not do. However, even when Okonkwo establishes an honorable reputation, fear of failure continues to overwhelm him and drives him to perform acts that lead to his suffering. One example of this is when the men of Umuofia decide that Ikemefuna must be killed and Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna even though he is told not to partake in the killing of Ikemefuna. Okonkwo panics when Ikemefuna turns to him and cries for help, and without thinking, Okonkwo slays Ikemefuna with his machete. Okonkwo does this because in the split second where Ikemefuna runs to Okonkwo for protection, Okonkwo is overpowered with fear of being seen as weak and kills Ikemefuna. This is an unwise act on behalf of Okonkwo, and as a result, he suffers emotionally in the next few days. He enters a stage of depression and cannot eat or sleep as all he can think about is what he has done to Ikemefuna. It is at this point that things start t...
Things Fall Apart, a novel by Chinua Achebe, is a story which goes into great depth with its character development. The descriptions of the characters in this book go beyond first impressions and delve deeply into the minds of the people being described by explaining their thoughts and the experiences of their lives. Okonkwo is perhaps the most interesting example of these descriptions throughout the novel. He is a very successful man who is driven by fear and shame. Without fear there can be no courage, but when one does not choose to be truly courageous, fear can overcome them and lead to hopelessness and despair as things begin to fall apart.
It is important to note that Achebe was a product of both traditional Igbo society and the colonizing British culture. Therefore, the narrative is influenced by two strikingly opposed philosophies. The tragic hero, Okonkwo, may have been crafted to express, not only the Igbo philosophy of harmony, but the outsider interpretation of a seemingly paradoxical belief system. Achebe's representation of Okonkwo may symbolize the collision of these two conflicting philosophies.
Okonkwo was ashamed of him and did everything possible to never end up like his father. When the narrator stated, “With a father like Unoka, Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men had. But he threw himself into it like one possessed. And indeed he was possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life and shameful death” (pg. 18). The.
Achebe’s story is also framed around the village of Umuofia’s cultural traditions. Umuofia’s confrontation and struggle with colonialism from the West is effectively portrayed in the story. “The white man had indeed brought a lunatic religion, but he had also built a trading store and for the first time palm-oil and kernel became things of great price, and much money fl...
The novel "Things Fall Apart", by Chinua Achebe, was an eye-opening account of the life and eventual extinction of an African tribe called the Ibo. It focuses on one character, Okonkwo, who at a very early age set out on a quest of self-perfection. Coming from a family ruled by a man who was lazy and inconsistent with everything he did, Okonkwo vowed to never accept the fate of his father. Okonkwo and his family suffered through many hard times in their lives, but usually managed to come out on top. Through terrible crop seasons and bad judgement calls, Okonkwo usually prevailed, until the day came when he was faced with a situation that could not be resolved by his strength and character alone.
In one of the stories told about his past, it describes the shameful death his father endured, and tells of how his corpse was left in the Evil Forest to rot because he wasn't worthy of a proper burial. Okonkwo became so encompassed by the idea of needing to be a better man for selfish reasons that he often neglected his own son, instead spending more time with Ikemefuna and beating Ngowye, even letting his "child" join him at village meetings. Ikemefuna's fate was now sealed, and 3 years after initially joining the Umuofia tribe, he must be killed as retribution. Okonkwo was warned not to take part in the slaying "of the boy that once called him 'father.' "
He has reached great social standing, “His fame rested on solid personal achievements”, and he has multiple wives. His success is his own doing, his father lived in poverty, often taking loans with no intention to pay them back and possessing none of the masculinity revered in his community. This failing of his father proves to be a great motivator for Okonkwo, he was “ruled by one passion - to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved”, and following his father’s death, Okonkwo quickly climbed to the top of his clan. Despite the role this passion had in Okonkwo’s success, it also proves to be his weakness, his fixation on appearing powerful and masculine frequently eclipses his judgement and he acts with violence and anger toward all the people close to him, beating his wives and children frequently. In one particularly disturbing episode, the fear of being perceived as weak causes Okonkwo to kill his adoptive son, against the instructions of the oracle.