"Man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but, when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all." (Aristotle). In Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is living proof of Aristotle's statement. Although he is arguably the most powerful man in Umuofia, His personal flaws of fear of failure and uncontrollable anger do not allow him true greatness as a human being.
Okonkwo, in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, was faced with many hardships in his life. When growing up he had to deal with a lazy father, then when he was older he had to kill a boy that called him father, and he also accidentally killed a young boy from his village. These events played a very tragic role in Okonkwos life.
...ncluded that Achebe purposely ended Okonkwos life in this way in order to convey to the reader a sense of depravity; to leave the book lacking. The end lacks an ending. The District Commissioner merely mentions that he may be able to use the story of Okonkwo to fill a paragraph of the book he is writing. This statement completely diminishes the importance of Okonkwos life; perhaps in an effort to relate the way that these people and this culture has been tossed away and ultimately forgotten, aside from the occasional
Okonkwo’s true nature was clearly only reflected around those he closest to him, many times only under intimate or special circumstances. As his true masculinity, his unrealised and under expressed fondness for those he loved, and his overly expressed fiery temper, was shown to the greatest extent only around those closest to him. This deeply developed the character, and heightened the sense of Okonkwo being a tragic hero in Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart.
Abame, a village almost identical to Umuofia, had recently been wiped out by the strange visit of white men. The area in which this story takes place has never seen these albino people, and most of the villages didn’t believe the stories that these men exist. After the first arrival of a white man, Abame consulted the Oracle, who in return, foretold the demise of the clan if they were to let him free. As a result, Abame killed the intruder, and laid the matter to rest. However, even after many market weeks, their precaution led to the anger of the man’s party. On a popular market day the white men attacked and murdered the entire village, and only a small band of refugees were able to survive. When hearing of the innocent slaughter of the tribe, Uchendu tells the story of Mother Kite and her daughter, who are
Contrary to many writings, Achebe's Things Fall Apart created context to show who a character is, rather than allowing the reader to make these inferences on their own. This is demonstrated multiple times throughout the first two chapters, but namely on pages one and four. Achebe wrote this with the main claim or statement, followed by actions that demonstrate this. Overall, Achebe establishes a rapport between the reader and the characters of Okonwo and Unoka immediately as their characters are introduced.
The text used for this analysis is from Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Within the text, Okonkwo is a respectable man in his village in Africa, however he goes against his chi which ultimately leads to his own downfall. The message within text is to respect your chi and the Oracle's wishes. The theme that is expressed throughout the text is to ignore the doubt that lies within the individual. The following essay will present readers with valid arguments on Okonkwo's actions in relation to his bad luck due to going against his chi, and ultimately the Oracle's wishes. The context of the novel is the author's studies of the westernization of Africa, thus Achebe uses Okonkwo to reflect his opinion on the matter. Through the use of characterization, plot overview, and the structure of the text the author is then able to illustrate the theme of the text.
Some people might say that Okonkwo was just trying to protect the tradition and cultural of his tribal village but in actuality this is far from the truth. When Okonkwo cut down the guard, he made the swift assumption that his clansmen were as passionate about fighting colonialism as him and would follow him into war. When he found otherwise, he could not understand what had happened to his village. The next place he was seen was hanging from a noose in a selfish show of hypocrisy. In the end, Okonkwo's status among his tribe counted for nothing because his own despair over the colonization of his village led him to kill himself. His whole life Okonkwo strived to not to look weak like his father, but in the end he took the cowards way out, suicide. Suicide was a great sin against the Earth. Because he took his own life, Okonkwo, a great leader of Umuofia, had to be buried by strangers. All of his work and perseverance amounted to nothing because of what he had done.
...m his own. I felt that Okonkwo’s exile was very much needed for him, because it taught him the true meaning of an extended family, taught him some humility and how to cope with failure which was ostensibly dealt by his own hands. When Okonkwo returned to his original village his alienation hit him hard. His village was completely changed. The Europeans destroyed the Igbo framework that gave Okonkwo his validation. Okonkwo felt alienated from all that once made him a man. This can relate back to our everyday lives because it shows us how important home is and how without it one may not feel the will to live. This goes back to Achebe’s soul purpose of writing this novel, which was to educate the reader on the effects of the devastating European colonization upon Nigeria. The change was so much for Okonkwo to take in. So much so that it was enough to take his own life.
Everyone in the past, present, and future strive for success. People of all ages and generations aspire to be successful in one way or another. One of the most prominent ways to define success is having lots of money and lots of respect. The desire for money and titles can tear a life apart. In, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo’s desire for status is a negative force that is ruling his life.
Starting off, Achebe states, “It happened so quickly that the six men did not see it coming. There was only a brief scuffle, too brief to even allow the drawing of a sheathed machete. The six men were handcuffed and led into the guardroom” (194). Okonkwo and some of his tribesmen, unwilling to change, go armed into the missionaries’ courthouse, and are captured and arrested. The amount of dislike and hatred Okonkwo has for these men cause his arrest. Next, Achebe ends Okonkwo’s story on a discouraging and terrible note, as she writes, “Okonkwo’s machete descended twice and the man’s head lay beside his uniformed body (…) Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was dangling, and they stopped dead” (204/207). Okonkwo, who is too stubborn to change and be a part of the new culture, angrily kills one of the missionaries’ messengers. This leads him to kill himself, completely discrediting his life as a strong man, while also disgracing his legacy. Okonkwo’s life has completely changed, and his stubbornness was the
In the novel, “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, there are two examples of a hero and a coward. The main character, Okonkwo, is the example of the hero and his father is the example of a coward. The traits that make Okonkwo a hero is his determination, strength, and wealth. He is a self-made hero, and due to his hardworking attitude, he is viewed positively in the eyes of his tribe. His father, however, was lazy and poor. He couldn’t provide for his family and was heavily in debt. Due to this, he was viewed negatively in the eyes of the tribe. Based on Igbo culture, a hero during these times would have to be hardworking and determined, family-oriented, and a wealthy and successful person.
In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is an influential leader in his tribe. Okonkwo is driven by his fear of becoming weak and unmanly, much like father. He achieves social and financial success by being motivated by these ideals. Achebe's, Things Fall Apart takes place in Nigeria in the late 19th century. Achebe suggests that fear is devastating to one’s well being.
In Chinua Achebe’s book, Things Fall Apart, the main character is Okonkwo. He has three wives and ten children. In his town he is part of the nine masked leaders called the Egwugwu in their government. He is a man of high status and has a big ego. Okonkwo is a tragic hero because he sees his role in his downfall. During the book Okonkwo recognizes his high status, his pride, and his flaws toward his undoing.
Okonkwo’s motivation for working so hard was made by a humilitating experience he had with a friend when he was small. “Even as a little boy, he had resented his father’s failure and weakness, and he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him his father was agbala” (13). Achebe used native language instead of English illustrating how emotionally scaring his childhood was, since then he still recalled the specific word agbala meaning “man without a title”. His peer’s knowledge and teasing led to his paranoia of failure resurfacing in his adult life. Therefore, he took every precaution to prevent him from becoming an “agbala”, which resulted in the reoccurring memories of the past ruling his life despite his high titles. In addition, the readers find out how he deals with trauma in his life when his beloved “son” dies. “ His mind went back to Ikemefuma and he shivered. If only he could find some work he would be able to forget” (64). Unhappy about Ikeumfuma’s death, Okonwkwo immerses himself into his career, so “he would be able to forget” the entire thing. His coping mechanism with death and sorrow was always denying the problem, and in this case he did not honor Ikeumufuma death in any way. Therefore, success was never the reason for Okonkwo’s happiness in his life; in fact it was used as an attempt to draw himself away from emotional problems. Okownkwo’s