Things Fall Apart

In his insightful critique, “The Plight of a Hero in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart,” Patrick Nnoromele reevaluates the demise of protagonist Okonkwo, widely perceived as a repercussion of his tragic flaw: the abiding fear of resembling his effeminate and disreputable father. However, Nnoromele alternatively suggests that Okonkwo’s suicide was not the manifestation of weakness and defeat, but rather a gallant act according to the Igbo ideals. To justify this claim, the critic characterizes a hero in…

How can an author use a fictional character to make a cultural statement? Chinua Achebe in his novel Things Fall Apart answers this question by telling a story of British colonization through an African point of view. In this work of historical fiction, Okonkwo wants the people of Umuofia to fight against the British, but instead many of the people of Umuofia follow the new ideas the British bring such as Christianity. Then Okonkwo loses hope that his people, so then Okonkwo commits suicide by…

In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the Ibo culture is known for their power and extreme faith of their religion. Manliness is an honorable trait, throughout the village of Umuofia. Okonkwo, the protagonist, lives in a world where showing emotion is considered weak. His anger leads him to physically abuse his three wives. In Umuofia the strongest village is the Igbo culture and it's where this story takes place. In Things Fall Apart, many social groups are marginalized and the main social…

with others” (Achebe). This quote greatly depicts the moral of one of Achebe’s most successful novels. In the book, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, the author uses the introduction of Western ideas into the Ibo culture to overall develop a father-son motif between Okonkwo and Nwoye, along with the establishment of cultural identity. Additionally, in the novel Things Fall Apart, the main character, Okonkwo, is represented as a strong and fierce leader who experiences the fear of being…

Questions about Irony The two most prominent examples of irony in Things Fall Apart are the District Commissioner’s novel, and the death of Okonkwo. After the entirety of the novel, the description of a whole world and culture with copious amounts of people, after the gigantic critical tragedy of Okonkwo, the District Commissioner decides to write a book. He ponders of giving this great man, powerful leader, a replete life, a single paragraph in his novel, “The Pacification of the Primitive…

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a novel that takes place in a time of great conflict in a Nigerian village called Umuofia in the 1800’s. The inhabitants of Umuofia, the Ibo, are a very “tribal” type people whom bring a question to the thought of truly is a civilized society. In Things fall apart , the Ibo culture is depicted by the author Chinua Achebe, as being both civilized and uncivilized based on their primitive tribal ways, yet sophisticated social, civil, and justice system. In the…

The role of the missionaries in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe have a negative presence throughout the book. Although, there was one factor that made the missionaries a positive presence in the novel. The role of the overpowering white culture in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian was entirely negative. The missionaries in Things Fall Apart were negative because of how they changed the culture for the worse. For example, on page 174 the text reads, ¨Umuofia had indeed changed…

In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the author takes the readers on a trip to the Igbo tribe in Nigeria and shows the lifestyle, culture, and struggles that the villagers experienced before and after the European imperial era. The characters, plot, setting, theme, tragic hero, symbolism, figurative language, historical and cultural values and story development contributes to the critical analysis of the novel. It also contributes to writing and understanding the novel. The protagonist of…

viewed as uncivilized and primitive. However, Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart depicts a drastically different African culture than those portrayed by early European colonists. Things Fall Apart illustrates the methodical conversion of the Igbo people from traditional values to those of the Christian faith and the ill-fated struggle of a man named Okonkwo to preserve the traditional practices of his culture. Through Things Fall Apart, Achebe counters the common portrayal of Africa as an…

Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe in 1958, tells the story of the Ibo people. The main character Okonkwo is an example of how strong men are represented and treated. The traditions, customs, and culture influence the people's behavior towards the men of the tribe. Gender plays an important role in the novel. It characterizes the genders structured roles and expectations according to what they have been taught by the Ibo culture. Everyone has a role and contributes to the benefit of the…