Literary Analysis of Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, gives prominence to a developed and influential leader Okonkwo. Okonkwo journeys through Africa and the nine different villages. He comes off as inferior, however he lives in constant fear that he is weak inside. “Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness […] It was not external, but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father,”(Achebe 13). He is a well respected member of the Umuofia clan but lives in fear of becoming his father. When thinking about weakness, Okonkwo associates it with femininity. There are several components …show more content…
Ikemefuna and Okonkwo establish a close father-son bond. Okonkwo develops a stronger relationship and prefers him over his biological son Nwoye. Ikemefuna displays qualities such as, being manly, and a good clansmen to have around that appeal to Okonkwo. During his stay, he educates Nwoye on how to be more masculine, which Okonkwo admires. Unlike Nwoye, Ikemefuna does not resemble Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, in any way. Ikemefuna fills the void in Okonkwo’s life however, the elders order Ikemefuna to be killed and he feels as though he must participate in the killing. Due to his fear of being like his father and being seen as weak from the eyes of the elders, he joins in the killing of Ikemefuna. However, after the murder, he is haunted by his decision and has deep regret. Okonkwo believes that the only way to come to terms of the death is by distancing himself from his own …show more content…
His non-feminine, powerful way of life has given him great social and financial success. He holds a high ranked position in his community and is known for being a wealthy leader of the Umuofia clan, whom everyone respects. Okonkwo believes that if he gives himself a little bit of womanliness or femininity, he will never come back from it. He views it as being cowardly. . However, after Okonkwo participates in the killing of Ikemefuna, he starts to change. “His rigidity leads to his participation in the death of Ikemefuma. This incident is seen by many as a turning point in novel, the beginning of the end. It initiates a series of catastrophes which end with his death" (Johnson). His tragic flaw of always having to be manly essentially ends up destroying him in the end. He refuses to essentially be the only non weak man left in the tribe so he decides to leave in the most dishonorable way; suicide. Ironically, his suicide can be seen as a womanly act, the act of a coward. Christianity has stolen from him the manhood that he worked so hard to establish throughout his life. The most ironic part of the novel however, is the fact the he ends up in the evil forest, just like his father did. “He died of the swelling which was an abomination of the earth goddess. He was carried to the Evil Forest and left there to die,” (Achebe 14). After Okonkwo's death he was left
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, gives prominence to a developed and influential leader Okonkwo. Okonkwo journeys through Africa and the nine different villages. He comes off as inferior, however he lives in constant fear that he is weak inside. “Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness […] It was not external, but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father,”(Achebe 13). He is a well respected member of the Umuofia clan but lives in fear of becoming his father. When thinking about weakness, Okonkwo associates it with femininity. There are several components …show more content…
Ikemefuna and Okonkwo establish a close father-son bond. Okonkwo develops a stronger relationship and prefers him over his biological son Nwoye. Ikemefuna displays qualities such as, being manly, and a good clansmen to have around that appeal to Okonkwo. During his stay, he educates Nwoye on how to be more masculine, which Okonkwo admires. Unlike Nwoye, Ikemefuna does not resemble Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, in any way. Ikemefuna fills the void in Okonkwo’s life however, the elders order Ikemefuna to be killed and he feels as though he must participate in the killing. Due to his fear of being like his father and being seen as weak from the eyes of the elders, he joins in the killing of Ikemefuna. However, after the murder, he is haunted by his decision and has deep regret. Okonkwo believes that the only way to come to terms of the death is by distancing himself from his own …show more content…
His non-feminine, powerful way of life has given him great social and financial success. He holds a high ranked position in his community and is known for being a wealthy leader of the Umuofia clan, whom everyone respects. Okonkwo believes that if he gives himself a little bit of womanliness or femininity, he will never come back from it. He views it as being cowardly. . However, after Okonkwo participates in the killing of Ikemefuna, he starts to change. “His rigidity leads to his participation in the death of Ikemefuma. This incident is seen by many as a turning point in novel, the beginning of the end. It initiates a series of catastrophes which end with his death" (Johnson). His tragic flaw of always having to be manly essentially ends up destroying him in the end. He refuses to essentially be the only non weak man left in the tribe so he decides to leave in the most dishonorable way; suicide. Ironically, his suicide can be seen as a womanly act, the act of a coward. Christianity has stolen from him the manhood that he worked so hard to establish throughout his life. The most ironic part of the novel however, is the fact the he ends up in the evil forest, just like his father did. “He died of the swelling which was an abomination of the earth goddess. He was carried to the Evil Forest and left there to die,” (Achebe 14). After Okonkwo's death he was left