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
(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.
...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.
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...
As with any family, relationship problems in Okonkwo’s family trickle down the generations. Just as Okonkwo is ashamed of his father, he is also ashamed of his oldest son Nwoye. Okonkwo fears a laziness in his son that was present in his father. However, Nwoye did receive one extremely important character trait from his father: determination. Nwoye is secure enough...
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
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).
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.
Okonkwo is not all that he may seem; as there is more than what meets the eye. Okonkwo is the primary protagonist within the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo is a cruel yet kind man who has everything yet has nothing, which in turn creates a sympathetic character. A character such as Okonkwo has many facets; or masks if you will. Then we have his many influences: the Ibo culture; his father Unoka and of course his own personality. 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.
In the novel, Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is a sympathetic character 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.
Achebe's message or lesson is for every person to create their own future and not let past experiences hold them down. Throughout the novel there is a thin line between the pressures of a social order and the still existent need to be a human with emotions and feelings. The significance of the story is to learn how to deal with these emotions of anger and stress that are being thrown at a person, while still trying to keep individuality and independent choice making. Okonkwo's broken childhood and lack of fatherly example affects his current life and how he confronts issues in several ways. He has a compulsive need to stand by and be everything his father is not.
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.
At the start of “things fall apart” nwoye is just a small child and Okonkwo is already worried about him growing up to be a “women” or to be anything like his father unoka. Tp try and prevent this from happening he is very hard and harsh toward nwoye, which pushes him away from, his father and actually does the opposite of what Okonkwo wants. Nwoye is further pushed to his sensitive, thoughtful, and even lazy
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.
“On the following Sunday, Nwoye passed and repassed the little red-earth and thatch building without summoning enough courage to enter” (pg.150). Obierika saw Nwoye with the missionaries and asks Nwoye what he was doing with the missionaries, but Nwoye replied back to Obierika by saying “I am one of them” which basically shows that nwoye see’s the world at a different point of perspective. Actually, all the things that Okonkwo believed were right were wrong in the eyes of Nwoye after opening up to a different point of
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.