Narcissism In Things Fall Apart

Most artistic pursuits, from music to painting to literature, share the universal principle of using repetitive elements. While these elements add another layer of meaning to a simple phenomenon, authors use motifs to convey the significance behind their story. In Snow White, Grimm employs the magic mirror and the queen’s obsession of self-image multiple times throughout the book to capture the dangers of vanity. Taking a plain element, the mirror, Grimm warns the audience of the eventual self-destruction that will occur with narcissism. Since motifs remain a conventional literary device, in Things Fall Apart Achebe uses the motif of parent-child relationships to characterize Okonkwo’s brutality and compassion, explore the complex nature of …show more content…
Achebe shows the Ibo society’s value of justice by showcasing their relationship with the ancestors, a figurative parent-child relationship. After hearing both sides of the case, the ancestors go “away to consult together” and determine the outcome of the trial (Achebe 92). Moreover, with the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves as a source of parental guidance, Umuofia “never went to war unless its case was…accepted by its Oracle” (Achebe 12). Achebe shows the Ibo trying to avoid violence and war, but instead strive to keep peace. Furthermore, when Okonkwo disrupts the week of peace, the Oracle commands him to bring animals to the shrine of the earth goddess, in fear that “the evil [Okonkwo has] done can ruin the whole clan [‘s harvest]” (Achebe 30). Using the submission of the Ibo to the Oracle, Achebe illuminates levels of a complex social order that exist within Ibo society. He also notes the parent-child relationship between the gods and the Ibo to show the importance of beliefs, such as most people keeping “wooden symbols of...gods and… ancestral spirits… [to] worship”(Achebe 14). Other rituals include complex pre-marriage agreements, like when Obierika settles the bride-price of his daughter, Akuke, “at twenty bags of cowries” with her suitor (Achebe 73). Using these parent-child relationships, Achebe hopes to portray the Ibo as a complex …show more content…
Although the legal definition of a parent-child relationship establishes with proof of biological connections or adoption, Achebe incorporates figurative relationships into his novel for readers to connect to the world. For example, the Supreme Court to U.S. inhabitants, or doctor to patient, figurative parent-child relationships establish the foundation of society. They keep order and create unity. They are necessary as they also reflect the cooperation and care within society. Appreciation and “fondness [towards each other] only showed on very rare occasions” (Achebe