Okonkwo's Societal Changes

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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe discusses the impact of a changing society on Onkonkwo, “one of the greatest men of his time” (Acebe 8). A clan built on the masculinity of its men goes through a metamorphosis with the introduction of the white man. Okonkwo’s violent past and actions only grow with the tension of an evolving social and religious scene, as he is firmly set in his traditional beliefs. This plays out through nso-ani’s, “a religious offence of a kind abhorred by everyone, literally earth’s taboo” as defined by Achebe. The build up leads to Okonkwo’s eventual suicide, the ultimate nso-ani as he can no longer fight the changing tides of time. Gradual societal changes threaten Okonkwo’s sense of masculinity, causing increasingly aggressive behavior that clashes with an evolving clan and causes him to implode. Okonkwo is introduced as a fiercely masculine warrior with a reputation throughout his village and the surrounding villages. The fame begins with how he “brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat,” who was unbeaten for seven years, in the “fiercest (fight) since the founder of their …show more content…

During Umoufia’s Week of Peace, Okonkwo savagely beats one of his wives, a crime against the earth goddess. Okonkwo’s allowance of violence to permeate the peace is “(committing) a great evil” (30)in the eyes of the gods and the clan. He faces this failure by refusing to be outwardly repentant. Okonkwo’s masculinity does not allow him to admit his fault, leading others to believe he was starting from his chi and losing respect for the gods. The situation is incredibly humiliating for Okonkwo, as “(his neighbors) talked of nothing else but the nso-ani which (he) had committed” (31). Okonkwo’s inability to accept his failure displays how he is beginning to be cajoled by his masculinity, losing touch with his cultural expectations to act on his need to assert his position as a

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