Colonialism has left such a tremendous impact on the continent of Africa. The impact, however, is not a positive one. The effect of colonialism has left many Africans scarce of their own identity. When the Frenchmen and Englishmen came, they bought with them their own custom and beliefs that they expected the Africans to assimilate. Many Africans were divided due to this. There were some that easily assimilated and some that had a hard time letting go of their own identity. All the impacts can be seen in these three novels: Houseboy, Things fall Apart, and Weep not child. Assimilation (custom, tradition, and religion), land all tie into the definition of the theme of identity as it will be used to describe the events and characters of the …show more content…
Okonkwo is the main character of this novel. He is the type of man that does not like to present a weak outlook. Due to his personality, he often finds himself in a mess that affects not only him, but his family and the people of his community. It is significant to know about Okonkwo’s personality because it often ties to many of the things happening in the novel. One of the first incident was when Okonkwo kills Ikemufena due to not wanting to look weak in front of the other tribesmen. Due to this, he had to take his family into exile for seven years since it was a crime to kill a clansmen. While he and his family are in exile, the British men began to come into the village. These white men were missionaries. These missionaries and their leader, Mr. Brown insisted on speaking to the villagers and trying to convert them by telling them that their God is false. They had the idea to try to covert and change their fundamental views in order to try to control them more easily. The people of the village did not know how all they were saying could impact their lives in any way and why it was necessary for them to change their way of living. However, the conversion, which started out small, began to spread. As it is spreading, the Ibo community is having a hard time in trying to retain their culture and identity. Because of the new development, many villagers find it hard to resist and began breaking away. A tribe that was once united is being broken away by colonialism. The Ibo culture’s described as a society of “hierarchy and order”(Achebe). When the white men came, they changed the structure of things such as the power that the men had established in their society.Okonkwo, being the type of man that he was, did not like this all. He was the one who was most angered by the division of tribe and attempt of colonialism to take over his tribe. The idea of strange men coming
( ) we see a couple of things. We see that the missionaries are winning people over with this religion of acceptance. This is winning over regular Ibo people but especially the outcast, the men who live on the outskirts of town were told they could could be part of their church. They were even told “cut your hair” witch was a big No go for the Ibo people but with this new acceptance movement form Christianity they were eventually accepted. Nwoye will eventually stray from the path of the clan and go forth into the light of god and be accepted
Okonkwo is on two ends of a stick. Sometimes he can be shown to be a caring, sympathetic character, but others he is shown as a ruthless person that is very unsympathetic person. Okonkwo is a man of action that would rather solve things with his fists rather than talking it out. He is a great wrestler hailing from the Umuofia clan that has thrown Amalinze the Cat. Okonkwo is also a very good farmer, where he has been able to grow two barns worth of yams. He is someone that doesn’t know how to control themselves when they get angry as he will then resort to violence. Okonkwo’s family relationships make him a sympathetic character because of his caregiving nature and hospitality and he is shown to be an unsympathetic character because of his
Everyone sees the world just a little differently, and perspective can often stand as something which sets people apart. Controversy abounds in the world, and many people do not see eye to eye, especially when cultures clash, as they do in Things Fall Apart, a novel about the African Igbo culture. This novel by Chinua Achebe tells the story of the village Umuofia, a place which stands untouched and unmarred by the hands of Europeans. In the end, the Christian Europeans and the African natives clash, resulting in a changed world for the people of Umuofia. In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, the Igbo people are portrayed as civilized in that their way of life seems just to them, but to an outsider, their decisions seem peculiar which is due to the fact that a foreigner does not know the culture as intimately as those who are a part of it, which establishes the importance of perspective and an open mind in viewing other cultures.
Okonkwo is often described as being similar to characters in Greek tragedies. Okonkwo knew that the end of his clan was coming, and that they would do nothing to prevent it from happening. He took his life out of desperation. He had struggled his whole life to become a respected member of his community, and suddenly his world is turned upside down and changed forever because of an accident. Okonkwo sees that he is fighting a losing battle, so he quits. Suicide was one of the biggest offenses that could be committed against the earth, and Okonkwo?s own clansmen could not bury him. Okonkwo?s death symbolizes the end of patriarchy in Umuofia. The last page of the book is from the point of view of the white Commissioner, who notes that he wants to include a paragraph on Okonkwo?s life in his book entitled The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of Lower Niger. Okonkwo?s struggles, triumphs and defeats are all reduced to a paragraph, much like his culture and society will be reduced.
Overall, Okonkwo is a crucial part to the story Things Fall Apart, for he represents African culture, and helps demonstrate how colonization can change everything. Through this book we see how colonization changed history, and how it is important for groups, tribes, societies to stay together in times of invasion, in order to protect their own customs and traditions; and how crucial a sense of unity would've been for the Umuofian tribe. Okonkwo was the sense of unity of the tribe, doing everything he could could to protect it. His collection of honorable titles, his love for his tribes culture, his drive and passion, and even his booming pride all contribute to his district character, a true hero in my eyes.
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.
The novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, reveals the dynamics of the Ibo tribe that eventually led to Okonkwo’s demise. Okonkwo was taught the values and ways of the tribe which prepared him for failure in a more modern society. The family structure that existed caused many struggles with his father and even his sons. Also, the Ibo tribe valued strength and status. Such ideals opened the door for conflict with the missionaries who are trying to enforce laws and civility. Altogether, Okonkwo was mislead and unwilling to learn another way of life. Although many things contributed to Okonkwo’s downfall, one must explore each reason separately in order to understand. Starting with Okonkwo's father.
A civilization is a state of human society, in which a high level of culture, science, industry, and government has been reached. Things Fall Apart is a historical fiction novel based on the village of Umuofia in Nigeria in 1890. The main character, Okonkwo, lives through the European imperialism of his village. The Europeans believed they brought civilization, but that is not the case because there already was civilization in Umuofia. A civilization is a place of settlement that has achieved basic social, economic, and political structure to survive.
Although the reader feels remorseful for Okonkwo’s tragic childhood life. It is another reason to sympathize with a man who believes he is powerful and respected by many when in reality, he is feared by his own family and that is another reason that leads Okonkwo to his downfall. He started positive, motivated but down the line, Okonkwo treats his wife and children very harshly. When the author mentioned, “Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children” (pg.13).
Before the arrival of the Europeans, Achebe did a excellent job portraying how the life of Igbo was before they were forced to oppose their own culture. To support this theme, Achebe included detailed descriptions of social rituals within each family, the justice system, religious practices and consequences, preparation and indulgence of food, the marriage process and the distributing of power within the men. Achebe shows how every man has an opportunity to prove himself worthy to achieve a title on the highest level, based merely on his own efforts. One may argue that the novel was written with the main focus on the study of Okonkwo’s character and how he deteriorates, but without the theme that define the Igbo culture itself, we would never know the universe qualities of the society that shaped Okonkwo’s life. The lives of the Igbo people was no different to the actual lives of the Ibos people back in the early days of Africa. Just like in Things Fall Apart, in actual African tribes there was never a ruler. “Very interesting thing about these villages is that there is no single ruler or king that controls the population. Decisions are made by including almost everyone in the village” (AfricaGuide). Using the theme, Achebe educated readers on by mirroring real African life in her
In the beginning of chapter 4, it is said that the elders had decided to have Ikemefuna stay in Okonkwo’s care as his adopted son, and near the end of chapter 14, it was the elders who determined the exile of Okonkwo and his family after killing Ezeudu’s son. The Ibo’s government is distinct to itself and can be closely related to religious beliefs as well. The Ibo tribe functions based off of the decisions made by the elders, oracle, and occasionally the Egwugwu. When the white men came and took over the Ibo’s land, they changed the government greatly. They created a court of law where they judge cases and administer justice just as things were done in Europe under the ruler of a queen.
Okonkwo wanted to become one of the greatest men in the Ibo tribe, but three unfortunate events occur bringing him closer to his end. Okonkwo was a proud, industrious figure who through hard work was able to elevate himself to a stature of respect and prominence in his community. The one major character flaw was that he was a man driven by his fear to extreme reactions. Okonkwo was petrified of inadequacy namely because his father was a complete and utter failure. This fear of shortcoming made him hate everything his father loved and represented: weakness, gentleness, and idleness. Who was Okonkwo, well Okonkwo was a hero and also he...
Consequently, the native traditions gradually disappeared and in time the whole local social structure within which the indigenous people had lived successfully for centuries was destroyed. Achebe spends the first half of the novel depicting the Ibo culture, by itself, in both a sophisticated and primitive light describing and discussing its grandeur, showing its strengths and weaknesses, etiquettes and incivilities, and even the beginning of cultural breakdown before the introduction of the missionaries. The collapse of the old culture is evident soon after the missionaries arrived, and here Achebe utilises two of the primary missionary figures, Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith, to once again depicts both sides of the Ibo culture between them, with Mr. Brown depicting the sophisticated and Mr. Smith depicting the primitive aspects. The main focus in this novel is on one man, Okonkwo, the protagonist who symbolises the many Nigerians, or Africans who were struggling against the white missionaries, who brought their religion and policies and imposed them on Okonkwo’s and the other surrounding tribes. Achebe also shows how great the effect is when something seemingly un-invasive, such as a church, is set up in a Nigerian or African culture.
As the villagers began to accept truth and not the superstitions, those who remained became very angry. The Ibo culture started to fall apart. The missionaries, Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith taught the women who were leaving their twins to die in t...
During the colonization period in Africa there really was not many positive impacts of colonialism on Africa except modernization. Colonialism took modernization to regions of the world that were technologically undeveloped. Modernization plans contained stuff like building railroads for accessible trade, required medical advancements and schools accommodating a more modern education. These approaches supported inexperienced nations straighten out their universal status as midpoints for trade. The improvements to education gave a chance for immigrant students to compete with foreign students in fields such as literature, art, math and science. One other thing that had a positive impact on colonialism was taking poor traditions from countries to an end. During the development of colonialism, the governing nation had the capability to improve or destroy certain social beliefs of the region. For example, once India got colonized, the long lasting practice of Sati was destroyed in India. Ian Smith is right with what he says because if there was no colonialism, Africa would not be modernized and would not be able to keep up with other countries in the world. Some other positive things they left behind were things like roads, railroads, some Hospitals and also schools had been built for the good of the colonizers but when they left basically nobody knew how to run them. Another positive impact of colonialism on Africa was that the colonial powers brought in a productive system of administration in the country. It gave...