Things Fall Apart Essay
Innumerable world conflicts have occurred due to insufficient communication. In the novel Things Fall Apart, Achebe uses various aspects to deliver his point. He illustrates the theme communication is essential to compromise through the characterization of Okonkwo, the conflict between Nwoye and his father, and the foreshadowing of future conflicts.
Achebe develops the theme through the characterization of Okonkwo and his relationship with his father, Unoka. Unoka is described as being “lazy and improvident” (Achebe 4), the opposite of his son’s strong, independent nature. While the protagonist is strong minded and cunning, his father was “quite incapable of thinking” (4). Due to these significant differences, Okonkwo despised his father, dubbing him a failure in all aspects. It was difficult for the two men to communicate with one another due to this. Throughout the novel and in life, it is shown that one must understand and respect the differences between people to have proper communication.
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When Nwoye converts to Christianity, Okonkwo immediately starts to yell, while his son just “stood looking at him and did not say a word” (Achebe 152). Achebe describes Nwoye as being “happy to leave his father” (152), which shows the two could never stand eachother. It is stated that the boy is weak and womanly, and as Okonkwo describes he is too similar to Unoka. The only time when he was truly satisfied with his son was when Ikemefuna came to stay, but after he died they reverted back to their former ways. Okonkwo and Nwoye never took time to listen to one another, consequently because of their inability to withstand each other's presence, they never understood each other’s view. Both in the past and present times, if two people have opinions, if they stop to listen to each other, thus an agreement may be
From birth Okonkwo had wanted his son, Nwoye, to be a great warrior like him. His son instead rebelled and wanted to be nothing like Okonkwo. Okonkwo would not change so that his son would idolize him, as he had wanted since his son's birth. He chose not to acknowledge his son's existence instead. This would weigh heavily on anyone's conscience, yet Okonkwo does not let his relationship with his son affect him in the least bit.
In the novel, Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is a sympathetic and unsympathetic character in regards to his family relationships with his adopted son, Ikemefuna, his daughter, Ezima, and his father, Unoka, as a result of he appears to genuinely care about his family; but, the pride within himself prevents his expression of such pride and concern openly. The protagonist, Okonkwo demonstrates his sympathetic character solely to himself, personally, and infrequently not in the eyes of others. During the plotting of Ilemefuna’s death, Okonkwo was hesitant to make the boy aware of his fate and also hesitant to take part in his death. “‘I cannot understand why you refused to come with us to kill that boy,’ he asked Obierika” Okonkwo was aware that the adopted boy from an opposing tribe thought of Okonkwo, not only as an authority figure and high-ranking tribal member/warrior, but also as a father—his father. Until the death of Ikemefuna, Okonkwo continued to show Ikemefuna kindness due to feeling that “his son’s development was due to Ikemefuna.”
Then there is a staggering list of achievements. Okonkwo is a strong character but thinks only inwardly - especially towards his father - which will be discussed further in this essay. As a child Okonkwo was neglected by his father and even later in his life did not speak with him until of course his father was on his deathbed, this made him very angry. Okonkwo always saw his father Unoka as lazy. Okonkwo worked hard to remove any trace of laziness from his personality.
Their beliefs are completely opposite each other because of Okonkwo's need to fulfill his own pressures and ideal image, which he burdens himself with. Certain characteristics he holds which his father does not is seriousness, determination, and brutality. Okonkwo cannot move on from his past, instead he forces his future to be effected by his past, which results in his emotional separation from others around him. Oknonkwo describes his father as "lazy, improvident and quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow.
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.
Nwoye is the frequent subject 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.
Okonkwo’s fear leads him to treat members of his family harshly, in particular his son, Nwoye. Okonkwo often wonders how he, a man of great strength and work ethic, could have had a son who was “degenerate and effeminate” (133). Okonkwo thought that, "No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man" (45).
All families have problems, even the seemingly perfect ones. Okonkwo attempts to create what he believes is the perfect life throughout the novel but falls short because he fails to see the importance of his actions in familial relationships. Thus, he has no foundation on which to build his success. Families in modern society often encounter the same problems. They lack the ability to effectively establish, and change when necessary, their relationships in order to produce success. However, both in fiction and in life, the important idea is that families never stop trying. Okonkwo ultimately fails to keep trying, but the majority of actual families continue to persevere. This perseverance creates the distinction between fiction and real life.
...nvert them to the new faith.”(Achebe 152) Nwoye still wants to keep his family together and he is still loyal to his siblings and his mother because he felt that there was hope for them when it came to converting them to the new faith. He really does strive to keep his honor, but he defines his honor the way that he chooses to; not the way that Okonkwo and the other clansmen of Umofia do.
Okonkwo was respected, greatly acknowledged, he was a wealthy farmer, he had 3 wives and many children. His oldest son, Nwoye was sadly different and not on the same track as Okonkwo, scaring him that he might own a son whose mentality is alike to Unoka. “Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness. At any rate, that was how it looked to his father, and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating. And so Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced youth” (Achebe 13). Okonkwo desperately attempted to not have any of Unoka in his son and create a better man instead. Not only did Okonkwo severe and sharp behavior further him from his son but when the chance for Nwoye to escape came, he took
Unfortunately, everything is not perfect. His son, Nwoye, seems not to be showing the characteristics of a real man. He prefers to stay with his mother, listening to women's stories, than to listen to his father's tales of battle and victory. Later, when missionaries come to the tribe, Nwoye is attracted to their Christian religion because of its unqualified acceptance of everyone, much like a mother's unqualified love. Of this, Okonkwo r...
(112) Nwoye started to develop a deep interest in the stories the Christians told, and before long, he started to intermingle with them. Okonkwo soon found out about this, which caused him to beat Nwoye, as was his father’s usual response to things of things sort. All of his life, Nwoye had lived with an abusive father who not only he disliked, but was also resented by him. Nwoye then saw an opportunity with the Christians, and left his family to become a missionary. Nwoye may have never liked his father, but he could never have left him if it were not for the Christians.
Nwoye grows tired of his father and is called by the Christian faith and converts. Nwoye’s internal struggle with himself between change and tradition ultimately led him to convert against his father’s wishes. Okonkwo is extremely resistant to change, so he does everything in his power to prevent his family from converting; “‘If you turn against me when I am dead I will visit you and break your neck’” (Achebe 105). Okonkwo uses fear to keep his other children from the Igbo culture.
later in the book okonkwo is banished from his father land and this actually opens up for a great change nwoye is going to have. When the white men come into the village with their new religions nwoye is attracted to the people and stays around them,, okonkwo is informed of this and beats his severly and yells at him. Due to this nwoye leave his father and never comes back, he joins the christians as a convert and remains this way until the end of the book. He is labels as an acceptable lost as he had no title nor respect in the
Two passages from the story Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, provide the reader with a more profound understanding of Okonkwo, and his son Nwoye. The two do not have a good relationship and it becomes worse as the story progresses. Throughout the book the two become increasingly distant and it is apparent that Okonkwo is very disappointed in his son. After the death of Ikemefuna, Nwoye begins to question many aspects of his life, especially religion. As the Christian missionaries spend more time with the members of the village, Nwoye becomes interested in this new religion. The first passage I have chosen discusses Nwoye’s feelings about Christianity.