Essay On Okonkwo's Pride In Things Fall Apart

In Things Fall Apart Okonkwo goes on a mental and physical journey in which he sees the effects that the British have on his people. He had a strong belief that his people were strong and powerful just like the warriors of legend. Throughout the book he slowly came to realize that his people were nothing like he thought they were. He starts to question whether they’re really powerful fearless warriors or, soft women with no will to fight and no devotion to their gods. After he sees his son Nwoye converting to Christianity and the people of Umuofia not rallying behind him to kill and drive out the whites. He loses faith in his people as a whole.

Okonkwo initially believes his people to be powerful warriors and masculine fighters who would never give in to an invasion whether it be peaceful or not. He believes they are the kind

of people who will take the skulls of their slain enemies and drink from them as a cup. In his opinion any kind of offense of his people or gods should be swiftly and violently punished. It prides him when the fallen Egwugwu is avenged when the clan levels the church with fire (189-191). Okonkwo is very satisfied when he sees his people follow through with this act because “For the first time in many years Okonkwo had a feeling that was akin to happiness” (192). He was also proud of his son Nwoye for a time due to his growing masculinity caused by Ikemefuna. Nwoye stopped sitting with his mother and instead sat in his father’s obi as well as splitting wood and groaning about women (52). He saw his son starting to take after him and become more of a warrior rather than a woman.
However, throughout the book Okonkwo’s pride for his people’s warlike ways were slowly diminished.

Nwoye converting was the first cause of Okonkwo’s decline of pride in Umuofia. After the death of his foster brother Ikemefuna caused by Okonkwo, Nwoye started to resent his father. He starts to converse with the Christian missionaries and in anger Okonkwo beats him and threatens to kill him. Nwoye runs to the church for refuge and begins to study the Christian ways and follow their traditions (151-153). Okonkwo is very disappointed and sees his father Unoka coming out in Nwoye. Okonkwo has a deep hatred for his father and anyone or anything that is anything like him. So when Nwoye starts to act against how Okonkwo believes a man should act he does not take kindly to it. Later Mr.Brown goes to Okonkwo to inform him of his son’s accomplishments among the christian faith and how his son will soon become a teacher at a school (182-183). Okonkwo responds to this with violence and warns Mr.Brown that if he comes back he won’t be leaving on his feet . He is ultimately very disappointed in his son and starts to lose faith in both his son and his

people.
Okonkwo’s son’s weakness had a huge impact on him but that was only the start, the cowardly acts of his people took his weakened pride and ripped it to shreds. Towards the end of the book Okonkwo and his fellow leaders are captured and held hostage by the district commissioner in Umuofia. They then are ransomed and set free and this angers Okonkwo. Then the court messengers go to Umuofia and Okonkwo kills one of them expecting his fellow so called warriors, but they do not. They stood there and watched as he decapitated the messenger. (202-205). Okonkwo had completely lost his pride and belief in his people at this point just as his people had lost their masculinity. This inaction was the final nail in the coffin of his pride and this led to his suicide (207).
Okonkwo’s pride in his people is rivaled only by the pride he has of himself, however this pride slowly eroded throughout the course of the novel ultimately ending with Okonkwo’s loss of pride and faith in his people. He sees the people of Umuofia, his people as fighters and soldiers and people of great masculinity. But as the book continues he starts to see how his people truly act in the event of an invasion of culture. This journey to a loss of faith in his people ends with the allowance of an assimilation the the whites. Okonkwo’s loss of pride and the descent of his people was a staple of his journey and proves that those who do not change with the times will die in due time.