Morality In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

In our world, people travel different journeys based on the situations they may find themselves in and so is it in the novel, Things Fall Apart (1958), written by Chinua Achebe. Achebe is a Nigerian, born in 1930; he also writes short stories, essays and children’s books by which we wins honorary awards and fellowship. While growing up, parents expects children to make better lives for themselves than they (parents) live, however, this novel has such twist to it as the protagonist (Okonkwo), father did not live a good life so that his son could follow. His dad Unoka lives a shameful life that causes his son to work extremely hard to make a good name for himself. Achebe’s work focuses on a cultural background of people in Africa who work tirelessly …show more content…
Throughout the novel, he is never able to agree with this new religion. According to Harold Bloom, “Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart”. Bloom states that Okonkwo is never able to agree with the reality of the situation in his village where Christianity has now become the main religion. Okonkwo was a perfect example of what a traditional African man should be about especially when it comes down to supporting family. Okonkwo proves himself to be respectable and responsible in the village. His determination leads him to strive and save his family …show more content…
He is extremely strong but also plays the role a father who holds his family together in spite of any circumstance. He has his own farm producing yam which is a part of the major dishes in African culture today. The life of a traditional African man is to be the gatherer and the strong hold for the home. He is so fierce that he uses violence to slaughter the messenger. Achebe depicts this in the messenger’s words that trigger Okonkwo’s reaction saying, “The white man whose power you know too well has ordered this meeting to stop” (Achebe 116). Immediately after this Okonkwo drew his sword, and cut off the man’s head. Once Okonkwo heard the messenger’s message, it instantly triggered the jealousy in his heart for the white Christian Missionaries. Deep down he knows that even though few of the villagers had agreed to refuse the practices and religion of the white man, there was no way they could stop their mission for coming to his village. Okonkwo knew that the situation was unchangeable and it filled him with a raging jealousy which caused him to slaughter the messenger without even thinking. Bloom is able to explain this further when he discusses colonization saying, “Things Fall Apart famous ending describes the Districts Commissioner’s yearning to write the story of his colonized natives as a challenging ethnographic project in a moment of the colonial