Things Fall Apart Fear Essay

Fear As a Theme Fear is a popular theme that is used in all forms of literature. In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart he uses fear as a recurring theme. This theme appears throughout the book in several different situations and for several different reasons, which demonstrates that fear has more than one form and more than one cause. Fear is a very important aspect of Things Fall Apart and of life. Two instances in which Chinua Achebe develops fear as a theme are when he establishes Okonkwo’s fear of weakness and when Ikemefuna is murdered. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is thought of as a fearless warrior by his people, however, it is discovered in the second chapter that he is not as dauntless as his reputation suggests. Achebe writes, “But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure …show more content…
In the novel, Okonkwo kills his foster son because he is afraid of being thought of as weak: “Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 61). His fear of weakness dominates the fatherly compassion he feels towards Ikemefuna, demonstrating how powerful fear can be and how it can affect judgement. This example of fear exhibits how powerful and how deadly it can be if left unchecked. The fear of one person can destroy the lives of multiple people. As shown above, Chinua Achebe develops fear as a theme in Things Fall Apart when Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna and when his fear of failure and weakness is established. Achebe shows that fear is a theme not only in literature but also in life. Fear is a very prominent aspect of Things Fall Apart and its presence affects many aspects of life inside the book. Throughout the novel, many themes are expertly displayed by Achebe, but fear is certainly one of the most powerful ones. Achebe demonstrates the power of fear and the impact that it has on the lives of every person in the