The concept of strangers coming and causing a stir within an established group is a familiar story within history. One of these stories is the Europeans come to colonize Africa. The novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe shows this story by focusing on one person who is experiencing the transformation first hand. There are many characters and episodes that will show bigger themes within the story. Some examples of the characters and episodes to show the themes are the characters of Unoka and Okonkwo which show, the theme of social construction of patriarchy & masculinities, the arrival of Mr. Brown which show, the theme of religious transformation, and the murder of Ikemefuna show the theme of violence and warfare.
Unoka and Okonkwo while being father and son could not be more different from each other. Unoka is described as a lazy, spendthrift who did not care about paying back his debts or taking care of his family. He also did not have any titles which were a status symbol in the tribe of Umuofia. He also was known as having a love of music and was not a warrior, as described in the novel, “He was in fact a coward and could not bear the sight of blood. And so he changed the subject and talked about music, and his face beamed.”(9). Okonkwo, on the other hand, learned from what he considered to be the mistake of his father to become the complete opposite. He is …show more content…
He uses the different characters and events to describe the broader themes of the novel. Unoka and Okonkwo show the themes of masculinity and patriarchy, the arrival of Mr.Brown show religious transformation and the murder of Ikemefuna show violence and warfare. There are many other themes that are presented in the novel and many characters and events that represent them. However, the story of a changing world creates the reader many things to
Unoka and Okonkwo while being father and son could not be more different from each other. Unoka is described as a lazy, spendthrift who did not care about paying back his debts or taking care of his family. He also did not have any titles which were a status symbol in the tribe of Umuofia. He also was known as having a love of music and was not a warrior, as described in the novel, “He was in fact a coward and could not bear the sight of blood. And so he changed the subject and talked about music, and his face beamed.”(9). Okonkwo, on the other hand, learned from what he considered to be the mistake of his father to become the complete opposite. He is …show more content…
He uses the different characters and events to describe the broader themes of the novel. Unoka and Okonkwo show the themes of masculinity and patriarchy, the arrival of Mr.Brown show religious transformation and the murder of Ikemefuna show violence and warfare. There are many other themes that are presented in the novel and many characters and events that represent them. However, the story of a changing world creates the reader many things to