Things Fall Apart Character Analysis

1081 Words3 Pages

Things Fall Apart by China Achebe, portrays the life of Okonkwo, a leader and wrestling champion in Umuofia a village inhabited by the Igbo people. The story takes places in a time frame where Christian missionaries and the British government are penetrating remote areas of Africa states and tribes. The protagonist of the book, Okonkwo is the son of a lazy father Unoka who is depicted throughout the novel as a shameful man to the village. Given his father’s reputation, Okonkwo strives to become one of the strongest, wealthiest and most powerful men of the village.
Given the vast complexity and operations of the state discussed in Things Fall Apart, I decided to address the role of several institutions that I observed lead to the formation of the state. The first is the democratic institution of rule present in the Igbo clan. At first, we are quickly introduced to the complex laws and customs of Okonkwo’s clan and their commitment to peaceful and harmonious relations. The Igbo used the concept of justice and fairness in order to administer justice. Each clan had it’s own elders and its own leaders that would delegate punishments to certain individuals in the society as well as call for clan meetings in order to discuss current problems. As I recall from the second chapter, we are introduced to way in which Unoka’s debt is handled, and how the elders and the social customs regulating the Igbo society, would not allow for anything but a peaceful resolution to the tension. I tend to relate this democratic institution of rule to the egalitarian approach of rule, whereby the village elders and administrators take into account the interest of the people and therefore deliberate major decisions with the entire clan before a final decisio...

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...Igbo Christian’ state began.
To conclude, the formation of the state in Things Fall Apart, can be attributed to the use of a ‘ democratic institution’, religious, cultural values, traditions and force or coercion. The white colonist use of force to implement religion and British rule, left little to no hope for the Igbo clan to survive. The politics behind the destruction of the Igbo state can be attributed to their lack of force, particularly when first confronted with the missionaries. Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe serves to show how persuasiveness and force can ultimately combine to defeat one of the most equipped and family oriented clans known as the Igbo tribe of Umuofia. However, it is also a reminder of the life of the Igbo people, and how their formation of the state resulted in a weak state that was demolished when confronted by a dominant threat.

Things Fall Apart Nwoye Character Analysis
531 Words | 2 Pages
In the novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, Nwoye is Okonkwo’s eldest son who is a feminine in the eyes of his father while being a lackadaisical boy just like Unoka was during his lifetime. As a child, Nwoye was often criticized by his father for not being a manly person. Eventually, Ikemefuna comes to fill the void of a manly person and afterwards, Nwoye decided to emulate Ikemefuna as a way to show to his father that he is not a feminine but instead he is transitioning into a manly person. On the other hand after the murder of Ikemefuna, Nwoye decides to distance himself from his father and seems to lose the respect he once had towards his father. Without Ikemefuna’s influence, Nwoye decides to convert back to his gentle nature which basically leads to Okonkwo to view his son as a disappointment and feminine person. Later on in the novel, Nwoye decides to not forgive his father for his betrayal in killing Ikemefuna which ultimately leads to Nwoye to convert into Christianity as a way to show his father that he did a scandalous thing that would never be forgiven.
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Cultural Differences In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe
960 Words | 2 Pages
It challenged his identity by losing his high title in the clan due to the change in the village as well as new customs. He responded to the clash of cultures by attempting to encourage others to fight in his mission to get rid of the Western influences in the Ibo community. Because he failed to do so, he lost hope and refused to accept the new culture which caused him to hang himself. The conflict between Okonkwo and his clan’s decision to change their way of living was portrayed through characterization and plot development. Achebe gives the people of Africa a voice with Okonkwo’s character who stayed true to his roots. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe reveals to us Okonkwo’s response as the cultural collision of the English and Ibo challenged his sense of
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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
1165 Words | 3 Pages
Things Fall Apart, a novel based on the cultures and the traditions of the Igbos depict a very strong sense of struggle between change and tradition. This story is somewhat an archetype of To Kill a Mocking Bird. Not just centered on sociopolitical views but also cultural and traditional beliefs, Achebe specifically defines each speck of this Eastern Nigerian culture, from the breaking of the “kola –a caffeine-containing nut of evergreen trees to the unmasking of the egwuegwu and spiritual sacrifices to the gods and ancestors. Kola, a very essential part of the Igbo culture is represented in so many ways; it signifies peace, blessing, wealth, abundance, and respect most especially. In this society, the contest for wealth, titles and success was very important, it was a great legacy to be left by any man. Okonkwo being the strongest and most powerful man in the village had more than set a standard in that village by conquering the greatest warrior of all time. He had a symbiotic relationship with his community, as much has he benefited from the community’s societal and cultural values, so did they benefit from his strength and will power to succeed.
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Things Fall Apart
1974 Words | 4 Pages
Chinua Achebe?s Things Fall Apart is a narrative story that follows the life of an African man called Okonkwo. The setting of the book is in eastern Nigeria, on the eve of British colonialism in Africa. The novel illustrates Okonkwo?s struggles, triumphs, and his eventual downfall, all of which basically coincide with the Igbo?s society?s struggle with the Christian religion and British government. In this essay I will give a biographical account of Okonwo, which will serve to help understand that social, political, and economic institutions of the Igbos.
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1198 Words | 3 Pages
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.
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934 Words | 2 Pages
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How Does Chinua Achebe Depict Ibo Culture In Things Fall Apart?
1510 Words | 4 Pages
Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, is a story of a traditional village in Nigeria from inside Umuofia around the late 1800s. This novel depicts late African history and shows how the British administrative structure, in the form of the European Anglican Church, imposed its religion and trappings on the cultures of Africa, which they believed was uncivilized. This missionary zeal subjugated large native populations. Consequently, the native traditions gradually disappeared and in time the whole local social structure within which the indigenous people had lived successfully for centuries was destroyed. Achebe spends the first half of the novel depicting the Ibo culture, by itself, in both a sophisticated and primitive light describing and discussing its grandeur, showing its strengths and weaknesses, etiquettes and incivilities, and even the beginning of cultural breakdown before the introduction of the missionaries. The collapse of the old culture is evident soon after the missionaries arrived, and here Achebe utilises two of the primary missionary figures, Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith, to once again depicts both sides of the Ibo culture between them, with Mr. Brown depicting the sophisticated and Mr. Smith depicting the primitive aspects.
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Masculinity in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Okonkwo
1830 Words | 4 Pages
The Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a straight to the point story, embedded with interesting elements that capture readers’ attention. In my view, when I read the story, I found many interesting things about the theme of the book. But The Masculinity Okonkwo was what captures my attention. The story opens up to a Traditional Igbo lifestyle, a theme which is highly stylized from its ritual to the actions performed for certain ceremonies. Most of the action Igbo tribe has been an attempt to show respect to the gods, for example, when ikemefuna became sick and his stomach swelled up their traditions says that he take them to the evil forest and kill him. The story also seems to focus on gender, family, respect and reputation, and religion. In fact, Gender which in Igbo tradition, sets standards and roles between Igbo women and men. Women in Igbo Culture are the weaker sex, but are endowed with qualities that make them worthy of worship, like the ability to bear children. Men in Igbo Culture are the stronger sex, which gives them the ability to provide for their family and has prowess on the battlefield. In Igbo culture, building a nice and respectable family is important and titles in their culture gives them respect and builds reputation in the ‘‘Umuofia’’ village playing a big role in Igbo tradition. Nothing plays a bigger role in Igbo tradition than religion, the ‘‘Umuofia’’ village worship the goddess of the earth are always careful to avoid committing sins of their goddess with a fear of vengeance that might wipe out an entire generation. In the story, the men of the Umuofia village seem to care a lot about masculinity, when Okonkwo is hosting a party he takes it very seriously and ...
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Umuofia Government In Chinua Achebe's Thing Fall Apart
1021 Words | 3 Pages
Nigeria has a rich culture stemming from the many civilizations that inhabited the land. In the novel Thing Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe brings light on to the great Igbo people, a society Nigeria hosted for centuries. The tale follows a man named Okonkwo as he tries to make amends for his father 's failures and a name for himself within his village. This path leads Okonkwo to become reckless and unreasonable. Through this, readers are exposed to the village’s judicial system, revealing that the clan’s laws based off sexism, superstitious nature, and deep religious ties.
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948 Words | 2 Pages
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660 Words | 2 Pages
Things Fall Apart. Such an intriguing title, because everything will eventually fall apart. Chinua Achebe's choice of a title may lead some to confusion, because throughout his book many things fall apart, from Okonkwo's personal life achievements and emotions to the town of Umuofia as its people split, and perhaps the biggest thing to fall apart, the very culture of the Igbo people. One could focus on any one of these topics and trace the complexity of it's fall from previous glory to the eventual ruin at the end of Achebe's novel. Studying the overall book provides a much more interesting conclusion, however, than simply tracking the different ways people or the town change, as instead it is possible to gain insight into Achebe's goals in writing this complex, tragic story. Achebe uses the details of Okonkwo's personal life falling apart and of the town of Umuofia's struggles to maintain it's traditions as metaphors for the falling apart of Igbo culture as it was known before the Europeans came.
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1770 Words | 4 Pages
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Colonialism In Things Fall Apart Essay
1166 Words | 3 Pages
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Things Fall Apart Indirect Character Trait
501 Words | 2 Pages
Since his early ages, Okonkwo's humiliation about his father, Unoka, has driven him to succeed. In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Achebe captures many characteristics about the igbo culture and its people. Okonkwo lives with his wives and children and had obtained many titles, unlike his father. Okonkwo worked his way up from nothing in his countries social classes and became a respected man. Although, Okonkwo was a man of many successes he was balancing many obstacles in his life.
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Things Fall Apart And Woman At Point Zero Essay
568 Words | 2 Pages
The text Things Fall Apart showcases a tale about a hyper masculine man named Okonkwo, who is looked upon in the African village named Umuofia. Okonkwo has been respected in Umuofia due to his hyper-masculine behavior and his fear failure which allowed him to gain achievements as a wrestler and a crop harvester which brought honor to his village. Due to a series of misunderstandings and unforeseen circumstances such as the imperialism by the British Empire in Umuofia. Okonkwo sees his Igbo culture and traditions being washed away and forgotten due to missionaries which implementing new ideas.
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Things Fall Apart Character Analysis

Things Fall Apart Nwoye Character Analysis

Cultural Differences In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe