How Does Okonkwo's Change In Things Fall Apart

In Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, the main character, Okonkwo, is faced with the destruction of his culture through the changes of African Colonization. Okonkwo is the strongest member of his clan. At a young, he fought his way up the societal ladder to become something from nothing. As time passes, the Western cultures’ ideas force Okonkwo to the limits of his cultural boundaries. Okonkwo realizes that in a new society ruled by Western influence that the old ways of his clan, violence and hate, are not going to regain control over the people of Umuofia. With Okonkwo’s past of extreme violence, his fight for the old traditions of the Igbo culture cannot withstand the cultural collision between the Western missionary’s ideas and the Igbo’s ideas which inevitably leads to his undoing. As well as being a great leader of his clan “Okonkwo was well known throughout out the nine villages…At a young age he brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the

Okonkwo fought long and hard in a valiant effort. He thought of starting a war with the white men. However his friends talked of “how they wiped out Abame [a neighboring village]” (164) and that a war would not work against them. The anger with in Okonkwo showed as he tried hard to tolerate the new ways of the missionaries. However Okonkwo soon realized that the fight could not be won if nobody was willing to fight. This lead Okonkwo to do the most cowardly thing a man could do, Okonkwo took his own life. Okonkwo’s response to the cultural collision between Western culture and Igbo culture was an extreme on the negative spectrum of the idea. Others in the clan reacted much more positively. However Okonkwo’s lack of understanding of care and compassion built his up his anger and hatred towards everything. This extreme anger, or hermatia, inevitably caused the down fall of the tragic hero