“When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.” (Ralph Ellison) Many people struggle to find their way in their lives. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe writes about how Nwoye finds his way in life by converting to Christianity. On his journey to finding his way, he goes through some identity changes. Achebe writes about Nwoye’s identity shift when he converts religions. Because of this, he becomes an independent and strong man. Due to the introduction of Western ideas, Nwoye relinquishes his father’s way of life and becomes more confident in himself.
One of Nwoye’s major shifts in character is when he begins to try to search for a life different from that of his father’s. For instance, Okonkwo kills his temporary son, Ikemefuna, who lived with them for 3 years just so that he would not be confused as acting feminine. Nwoye feels, “As soon as his father walked in, that night, Nwoye knew that Ikemefuna had been killed, and something seemed to give way inside him, like the snapping of a tightened bow,” (Achebe 65) when his father murders his close friend. This snapping is a shift in Nwoye because he realizes that some of the things that the Ibo tribe do are extremely disrespectful. Okonkwo kills a boy that helped Nwoye find himself. This …show more content…
Nwoye’s conversion to Christianity is what was best for himself. He needed a religion that fit his needs and answered his questions. Christianity fits Nwoye’s morals and he becomes more confident in himself. Okonkwo put a lot of pressure on Nwoye to be a masculine man, but in the end, that is not who Nwoye is a person. Christianity did not pressure him to be different than who he wanted to be. Nwoye depended on himself to make the shift and move away from his tribe. The influence of European ideas helped Nwoye find himself in this world and made him stand up for himself and what he believes in. Change can be difficult but it is necessary for people to be
One of Nwoye’s major shifts in character is when he begins to try to search for a life different from that of his father’s. For instance, Okonkwo kills his temporary son, Ikemefuna, who lived with them for 3 years just so that he would not be confused as acting feminine. Nwoye feels, “As soon as his father walked in, that night, Nwoye knew that Ikemefuna had been killed, and something seemed to give way inside him, like the snapping of a tightened bow,” (Achebe 65) when his father murders his close friend. This snapping is a shift in Nwoye because he realizes that some of the things that the Ibo tribe do are extremely disrespectful. Okonkwo kills a boy that helped Nwoye find himself. This …show more content…
Nwoye’s conversion to Christianity is what was best for himself. He needed a religion that fit his needs and answered his questions. Christianity fits Nwoye’s morals and he becomes more confident in himself. Okonkwo put a lot of pressure on Nwoye to be a masculine man, but in the end, that is not who Nwoye is a person. Christianity did not pressure him to be different than who he wanted to be. Nwoye depended on himself to make the shift and move away from his tribe. The influence of European ideas helped Nwoye find himself in this world and made him stand up for himself and what he believes in. Change can be difficult but it is necessary for people to be