Nwoye-Literature Analysis
Nwoye is the opposite of his father; sensitive and sympathetic, both qualities that are disliked by his Okonkwo. Okonkwo respects qualities such as manliness and bravery.
Nwoye’s struggles, such as family conflicts and the battle of fitting in, lead him to follow new faith, demonstrating the positive outcomes of western colonization.
To begin with, Nwoye is an outcast in his culture, he does not fit in.“Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still prefered the stories that his mother used to tell, and which she no doubt still told to her younger children-stories of the tortoise and his wily ways, and of the bird eneke-nti-oba who challenged the whole world to a wrestling contest and was finally thrown by the cat” (Achebe 53).Nwoye does not fit the ideal expectations of a man in the Igbo culture. He does not value fighting or war, he values stories and sensitivity. This causes Okonkwo to feel ashamed of Nwoye, because he does not believe being masculine is the most important quality. …show more content…
“But there was a young lad who had been captivated. His name was Nwoye, Okonkwo’s first son” (Achebe 147). Nwoye found a home inside the new church; he was welcomed. Before the death of Ikemefuna, Nwoye was starting to embrace the quality of masculinity, with Ikemefuna’s guidance. Nwoye thought extremely highly of his adopted, older brother. When his father betrays him by killing him, Nwoye is crushed. After this, Nwoye is more unconnected with his father than ever. When he hears the that christianity has come to Nigeria, he knows he will have a place there. He leaves his father’s traditional culture to embrace his own path. He does not want to be like his father; just like Okonkwo did not want to be like
Nwoye is the opposite of his father; sensitive and sympathetic, both qualities that are disliked by his Okonkwo. Okonkwo respects qualities such as manliness and bravery.
Nwoye’s struggles, such as family conflicts and the battle of fitting in, lead him to follow new faith, demonstrating the positive outcomes of western colonization.
To begin with, Nwoye is an outcast in his culture, he does not fit in.“Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still prefered the stories that his mother used to tell, and which she no doubt still told to her younger children-stories of the tortoise and his wily ways, and of the bird eneke-nti-oba who challenged the whole world to a wrestling contest and was finally thrown by the cat” (Achebe 53).Nwoye does not fit the ideal expectations of a man in the Igbo culture. He does not value fighting or war, he values stories and sensitivity. This causes Okonkwo to feel ashamed of Nwoye, because he does not believe being masculine is the most important quality. …show more content…
“But there was a young lad who had been captivated. His name was Nwoye, Okonkwo’s first son” (Achebe 147). Nwoye found a home inside the new church; he was welcomed. Before the death of Ikemefuna, Nwoye was starting to embrace the quality of masculinity, with Ikemefuna’s guidance. Nwoye thought extremely highly of his adopted, older brother. When his father betrays him by killing him, Nwoye is crushed. After this, Nwoye is more unconnected with his father than ever. When he hears the that christianity has come to Nigeria, he knows he will have a place there. He leaves his father’s traditional culture to embrace his own path. He does not want to be like his father; just like Okonkwo did not want to be like