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Chapter Analysis: Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

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The novel “Things fall apart” is written by Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian author, in 1958. A wrestling champion, Okonkwo is set as the focus of this book, in the village called Umofia. The novel is considered as a major example of African literature that presents the clash between cultures and people that occurred across the African continent as a consequence of European colonization. From all chapters of “Things fall apart”, chapter 20 had most clearly exhibited the relationship between Okonkwo and Ezinma, that Okonkwo wishes that Ezinma were a boy. In a passage from the chapter, Chinua Achebe utilizes metaphor, rhetorical question, characterization, and dialogue to portray the idea of relationship.9 First, Chinua Achebe makes use of metaphor …show more content…

Chinua Achebe signifies how perfectly Ezinma and Okonkwo understand each other and indicates that Ezinma is the only one that empathizes her father’s thoughts. “A bond of sympathy had grown between them as the years had passed.” The author utilizes the word sympathy to enhance the bond between Ezinma and her father. The word sympathy is used when one person completely agrees and understands other’s feelings. Since she comprehended every mood of her father, Okonkwo wanted her to be a boy that would resemble him with similar characteristics, and feelings. On top of that, Achebe’s rhetorical question also imply that Ezinma is the only child that empathizes the father’s mood and feelings. “Who else among his children could have read his thoughts so well?” Since Ezinma could understand the true meaning behind Okonkwo’s words even if he does not directly tell the children, the author wanted to tell the reader that there is no one but Ezinma that has a strong bond of sympathy between her father. Even if the readers can already infer from the passage that only Ezinma is capable of reading Okonkwo’s mind, the rhetorical question fortifies it again to the reader. In summary, Achebe’s use of the word sympathy explains why Okonkwo wanted Ezinma to be a boy, and the rhetorical question enhance the fact that Okonkwo has strong wish for masculinity of

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Okonkwo’s aggressive ways caused Nwoye to rely on Ikemefuna, A boy given to Okonkwo by a neighboring village, as an older brother who teaches him a more gentle form of masculinity. The bond between Nwoye and Ikemefuna was stronger than the bond between Nwoye and Okonkwo ever was because of Okonkwo’s refusal to demonstrate affection towards his son as it could make him appear weak. However, because of the death of Ikemefuna, Nwoye fears having to return to the harsh values of his father. Okonkwo’s stubborn ideas of masculinity ruined his relationship with his son beyond repair. Okonkwo’s refusal to show emotion towards his family pushed them apart which shows that Okonkwo is not willing to give up his stern values and reputation to be emotionally committed to his family.

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The first stage in grief is denial, when a person hopes that the breakup was not real or only momentary, giving themselves time to adjust to the situation. When Okonkwo arrives at Mbanta, his mother’s homeland, his uncle holds a meeting with his family and specifically addresses Okonkwo. He tells of how after a child has been beaten by its father, it will go to its mother for comfort. He relates this to Okonkwo’s breakup with his tribe, where Okonkwo is beaten or exiled from his fatherland and sent to his motherland to recover. His uncle asks him,”Is it right that you, Okonkwo, should bring to your mother a heavy face and refuse to be comforted?”(Achebe 134).

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The author, Chinua Achebe, used Okonkwo as an example of the father/son conflict and how the conflict affects a man’s life. Just because one does not always act like the typical strong, almost emotionless man, that does not mean one is coward. Okonkwo’s thought process leads to his demise because he cannot bear to see the strong willed tribe and culture he has known his whole life fail him: just

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China Achebe demonstrates the disrespect the Ibo men had for woman in Things Fall Apart by depicting verbal and physical abuse within the community. The men have control over a woman through power of authority. This physical and verbal abuse lets the men of the society feel empowerment over the woman. “ Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper” Achebe 12.

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Okonkwo Falls Apart Chinua Achebe offers a rare look at the natives perspective during colonialism in his work Things Fall Apart. The central struggle in the main character Okonkwo is that he is beginning to lose his way of life, and he is not able to do anything about it. Conflicts in religious beliefs with the arrival of the missionaries heightens Okonkwo 's internal aggression, and his inability to adapt leads to his downfall.

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In Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo reacts to cultural collision in his society by having a closed mind and attempting to retaliate, which ultimately leads to his suicide, contributing to the novel’s theme that one

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The novel “things fall apart” is about the fatal demise of Okonkwo and the igbo culture of Umuofia. Okonkwo is well known and respected leader in his community, who is successful in everything he does, such as wrestling and farming. He is quick with his hands and takes pride in his accomplishments. Okonkwo’s family relationship makes him a sympathetic character because of his support and an unsympathetic character because of his cruelty. In many ways Okonkwo showed that he had no sympathy for others , However at times he could be sympathetic.

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In the beginning of the story, Okonkwo was a very vigorous man who everyone loves. One day a killing happened leaving Okonkwo with a wife and a son, Ikemefuna. He grew to like the young boy, where he is different from his other children, On a fateful day, Okonkwo murders Ikemefuna. Okonkwo had a load of guilt for killing his adoptive son, Ikemefuna.

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The tripartite novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, published in 1958 focuses on the changes taking place in Nigeria, as a result of colonization during the 20th century. Chinua Achebe’s pragmatics when writing the novel focused on changing the perspective of Western readers with regard to African society. He mainly wanted to falsify the assertions in books such as “Heart of Darkness” which he claimed gave people of African descent a dull personality. Social status is one of the novels’ main themes. Chinua Achebe successfully incorporates the importance of social status, giving readers the impression that for the Ibo society, social structure consists mainly of a hierarchy of both skill and strength.

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Achebe used this relationship to relate Okonkwo’s participation in the sacrifice of his “son” Ikemefuna to the biblical story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac, and this biblical allusion is important to the

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Okonkwo and Ezinma, an unexpressed love. In his novel, ‘Things Fall Apart’, Achebe presents to the reader, a story based around the village of Umuofia. Through his narration which is close to an oral tradition, we discover the culture and commodities of that village as well as of some surrounding villages. Superstitions, festivals and traditions, everything is vividly described.

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Among those of the same culture, individuals who are adaptive and open-minded can be successful when there is cultural collision. When the Igbo and European cultures collide, Okonkwo gradually spirals out of control, losing everything he values and his own sense of self. From the beginning of the novel, Achebe depicts Okonkwo as a virile warrior and a successful farmer within the Igbo tribe. Reacting with violence to anything he considers “womanly” or “weak”, “He was a man of action and man of war” (10). Because of his reputation as a warrior he is highly respected by his community.

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His fear of weakness and failure is derived from his father, Unoka’s failures, which ignite Okonkwo’s misogynistic views. Throughout his lifetime, Okonkwo associates femininity with weakness because of Unoka, who was called an “agbala” or woman by the people of Umuofia. Since women have this reputation for weakness, Okonkwo lives with constant fear that he will be given the same title as his father. Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye’s effeminacy reminds Okonkwo of his own father. He says, "I have done my best to make Nwoye grow into a man, but there is much of his mother in him ."(Achebe, 66).

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