Essay On The Mental World In Achebe's Things Fall Apart

The mental world of every person is shaped by their environment and experiences in life. Everyone has a special outlook that may share some similarities with others. But, each mental world is unique to one person. The mindset of Okonkwo in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is very similar to his grandson Obi Okonkwo’s in No Longer at Ease. The difference in their mental world comes from the time period of Nigeria. Okonkwo developed his mental world during the transition period into British rule in Nigeria. Obi’s development, however, is the transition out of British rule. The experiences that Obi and Okonkwo had during their time in the British rule shows how the life of Nigeria was in their eyes. During Okonkwo’s time, Nigeria was very simple at first. Okonkwo was a very strong and independent man who was well known in the village of Umoufia. His personality stems from resenting his father Unoka way of wasting his life in drinking and by not paying back his loans. Okonkwo hated every aspect of Unoka that his mental world was everything that his father was not. His …show more content…
Both lived by the ideal of not showing any kind of weakness. For Okonkwo, showing weakness is not strong and is similar to how his father lived, which he loathed. Obi did not show weakness by not taking bribes in times of debt. Both also had titles or positions that made them appear strong. Okonkwo had many wrestling titles received from winning. Obi also held a good work position and was sent by his village to learn to benefit them once he returned. Unfortunately, both shared a fragile mental world that could be broken when it the world outside was changing. The British arrival and the assimilation into Christianity drove Okonkwo into suicide. Obi broke down from the pressure and losing his girlfriend and mother. Both men showed that despite Nigeria changing between generations, it still could produce similar