The Obstacle Is The Way Analysis

Throughout the books The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe the themes of recovering from setbacks and obtaining success despite obstacles are very prevalent. Holiday uses various examples of stoic philosophers and historical figures to teach valuable lessons showing the necessary steps to take something that could be an “obstacle” and will hinder you and turn it into something useful. The “obstacle” in the way could be turned around into a lesson to be learned from or even in most cases the solution of a problem. Meanwhile Chinua Achebe uses his character Okonkwo and Okonkwo’s life to show that even after many setbacks a person could still be able to recover. Although the examples these author’s use such as Okonkwo being put into exile or Thomas Edison’s factory burning down may not be entirely relatable, the message the authors try to convey are.
People can not typically relate to the very specific situations the authors of these two books use but people can still learn from them. The lessons Achebe and Holiday try to share are very useful to learn from because all people despite how different and unique each individual may be, there will always be setbacks, failures, and obstacles along the way to success. Through Okonkwo and the various examples throughout The Obstacle is the Way, people can see how taking a “bad” situation and making the best out of it is so important and could lead to success. An example of making the best out of a bad situation would be how Okonkwo grew up. Achebe’s character, …show more content…
People often let obstacles or minor setbacks prevent them from achieving great things when they could ignore, break, or surpass the things holding them back. It is important not limit oneself because everyone can achieve great things as long as they are determined and are able to put in the hard