Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, includes a narrative about protagonist Okonkwo and how he perceives his wives, friends, father, and children based on how they measure up to societal customs which expect each to carry out and stay within his or her given role. Okonkwo is no different in frequency of judgement than Marlow. While each author has his own respective style, both convey the effect that preconception has on perception. Okonkwo is first described to hate his father: “...even as a little boy he had resented his father's failure and weakness…” (13). Diction such as “failure” and “weakness” aid the reader in understanding the taboo surrounding frailty in Umuofia and specifically the African culture. This taboo is emphasized by the
The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a story that opens the reader's mind to an entirely different way of living in a Nigerian village. Achebe was born in Nigeria in 1930, perhaps this is why he writes a whole book on a Nigerian village and introduces to us the ways of life for the Nigerian people. From the first page of the book to the last, Achebe allows the reader to enter the mind of the main character Okonkwo. Okonkwo is the leader of his village and is very respected for his many achievements. Although Okonkwo means well for his village, the novel invites the reader to see him has a flawed character who eventually suffers from the consequences of bad "masculine" decisions he makes throughout the book.
One of the most common American proverbs is the expression to “never judge a book by its cover”. This saying, used for more than just books, is commonly used to express that what is on the appearance of something might not always show that things true nature or content. Even so people will often forget this fact and rely on their own perception. So what does this say about perception? To Victor Hugo author of the novel Les Misérables this would probable show that human perception is flawed and that people trust it more than they should. In Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables he suggests that by following only our perception will not always lead to the truth, with the characters of Thénardier, Jean Valjean, and Inspecter Javert.
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, is certainly the world’s most widely read African novel; it focuses on the life of Okonkwo a respected male in the early 1800’s in the Umuofia tribe of the Igbo people. Things Fall Apart, has gained much acknowledgment and recognition by virtue of its unique portrayal of life in the early 1800’s in colonial Africa. It has sparked controversy and debate between scholars; as a result of it being written by an African in 1958, this type of writing had never been seen before. This particular controversy was actually what Chinua Achebe, a celebrated 20th century Nigerian novelist was anticipating, when he composed Things Fall Apart, to describe Nigerian culture and the clash between indigenous African cultures with the traditional European culture.
William James, a famous American philosopher, once stated, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives”. This quotation effectively illustrates how change in one’s attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs can alter the environment in which one lives. This concept is clearly demonstrated throughout the novel Things Fall Apart, authored by Chinua Achebe, by establishing a connection through the development of its characters and the change in traditional African tribal villages seen in the Nineteenth Century. It will be established how various characters demonstrated by the author throughout the novel exemplify how change in one’s attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs can alter the environment in which one lives addressed by William James’s quote above. First, by analyzing Achebe’s development of Okonkwo’s character through his initial character description and the emergence of outsiders, it is evident that he is portrayed as an old fashioned character that is less responsive to change. Secondly, through examining Nwoye’s character, Okonkwo’s son, it becomes apparent that the youth in the novel are more open-minded, easily persuadable and more adaptive to societal changes. Lastly, uncovering the meaning behind the arrival of European missionaries, it becomes apparent that Achebe defines this group as being a “disease”, poisoning the society in which Okonkwo lives. The author look’s at individuals as being critical and influential figures in shaping the environment to which they belong, beginning with Okonkwo.
Obtaining acceptance from others is a burning desire that lies within each of us, yet no one dares to admit it. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart reveals that respect and honor is greatly valued in the African culture. The novel’s protagonist, Okonkwo, is so concerned with the clan’s opinion of him that he is pressured into making irrational decisions. His choices have not only a negative effect, but also an irreversible impact on those he truly cares about. Okonkwo’s fear of societal disapproval causes him to hurt others.
Achebe’s first novel, yet most widely known of all his work, is ‘Things Fall Apart’. It follows the story of Okonkwo, a successful man in Umofia with a fear of looking weak who takes care and kills a boy named Ikemefuna, later gets exiled for 7 years from Umofia, and after white colonists invade their village and it is that his village will not fight against them, Okonkwo hangs himself. Although Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, is mentioned in detailed only in the beginning and then sparesly mentioned there on, throughout these events of the novel, he had a big influence on Okonkwo. The extent of Unoka’s influence throughout the novel can be seen by looking at the chracter of the protagnist Okonkwo, the plot, and tone.
In David Hoegberg’s “Principle and Practice: The Logic of Cultural Violence in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart” he shows how there is inconsistency in the Igbo culture and the principles that they uphold daily aren’t shown in the what they do day to day. To convey this, Hoegberg gives examples of different situations of the incongruity of principle and practice that happened during the book. Although principles result in traditions, in Things Fall Apart these principles that the people tried to uphold were only shown when convenient. Principles arising when convenient caused Ikemefuna to come to Umuofia as a sacrifice.
The character of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart was driven by fear, a fear of change and losing his self-worth. He needed the village of Umuofia, his home, to remain untouched by time and progress because its system and structure were the measures by which he assigned worth and meaning in his own life. Okonkwo required this external order because of his childhood and a strained relationship with his father, which was also the root of his fears and subsequent drive for success. When the structure of Umuofia changed, as happens in society, Okonkwo was unable to adapt his methods of self-evaluation and ways of functioning in the world; the life he was determined to live could not survive a new environment and collapsed around him.
Before the arrival of the Europeans, Achebe did a excellent job portraying how the life of Igbo was before they were forced to oppose their own culture. To support this theme, Achebe included detailed descriptions of social rituals within each family, the justice system, religious practices and consequences, preparation and indulgence of food, the marriage process and the distributing of power within the men. Achebe shows how every man has an opportunity to prove himself worthy to achieve a title on the highest level, based merely on his own efforts. One may argue that the novel was written with the main focus on the study of Okonkwo’s character and how he deteriorates, but without the theme that define the Igbo culture itself, we would never know the universe qualities of the society that shaped Okonkwo’s life. The lives of the Igbo people was no different to the actual lives of the Ibos people back in the early days of Africa. Just like in Things Fall Apart, in actual African tribes there was never a ruler. “Very interesting thing about these villages is that there is no single ruler or king that controls the population. Decisions are made by including almost everyone in the village” (AfricaGuide). Using the theme, Achebe educated readers on by mirroring real African life in her
Iyasẹre, Solomon Ogbede. “Okonkwo's Participation in the Killing of His ‘Son’ in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: A Study of Ignoble Decisiveness.” Understanding Things Fall Apart: Selected Essays and Criticism. Troy, NY: Whitson, 1998. 129-40. Print.
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is a powerful novel about the social changes that occurred when the white man first arrived on the African continent. The novel is based on a conception of humans as self-reflexive beings and a definition of culture as a set of control mechanisms. Things Fall Apart is the story of Okonkwo, an elder, in the Igbo tribe. He is a fairly successful man who earned the respect of the tribal elders. The story of Okonkwo’s fall from a respected member of the tribe to an outcast who dies in disgrace graphically dramatizes the struggle between the altruistic values of Christianity and the lust for power that motivated European colonialism in Africa and undermined the indigenous culture of a nation.
In order to understand Achebe’s presentation of masculinity we must first examine the traits that define masculinity in Things Fall Apart. According to some scholars the traits the define masculinity are closely related to “heroic behavior” and distinguishes one “above other males, then far above the other sex.” (Maduagwu 1). Such traits are seen throughout the novel in the protagonist Okonkwo. Okonkwo is the head of his home and rules his household with a heavy hand. Okonkwo’s definition of masculinity is anything his father Unoka wasn’t. Okonkwo sees his father as feminine character and believes him to be a failure. Okonkwo’s fear of resembling his father motivates to acquire masculine traits so that he may not be considered weak as his father was. The following observation by a scholar gives us a ...
Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart tells the story of the people of an Igbo village in Nigeria. In Igbo society, the traditions and gender roles are strict, and being a woman or viewed as feminine is a negative thing. Okonkwo, the novel’s protagonist, values the traditions of his clan, but is controlled by the fear of being perceived as weak or effeminate. This fear causes Okonkwo to make decisions that are frowned upon by his fellow villagers, creating conflict.
Chinua Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart, uses the changes in African tribal culture brought about by European colonization to illustrate the evolution of the character Okonkwo. As Okonkwo leads his life, his experiences, personality and thought are revealed to the reader. The obstacles he faces in life are made numerous as time progresses. Okonkwo's most significant challenge originates within himself. He also encounters problems not only when in opposition to the white culture, but in his own culture, as he becomes frustrated with tribal ideals that conflict with his own. The last adversary he encounters is of the physical world, brought upon himself by his emotional and cultural problems. The manner through which Okonkwo addresses his adversaries in Things Fall Apart creates the mechanism that leads to his eventual destruction.
Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, begins its journey amidst the era of colonialism. This novel takes us through a journey with its main character, Okonkwo, and his personal experience of the true natures of the colonization of the continent of Africa. The novel takes the reader on an emotional ride as we learn about a small segment African culture shown through the author’s depiction of the African tribe of Ibo. They are not shown to act as