Okonkwos Influence On Things Fall Apart

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“If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree” (Jim Rohn). The novel Things Fall Apart is about the story of a young and strong man, whom is named Okonkwo, that is determined to not resemble his father, and this causes the protagonist to have a tragic flaw of unstable aggression within in his native Igbo tribe. From an early age, Okonkwo was a beloved and influential leader within the Igbo community of Umuofia in eastern Nigeria, and he earned his fame and distinction by defeating Amalinze the Cat in a wrestling competition. Throughout the novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe uses Okonkwo to show in a more fictitious way the truth about the atrocities that occurred to the Igbo people in Nigeria, and how European settlers altered and permanently affected them. Achebe wanted to counteract the perception of the superiority of Europeans over the people of Africa because the conqueror generally writes the history of the victim, and this book gives a more accurate depiction of the Igbo people, rather than allow for them to be thought of as worthless and cultureless.

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