Things Fall Apart And Chocolat Analysis

Everyone and everything is subject to change, even their lives and values can be affected by an enormous wave of change. The question, how do humans respond to change, has an endless number of answers. When someone experiences an abrupt change in his or her life, he or she may embrace it or resist it. One of the most fundamental factor in change is the emotional experience. Usually, individuals tend to feel uncomfortable, scared, and they might go through a phase of panic and denial. Most often, the initial response is negative. The main reason people initially respond negatively is because they lose something; a loss is always involved. When experiencing change, every individual reacts differently whether the change is minor or life-changing, …show more content…
Okonkwo from Things Fall apart and the villagers from Chocolat encountered a life altering change when newcomers came to their village. In Things Fall apart, Okonkwo and his village has been infested with unwelcome white missionaries, who are trying to force their religion into them. This causes Okonkwo to act recklessly when he kills the messenger: “In a flash Okonkwo drew his machete. […] Okonkwo’s machete descended twice and the man’s head lay beside his uniformed body” (Achebe 204). Okonkwo utterly hates the thought that his village is slowly becoming part of the missionaries, and goes through with killing the messenger sent by the white missionaries. As more and more Ibo villagers join the whites, Okonkwo begins to lose hope and hangs himself because he could not accept and tolerate the change that was occurring. In Chocolat, when Vianne and her daughter arrived in the French village, the residents of the village were confused by her ways and the opening of her chocolatier. Moreover, the Comte de Reynaud instilled immoral thoughts in their heads by telling everyone that she was an atheist, and having Father Henri tell everyone, indirectly, that she was Satan’s helper. Father Henri said, “Satan wears many guises. […] And at times, the maker of sweet things. […] For what could seem more harmless, more innocent than chocolate?”