Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

503 Words2 Pages

Question: In essay form, explain what this paragraph reveals about Okonkwo. Work specifically with the language proceeding through in an organized fashion.

Structure of section

• Achievement

o What he wanted out of life

o Becoming a clan leader

 Fear – didn’t want to be weak

 Shame of childhood

 Affirmation of his masculinity

 Harsh self judgment

• Loss (fish)

o

• Loss (chi)

In the paragraph on page 94 near the bottom, Achebe reveals the desperation that Okonkwo has fallen into because of his banishment. Okonkwo up to this point in the book has proven to be warrior-like in his approach to all things in life, but now we see that he has lost the battle of achieving the greatness, leaving him with a broken spirit.

In the first section of the paragraph it is made known that Okonkwo was “…ruled by a great passion - to become one of the lords of the clan.” This was evident at the very beginning of the book by his fear of failure. The loathing he had for his father and what he stood for had driven Okonkwo to work hard through his entire life. This commitment help confirm the manliness that he had be seeking for, the one thing that could separate him from the shame of his childhood. However his strong will and determination has left him with a very egomaniacal self-image that leaves Okonkwo helpless when he actually fails in something. His banishment to Mbantu was a very hard blow to his self-image, leaving him weak and broken while trying to live there.

The way Okonkwo refers to his banishment was that he “…had been cast out of his clan like a fish on to a dry, sandy beach, panting.” This pitiful image shows Okonkwo’s personal disgust, comparing himself to a lowly creature like a fish. The image of the fish out of water shows his suffrage, that a fish cannot live without water as Okonkwo cannot live without his clan and honour. The fact that the fish is panting shows that he is still alive but most likely suffering a slow and painful death. The analogy of a slow death shows how much Okonkwo sees the banishment as something that has completely destroyed his life and legacy and that his god had turned against him.

In the Ibo tribe the chi or “personal god” plays a pivotal role in each person’s life. In this section we see that Okonkwo has lost faith in his chi saying that “…his personal god or chi was not made for great things.

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1073 Words | 3 Pages
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990 Words | 2 Pages
Okonkwo’s determination to succeed in life and to not fail leads to his fatal downfall in the end of the novel. His inability to adapt to colonization and his failure to follow the morals of many of the morals of the Ibo culture also are an important key leading to his downfall. Okonkwo was willing to go to war against the missionaries, with or without the clan. He made it clear that he believed the missionaries were in the wrong for trying to change Umuofia. Since the clan wanted no part in the war with the missionaries, Okonkwo took action into his own hands and murdered the head messenger. During the killing of the messenger, Okonkwo had a moment of realization: “He knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He knew because they had let the other messengers escape. They had broken into tumult instead of action” (Achebe 205). Okonkwo finally understands that he doesn’t have support from his fellow clansmen anymore and he feels as if he loses his place in society. Instead of backing up Okonkwo and his decision to murder the messenger, the clan stood in both confusion and disorder and questioned, “ ‘Why did [Okonkwo] do it?’ ” (Achebe 205). Okonkwo’s impulsiveness causes the clansmen to question Okonkwo’s violent actions against the messenger. Throughout the entire novel, Okonkwo struggles to accept the missionaries and the changes that they
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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.
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541 Words | 2 Pages
Okonkwo saw the clan," breaking up and falling apart".(achebe 170) Okonkwo's wasn't nearly as rememborable as he wished which caused him deep sorrow. He saw his comerads," become soft like women,"(achebe 170). He felt dissconnected from his tribe, like he had lost a close friend. After all of the haeart ache caused by all the losses he felt, Okonkwo once again went to what felt natural to him, violence. After being csptured by the White people and being cut off from everyone he cared for, okonkwo decided to Act violently against himself and end his
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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

The Stubborness of Okonkwo

Tragedy in Chinua Achebe´s Things Fall Apart

okonkowo