Things Fall Apart

Okonkwo’s a wealthy respected warrior of a lower Nigerian tribe call the Umuofia clan. Some may say Okonkwo’s world fell apart because of his father, or even the amount of wives he had. One would suggest his world fell apart due to manly values and Christian values. Things exist in Okonkwos mind that he refuses to share with others. This could explain why Okonkwo was so angry and violent throughout the novel, leading up to his death.

Two cultures, two kinds of people, two different ideas of what is right. All around the world there are thousands of cultures living side by side, their realm of influence dictated by boundaries. But what happens when one culture oversteps their boundary? A cultural clash. When two cultures clash, there is normally conflict followed by a wide range of results, both negative and positive. In the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the cultural clash caused by European imperialism in the Mbanta Tribe caused a widespread negative reaction in the community. However, in this hatred of the white people and fear of losing their own culture some Mbanta Tribe members, like Nwoye, found opportunity.

Okonkwo has hubris and is too violent to have the honor of being called a hero. When describing Okonkwo, the narrator said “He had a slight stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fists. He had no patience with unsuccessful men,” heroes do not solve problems with their fists since heroes are not supposed to harm acquitted people; instead rationally solve an issue which demonstrates the hero-like trait of maturity. Moreover, Okonkwo does not treat everyone equally. He is so honored with his reputation and that presents him as conceited and inconsiderate. Okonkwo has beaten his innocent wives because he is incapable of controlling his anger, “He walked back to his obi to await Ojiugo’s

The most important conflict in Things Fall Apart is the conflict between Reverend Smith--and fellow Christians--and the leaders of Umuofia including the protagonist, Okwonkwo. Reverend Smith is a racist who tries to destroy the traditions and religion in the town of Umuofia: “He saw things as black and white. And black was evil.” (164)

A human, by definition; “of or pertaining to the social aspect of people” (Merriam Webster). By composition merely “65 percent oxygen, 18.6 percent carbon, 9.7 percent hydrogen, 3.2 percent nitrogen” (madsci.org), and an abundance of other trace elements. However, when you describe humanity as a whole, the perspective changes and describing it gets much more complicated than a simple definition, or a matrix of elements. This is because humanity can not exist without change. Change is the driving force behind all that is and will be, as well as defining the past. For this reason alone, the colonization of the Africa, as described in “Things Fall Apart”, was to the natives benefit. A stagnate society will not

At first glance, Things Fall Apart by Achebe, may seem like a bona fide innocent novel. When a reader further analyzes the novel, one can identify the true meaning of the text, the meaning that the author has tried to portray. Throughout the text, Achebe uses multiple literary devices to effectively portray the idea that although people are not open to change, change will still happen and life as we know it will be different than what we experience today. Such is the case multiple times when Okonkwo is analyzed as a character, and is most prominently seen as the white Christian’s come into the villages.

Things Fall Apart: An Evaluation In "Things Fall Apart," Chinua Achebe tells two different stories at the same time. One is of Okonkwo, the villager whose rise to power is halted because of all of his misfortunes. The other is of Okonkwo's village, Umuofia, and its struggle to hold on to its cultural tradition while facing colonialism from the West. The title, "Things Fall Apart," describes perfectly what happens to both Okonkwo and his village. Okonkwo's life falls apart and as a result, he commits suicide by hanging himself. The cultural tradition of Umuofia falls apart, and becomes influenced by the West. In "Things Fall Apart," Achebe uses Okonkwo and the village's falling out to show how African culture, as well as

Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe was set in pre-colonial Nigeria during the constant battle against the way the country was run. The main character Okonkwo, was very famous in the surrounding village for being a wrestling champion. In the story, Okonkwo was portrayed as a hard-working, and strived to show no weakness like his father, Unoka. His father, has tainted Okonkwo’s family as being effeminate. The bad reputation of Okonkwo’s family caused him to be diligent in building his wealth absolutely on his own. As the plot progresses, Okonkwo obtains a very important position in his village and society. Okonkwo’s wealth and family grows, he finds himself with 3 wives and plenty of kids. He then later is selected by the village elders

Why is it that we only listen to one side of the story? The first person or side you listen to, you end up agreeing with. What if the other person was right? In the book, “Things Fall Apart”, there is two sides to the book. The europeans (white people) come in and try to colonize the village. Okonkwo has a terrible thing happen to him when his adopted son is murdered. During the funeral of the adopted son, Okonkwo shoots and kills a little boy, getting exiled to his mothers homeland for seven years. There, he learns about the white people and their religion, which is the end of the Igbo people. The white people jail the Igbo leaders until the village can come up with ransom money. They talk about going to war with the white people, but a court

In this novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Achebe shows Okonkwo as a powerful leader who will fight through anything to save his religion but even when he tries, he loses at the end of the novel. Okonkwo never gives up. Even after he ends up in jail and is physically abused because of burning down the Church, he still doesn’t give up after he is released. I feel like he always wonders why the Igbo people don’t do anything about saving their own religion. But I would have to say that Okonkwo was a strong character in this novel.

A novel extremely fascinating yet exceptionally ambiguous. Things Fall Apart is a novel by Chinua Achebe that takes place in Nigeria, Africa where the story is mainly about how the main character’s life is falling apart. Therefore, if there were two different readers are someone from the African Culture and someone from the American culture reading it in modern time they would interpret the novel differently. In the novel the text could be interpreted differently by two different readers through the main character, the plot, and the tribes beliefs.

Throughout his life, as told by the book, Okonkwo tries hard not to be like his father, Unoka. According to Okonkwo, his father was an embarrassment because he was lazy and a coward. Okonkwo fears that he will become like his father, which drives him to become successful in life. Achebe, the author, explained, “his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness.” (13) Due to his fear, Okonkwo does not want to lose his self-worth. Therefore, he pushes himself and everyone around him.

The word hero means a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. In the book “Things Fall Apart “ by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is a hard-working leader in the village of Umuofia during the time of British colonialism of Nigeria. He is portrayed as a tragic hero because he allows inner and outside forces to contribute to his downfall and gains the sympathy from the reader.

In this world things really do fall apart. Author, Chinua Achebe, understood this idea and

Okonkwo is a man whose fame is spread throughout the nine villages as he wins a competition with ‘Amalinze the Cat’. Okonkwo is a man who fears weakness and failure. He hated everything his father, Unoka, did which by the way was being gentle and idle, so he tended to be harsh just to not appear like his father. He, on the other hand, is a very respected warrior and has a great family, but he tends to get too overconfident in his way of thinking and beliefs.