Umuofia Quotes

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Recommended: An appreciation of Achebe's Things Fall Apart

The novel, Things Fall Apart by China Achebe takes place in a small town within the heartland of Nigeria. In this harsh landscape constant threats include war with other clans, starvation due to lack of a consistent food supply, and the swarm of foreign invaders and missionaries determined to uproot the Igbo culture. The protagonist of this novel is Okonkwo, a respected warrior who intensely aggressive to say the least. His claim to fame is the fact that he is a spitting image of the Igbo ideal (strong, brave and masculine). Okonkwo takes excessive pride in his idealistic attributes. However, this narcissistic attitude proves to be dangerous to his success. Throughout the novel, Okonkwo is forced to battle his anger issues, his dangerously dominant attitude, and most importantly his excessive pride. Okonkwo’s greatest flaw is his hubristic attitude towards his family and clanmates. In order to maintain his pride, Okonkwo commits actions that negatively impact his life. One being the murder of his adopted son, Ikemefuna. Tensions between Umuofia and a neighboring village arise due to a complication resulting in the death of a clan member. As a result, the members of the Umuofia clan demand two youths be sent from th neighboring village as payment for the death. Once they arrive, Okonkwo agrees to …show more content…

Okonkwo’s youngest wife, Ojiugo, had returned late to cook Okonwo’s meal. In order to appear strong and to avoid showing mercy, he viciously beat her: “He walked back to his obi to await Ojiugo’s return. And when returned he beat her very heavily. In his anger he had forgot it was the Week of Peace” (29). As a result of his outburst, Okonkwo was heavily fined. In this situation, Okonkwo beats his wife instead of showing feeling or mercy, since depiction of feelings are “feminine”. As a matter of fact, Okonkwo portrays his masculinity very often during this

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    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.

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