Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Improved Essays
Things Fall Apart is about an African tribe called the Igbo, but there is one special Igbo resident. The main character of the book, his name is Okonkwo. He first caught the eye of the other Igbo people when he was in a wrestling match with a wrestler called “The cat”. A renowned wrestler who was undefeated. Well, was undefeated until okonkwo defeated him. This was surprise to the village because Okonkwo's father, Unoko was horrible. He was in a lot of debt and very feminine. Okonkwo's number one goal was to never be like his father, which caused some complications in Okonkwo's life. He had a very short temper and was very violent. Including always being ready to fight. “He breathed heavily, and it was said that, when he slept, his

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    A hero is a person who fights for what is right and just and saves people from chaos expecting nothing in return except for the benefit of society. A hero, throughout history, whether it be in fiction or real life, has always fought for the social standard of justice. In Things Fall Apart, the main character, Okonkwo, plays the role of the hero. He fought against white people who eventually wronged the Igbo people’s religion and way of…

    • 79 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The novel Things Fall Apart is set in Igboland, more specifically Umuofia and Mbanta. Throughout the novel Okonkwo wrongs his cultures, deals with the consequences, then finds a way to fix his mistakes. Okonkwo, unlike his father, Unoka, is a hardworking man who earned his title in the community. “Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievement.…

    • 122 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A civilized society is hard to define due to the cause of uniqueness around the world and the diversity between societies. What makes one society civilized may be in contrast to another society 's beliefs, which makes determining a civilized society a difficult task. By definition, a civilized society is one that has been brought to a stage of social, cultural, and moral development and is considered to be more advanced. In the novel, Things Fall Apart, Achebe writes the story to portray the Ibo society as a civilized society in many aspects of life including government, religion, and societal roles. To begin, the Ibo society is civilized in many aspects of its culture, including the government, including the organization of men in the clan.…

    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In the novel Things Fall Apart , the author, Chinua Achebe, uses the arrival of the English missionaries who attempt to convert the Ibo peoples traditional values and beliefs to raise the question of what the balance is between change and traditions. Through the struggle and conflict that Okonkwo experiences after he prioritizes traditional values and as a result loses his status, the readers begin to question how the reality of change can affects the personal status of many characters. Achebe demonstrates how a society with different views must overcome problems and make decisions to ensure their society’s future.…

    • 99 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Okonkwo Culture Collision

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages

    One of those things was gentleness and another was idleness” (13). This shows why Okonkwo acted the way he did. He had a very short temper, and “ruled his house with a heavy hand” (13). Because of how ashamed Okonkwo was of his father’s standing in the tribe, he lived to be everything Unoka wasn’t. This meant he came across as cruel, strict, and an…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Bang. A gun goes off, and a girl lies dead on the floor. She had been having these thoughts for awhile now. Her mental health issues were too severe to handle. She had not thought to seek help to get rid of the thoughts going through their mind.…

    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe a Western influence comes into Umuofia and it made Okonkwo angry because he was a very religious believer and was very true to his culture, roots and religion, “Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger,” (28). The Western influences said the people of Umuofia had their religion wrong when they said there was more than one god like the Earth Goddess or the Water God. The Westerners believed in only one God and he did everything, and Okonkwo knew in his heart that that was all phony and his religion was the right one. Okonkwo was mad and angry that they had even showed up in the first place in Umuofia because they should 've kept their religion where it started. When Okonkwo noticed that there was a handful of people he knew from the town converting to the missionaries he didn 't understand how brothers could turn on each other.…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Achebe's Things Fall Apart

    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages

    He is a warrior, farmer and a leader in the Igbo clan known as Umuofia. He is well respected by his clan members because of his hard work and service to his clan. Okonkwo has three wives and several children. His determination to not be like his lazy, poor father lead to his success. Unoka is the father of Okonkwo.…

    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Okonkwo Change Quotes

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Okonkwo thought of himself as an independent leader of the Umuofia clan. He looks at his father to be lazy, not being able to support his family and a coward. The reason why Okonkwo acted the way he did is because he didn’t want to resemble anything his father did. Okonkwo…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The backbone of any piece of writing is the type of literary conflict that revolves within it. To truly understand the inner workings of any piece, one must be familiar with the four main types of conflict: Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Society, and Man vs. Self. Many literary works include more than one of these forms of conflict, including Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. However, it can be said that Man vs. Man is the most prevalent of these forms within this work. The Man vs. Man conflict form in Things Fall Apart covers the relationship between the main character, Okonkwo, and his first son, Nwoye.…

    • 1089 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chinua Achebe’s, “Things Fall Apart,” (published by William Heinemann Ltd., 1958) is filled with proverbs throughout his text in relation to traditional life in Umuofia as well as the colonization of Umuofia. Proverbs are used throughout Umuofia and the people of Nigeria in which “Things Fall Apart” takes place, are often used to give a simplified general truth or advice that may reflect on the situation or person in the text. Achebe highlights the significance proverbs to Umoufia culture, how colonization destroys culture, and why an English text does more to convey the theme than being in the Igbo language. Achebe’s, “Things Fall Apart,” (published by William Heinemann Ltd., 1958) tells the story of Okonkwo, a respected warrior in the…

    • 1153 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Creating an image of happiness, sadness, and tragedy all into this one story of life and death in one culture known as the Igbo culture. Chinua Achebe has been able to rope in his readers through symbolism and from the plot of on of the most popular stories of this kind. In Things Fall Apart you are really able to see why he has given this story the title Things Fall Apart. The story includes many people throughout different parts of the story. In the beginning we focus mainly on Okonkwo and his actions, along with some of the other characters such as his wives and father.…

    • 1207 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sympathy is feeling pity for someone else’s misfortune, but it’s not possible to feel for a despicable person. For example, it is possible to sympathize for a tragic hero because they unintentionally agonize people, but it is not possible to feel compassion for someone who purposefully harms people. This can be seen in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart where Okonkwo is powerfull man in Umuofia, a village in Nigeria in the 19th century. He is a self made man who prides himself on his achievements and affluence.…

    • 1121 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Okonkwo feels if he is weak and not manly to shows mercy. He feels he will be considered a weak person. He was influenced by what other people called and said about his father. "Unoka, the grown-up, was a failure. He was poor...…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Okonkwo is victimized by his fear of becoming like his father. Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, was believed to be weak and he was always in debt. Lucky for Okonkwo, in their…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays