In the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Ikemefuna struggles with loneliness and disorientation after being taken from his family at a young age which forced him to form closer bonds with his temporary family before his premature death. As just a teenager, Ikemefuna was extracted from his homeland as a sacrifice for an accidental murder that his father took part in. This calamity shapes Ikemefuna’s identity and eventually his death. After arriving in Umuofia, “[Ikemefuna] had moments of sadness and depression. But he and Nwoye had become so deeply attached to each other that such moments had become less frequent and less poignant” (Achebe 34). Umuofia is a completely new place full of strangers for Ikemefuna, this is frightening to …show more content…
a young boy. On top of that, he is taken in by Okonkwo, who is feared throughout the nine villages.
Nonetheless, Ikemefuna has a strong connection with Nwoye immediately upon arrival. However, it is unclear whether their two benevolent souls truly connected based on similarity or if Ikemefuna was just grasping for normalcy. If he had stayed back at his homeland, Ikemefuna would not have developed such an attachment to a brother even if they were blood related. Before his death, Ikemefuna thrives in his new environment. Throughout the time Ikemefuna was in Umuofia, he develops both physically and mentally, “he grew rapidly like a yam tendril in the rainy season, and was full of the sap of life” (Achebe 52). Ikemefuna flourishes under the watchful eye of Okonkwo. He shows great prowess in all of the things Okonkwo considers necessary for manhood, but this would not have been the case if he had stayed in Mbaino. The utterly terrifying experience of being kidnapped at fifteen year old causes Ikemefuna to grasp onto family-like relationships and become a promising man. Had he stayed at home, Ikemefuna’s life would have been more bland and less full of the passion that derived from fear. In addition, Nwoye is not the only member of the family that Ikemefuna grows close
to. At the scene of Ikemefuna’s death, he is all trusting of his father, Okonkwo, who in the end betrays him: “Although [Ikemefuna] had felt uneasy at first, he was not afraid now. Okonkwo walked behind him. He could hardly imagine that Okonkwo was not his real father” (Achebe 59). Ikemefuna’s connection to Okonkwo is greater than that of the latter and his own son. Okonkwo considers Ikemefuna to be a promising, hard-working, young man who is more his son than Nwoye. This is why it is shocking that Okonkwo played a part in Ikemefuna’s death and would rather kill his son than be perceived as weak. The death of Ikemefuna takes a toll on both Nwoye and surprisingly, Okonkwo. This illustrates the true effect that Ikemefuna had on the lives of those around him. The life-altering experience of being abducted from home caused Ikemefuna to create close fatherly and brotherly bonds while succeeding in Umuofia.
For members of the Ibo tribe, being submissive and respectful to your elders and culture is the only accepted way to live, yet the son of one of the greatest men in Umuofia seems to defy this ideal. Nwoye, the son of Okonkwo, one of the most majestic warriors and farmers in their small village, has never really been attracted to the manly nature and attitudes expected of him. Never being fond of blood and fighting and not wanting to participate in any of the hard work in the household has left Nwoye with a more feminine personality. Not only does he reject the ideas of the Ibo culture, he also accepts those of a white man and lives life like a Westerner. In Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart, Nwoye defies traditional Ibo values by emphasizing the importance of not killing Ikemefuna, highlighting the fact that it is acceptable to convert to Christianity, and not living up to be the manly hero his dad want him to be.
This quote shows that Okonkwo is really sympathetic and how he has a liking ness to some children for different reasons. This also shows how Okonkwo is not a heartless man and actually cares for his children. “He therefore treated Ikemefuna as he treated everybody else - with a heavy hand. But there was no doubt that he liked the boy.” (Achebe Ch 4) This shows that Okonkwo even shows sympathy to those that are not related to him. Ikemefuna came in as a prisoner but later ended up becoming apart of Okonkwo's family.
Nwoye is one of the characters that shows the culture clash in its full effect on both sides for an individual and for the old culture. We see that it impacts him very positively but it’s still not cool to take over a culture of another peoples. We see that Nwoye is one of the men of the tribe that doesn’t necessarily agree with their cultures and is facing an internal struggle all through part one. Nwoye is looked down as weak by his father.
Some people are faithful to their religion, as for Okonkwo he was faithful to his religion and culture. Okonkwo thought nothing wrong until the missionaries came upon on the land. Before the missionary came he was a man who didn’t treat his family as a loving and caring one. Sometimes he wished for his children to be different than who they really are. Okonkwo didn’t know what his actions and thoughts could do to his people. Okonkwo had things planned but as soon the missionaries came alone he didn't know what was upon him. When they came to the land he had his future built for himself, he planned what to do but the plans changed and fell apart.
Perhaps the best example of women holding power in this novel is the priestess Chielo. She is one of the spiritual leaders in Okonkwo’s town. She has the respect of the entire village, not just the women. Her authority extends so far that at one point in the novel she takes one of Okonkwo’s children in the middle of the night to a religious site. She is free to do as she pleases. Okonkwo recognizes her authority and doesn’t put up a fight. He ends up following his wife and daughter to the religious site, but doesn’t interfere. Another example of women in this society having important roles are their jobs as teachers. They teach their children the importance of community and other life lessons by telling their children stories. Okonkwo treats many of the women in his life differently. He is secretly very fond of one of his daughters and wishes she had been born a boy. This
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.
Before British Colonization Nwoye was dedicated to his father Okonkwo until he killed Ikemefuna. Nwoye did everything Okonkwo asked of him because he was scared of the consequences he would suffer if he did not listen or respect Okonkwo. Once Okonkwo murdered Ikemefuna, Nwoye became afraid of him. Ikemefuna was the closest thing Nwoye had as a brother, taking that away from Nwoye made him lose respect for Okonkwo. “Then something had given way inside him. It descended on him again, this feeling, when his father
Perspective is used in Things Fall Apart to give high contrast to issues within the community, which brings out its inner complexity. When differences of opinion are highlighted, these differences show that internal pressure are causing the tribe to break down from within. Ikemefuna’s death is a point of stark disagreement among the Umuofians. Ezeudu tells Okonkwo, “I want you to have nothing to do with [Ikemefuna’s death]. He calls you his father” (57). Although Ezeudu warns Okonkwo about participating in the death of Ikemefuna, Okonkwo decides to kill Ikemefuna himself. Ezeudu’s oppinion that Okonkwo should not be involved with the boy’s death shows the reader a shade of the community that would not have been seen without highligh...
Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, tells the story of Okonkwo, a respected leader of the Umuofia village. He is a multifaceted character who is ambitious, hard working and tenacious. He is committed to preserving his people’s culture at any cost. However, Okonkwo’s beliefs have faults which made him a vulnerable character. Okonkwo grew up with a father who was lazy and a poor provider for him and his family. Okonkwo's determination to be the opposite of his father, earns him titles of his own that helped him succeed. He achieves great social and financial power by embracing these ideals. He was wed to three women and fathered several children, but all of his accomplishments also were his deadly flaws. They created an internal fear of losing his worth and becoming like his father- weak and effeminate. Therefore, Okonkwo morphed into a man with a masculine personality and uncontrollable anger. Okonkwo’s flaws enveloped him and controlled his actions- he becomes resistant and unable to bend with the changes taking place in his village. In Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, the main character Okonkwo self-destructs due to his internal flaws of fear, masculinity, anger and inability to adapt with change.
Fear of failure and weakness dominates Okonkwo throughout his life. At first this fear motivates him to rise to success by working diligently and doing everything his father did not do. However, even when Okonkwo establishes an honorable reputation, fear of failure continues to overwhelm him and drives him to perform acts that lead to his suffering. One example of this is when the men of Umuofia decide that Ikemefuna must be killed and Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna even though he is told not to partake in the killing of Ikemefuna. Okonkwo panics when Ikemefuna turns to him and cries for help, and without thinking, Okonkwo slays Ikemefuna with his machete. Okonkwo does this because in the split second where Ikemefuna runs to Okonkwo for protection, Okonkwo is overpowered with fear of being seen as weak and kills Ikemefuna. This is an unwise act on behalf of Okonkwo, and as a result, he suffers emotionally in the next few days. He enters a stage of depression and cannot eat or sleep as all he can think about is what he has done to Ikemefuna. It is at this point that things start t...
Okonkwo’s desire for respect motivates his quest to preserve the practices of Ibo culture, while Obierika preserves the practices of the Ibo culture with a more humanistic perspective. Achebe uses the differing approaches of Okonkwo and Obierika in maintaining the cultural doctrines of the Ibo people to reveal his sympathy for Obierika over Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s motives for maintaining the customs of the Ibo originate with fear. Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna while “dazed with fear,” drawing “his machete [to] cut him down” because, “he was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 61). Though Okonkwo attempts to appear strong to the people of Umuofia, his fearful motivation speaks to a hidden internal weakness. Okonkwo’s focus on eradicating the taint of “his father’s weakness and failure” and his yearning for respect drive him to kill Ikemefuna instead of the more proper motive of simply effectuating what the Ibo conside...
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.
Ikemefuna was Okonkwo’s “adopted” son. Ikemefuna and a little girl were taken away from their families in a neighboring village after a man from his village killed a man in Umuofia’s wife. Ikemefuna was given to Okonkwo as a peace offering and he fit in quite well with his new family. Okonkwo’s other sons were greatly influenced by Ikemefuna, and Ikemefuna’s relationship with Okonkwo was closer than that with his biological father. After three years of living with Okonkwo, Ikemefuna was told that he was going home. In reality, the oracle had told Okonkwo that Ikemefuna was to be killed. As Ikemefuna was on his journey “home” his innermost thoughts give his opinion
Okonkwo sent Ikemefuna to live with Nwoye’s mother. Instead of treating Ikemefuna with an unwanted vibe, “Nwoye’s mother was very kind to him and treated him as one of her own children” (Achebe 20). A woman is allowed to show emotions and cater to someone’s needs while a man is seen weak if he shows any sympathetic emotions. Without Nwoye’s mother, Ikemefuna will be treated poorly if he was under Okonkwo’s care. Nwoye served as a backbone to Ikemefuna by giving him hope while he was gone from his own family. Another example of a woman serving as a backbone is Ekwefi. While her daughter, Ezinma, was sick, “She [was] determined to nurse her child to health, and she put all her being into it” (Achebe 60). Ekwefi is Ezinma’s backbone by the way she nurses her child. She puts “all her being into it” which shows readers how reliable Ezinma is on her mother. When Okonkwo was punished, he was sent to his mother’s land. Uchendu explains to Okonkwo why he had to go to his mother’s land. He said, “When there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland…Your mother is there to protect you…and that is why we say that your mother is supreme” (Achebe 100). This means a mother has to be strong and protect her kids through any situation. A mother protecting her child will help the child build his or her self-esteem and function properly. Without her homeland serving as a refuge, comfort
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a compelling story about Okonkwo, a wealthy and well-respected warrior of the Umuofia clan. He is haunted by the cowardly decisions taken by his father Unoka and when he dies, many of his village debts are left unsettled. Okonkwo’s relationship with his father shapes his strong and ambitious demeanor both characteristics coming from wanting to overcome his father’s legacy, which he views as weak and feminine. Another important aspect to understand is the concept of “Chi”, which plays a huge role in explaining Okonkwo as an unfortunately disastrous hero. Also as Things Fall Apart is a novel about a long-standing culture on the threshold of change, Okonkwo’s unwillingness to be apart of these changes brings