Nwoye

653 Words2 Pages

Since the beginning of Things Fall Apart, Nwoye is set apart from the rest. In spite of him being seen as a child, Nwoye overcomes the obscurity of his father's shadow. Throughout Things Fall Apart, Nwoye flourishes into his own being. Ikemefuna was a valuable role model to Nwoye and assisted him in growing into a young man. The missionaries brought new concepts for the people of Umuofia to face. The new faith and cultural collision became an escape from the norm of which Nwoye was used to. Nwoye found himself maturing and growing apart from Umuofia. People often follow the rules and traditions of their community because it’s all they’ve ever known. In Things Fall Apart, readers see Nwoye’s beliefs, as well as the beliefs of his community, altered.

Nwoye encapsulates an innocent child who is very sensitive to his surroundings and is baffled by the seemingly arbitrary cruelties being committed around him. Nwoye is the frequent object of his father’s criticism and remains emotionally unfulfilled. Ikemefuna comes to fill that void and Nwoye, in his adoration of his adoptive brother, begins to mirror him. Ikemefuna helps Nwoye grow and find his masculinity, which, in turn, helps Okonkwo shift to a gratitude toward his once rejected son. “Okonkwo was inwardly pleased at his son’s development, and he knew it was due to Ikemefuna.”, through this quote we are able to distinguish Okonkwo's feelings toward his son that were once belligerent, now exhibiting acceptance. This change availed Nwoye to feel connected to his father as he optically discerned a softer side to his arbitrary personality. When one meets a paramount person it can transmute their whole life, perspective and emotion.

Nwoye’s identity radically transitions at the mom...

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...d been covered so long by the trepidation of his father. This ultimately avails in the cultural collision between Umuofia and the Christians because the Christians has now taken one of Umuofia’s own and that is what this tribe works so strenuously against.

People often follow the rules and traditions of their community because it’s all they’ve ever known. In Things Fall Apart, readers see Nwoye’s beliefs, as well as the beliefs of his community, altered. Throughout the novel one would optically discern Nwoye grow and flourish as he embraces an incipient culture. Without the deplorable experiences Nwoye faced growing through adolescence, the outcomes would have been different. The experiences of the reader and things they may have faced, can transmute the outcomes in their life. One's perspective, thoughts and mindset can be altered forever with one simple action.

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