Things Fall Apart Essay
By:Brendadette Lopez~Paiz In Chinua Achebe’s masterpiece Things Fall Apart, he portrays the evolution of Okonkwo, a tribal leader, struggle to get out of poverty, and the colonization of Africa. Due to the colonization of his country and the changes it had brought caused the tear in Okonkwo’s tribe leaving him with nothing, and leading to his fate. Okonkwo had started his life from the very bottom, and he clawed his way to the top of social status in his tribe. Okonkwo didn’t receive any help from his family, causing him to put very high expectations on all his children. Just like Okonkwo, his village had high expectations for all its people, but those expectations were not kept for long. The colonization of Okonkwo’s home was the final part to push Okonkwo over the tipping point. However, for one to see how the colonization of Africa destroys Okonkwo’s morals they would have to look from the beginning to see the big picture.

From the very beginning of Okonkwo 's life he had suffered from poverty due to his father’s, Unoka, debts and addiction. “Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had. He did not inherit a barn from his father. There was no barn to inherit” (Achebe, 16). Okonkwo had to figure out how to do the tasks that all men in his village do on his own, and at a young age. Okonkwo also had to be the man of the house at a young age because his father couldn’t provide for the family. “His mother and sisters worked