ipl-logo

Fear Of Characterism In Achebe's Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

962 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Okonkwo's tragedy in things fall apart

The novel, “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe talks about post colonial life of Nigerian society and transformation by the Europeans. In the novel, things fall apart for the lead character Okonkwo, who was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness. Okonkwo was a man of action and a war, he was not afraid of war but all his life was dominated by this one fear of being unsuccessful and lazy like his father. So, he lived a life completely opposite to which his father lived. In this story we get an exclusive view of fear, masculinity, family, missionaries and racism.
When Okonkwo was young, he declared that his father was not able to feed adequately of his family and he was ashamed by his father’s strength. He expressed his embarrassment against his father and also discovered that villagers of Umuofia had similar dislikes against his father. The hatred feelings against his father by the villagers encouraged him to follow his principles and strategies to self-stand. His independence was more or less admired and kept respected by the community and gave him feelings of security and reverence of his gaze further elevates his self-respect, and became more distance from his father. He was overwhelmed of the security and respect shown by the community. Moreover Okonkwo imagine to be recognized by his community and he …show more content…

Males are considered more powerful than females and have more rights. Okonkwo shows his male power by beating his wife during the Week of Peace as what his father would not have done. Similarly, he beats his youngest wife during the New Yam festival. The displaying of such behaviors in him started losing peoples’ motivations and the community disregarded his character. Where else, killing of Ikemefuna overshadowed customs and tradition of the Umuofia’s community. Despite his regretted actions, Okonkwo apologized as he was punished by the villagers and so he accepted the blame (Achebe,

Show More
Related
889 Words | 4 Pages

Questions: 1.How does the British educational system impose white European values onto the Igbo people? In what ways, do the British seek to eradicate the indigenous cultural values of the Igbo tribe through education? 2.Why did the British government impose such absolute values in the quest to eradicate Igbo identity in the Nigerian colonies? 3.In what ways does the British government seek to sublimate Igbo identity by a focus on a “primitive state” in the Igbo tribe?

Read More
234 Words | 1 Pages

In the patriarchal hierarchy of his tribe, honor, and respect are measured in strength and courage, and Okonkwo’s constant fear is that he will not measure up. That is why he did everything possible to be nothing like him and worked hard to be honored, respected and become manlier. On the other hand,

Read More
608 Words | 3 Pages

What made him the way he is? The tribe. It was the tribe’s expectation of tradition that influenced Okonkwo to be the man he is. A mental and physical

Read More
195 Words | 1 Pages

Okonkwo’s father influenced him by being embarrassed of his father and doesn't want to live in the shadow of his father. He wants to his own thing. His father did nothing for the family, and don't have enough money or stamina to take care of his family. He said “Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had. He did not inherit a barn from his father.

Read More
781 Words | 4 Pages

(Achebe, 13) Okonkwo is doing a right thing there because his father was a lazy guy and he doesn’t want that to happen to his family. Here’s an example if your dad or mom is strict with you it means that they love you. However, you know that Okonkwo was a good father he showed his expressions after what he did to

Read More
1119 Words | 5 Pages

He was too proud to let his tribe give up their warlike history. He was to proud and self-assured to accept his son's choices. Okonkwo is a sad character whose pride has constantly led him down the crooked path. Achebe shows that being proud isn't a constructive thing for the future. That development can only occur when pride is put aside, and people think logically instead of

Read More
792 Words | 4 Pages

He constructed a big image for himself and became very acclaimed around Umuofia. Okonkwo’s personality set the frame of his character. “He was tall and when he walked, his heels hardly touched the ground and he seemed to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce on somebody.” (3-4) When the Europeans came, it could of been considered as the starting point of altercation.

Read More
1062 Words | 5 Pages

In the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, it showed that Okonkwo was always struggled throughout his life. Okonkwo’s strong personality is what led to his fate. First, Okonkwo’s harsh childhood started to led him towards his fate. Next, Okonkwo was selfish and took the highest titles and wanted to be at the top of his clan. Then, he was always worried about everything around him, which also led him to his fate.

Read More
1160 Words | 5 Pages

Fear is powerful, a person you might see as strong could easily be brought down by the strength of fear. The life of the “fearless leader” Okonkwo, in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, is an example of what the power of fear is capable of. Okonkwo is a brave and strong leader to the fictional Nigerian tribe of Ibo. Everyone sees him as masculine and fearless to anything, but truthfully he is not exactly that. His whole life is based off the fact that he does not want to be like his father.

Read More
668 Words | 3 Pages

As the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.” This is applicable to society today because it explains the role of fear in the crumbling of a society. In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, the Ibo people are victims of imperialism by the Europeans, and they learn to fear the invaders, as well as the change and assimilation that is being forced on the Ibo culture. The fear that the Ibo society has of the Europeans and the oppression they are causing is what eventually leads to the divide and downfall of the clan. Through the Ibo’s fear of white society, the main character Okonkwo’s fear of weakness, and the elders fear for the clan, Achebe demonstrates how fear in society can lead

Read More
946 Words | 4 Pages

Okonkwo longed to become the

Read More
1027 Words | 5 Pages

Okonkwo’s expression of masculinity, which is deeply-rooted in his personality, catalyzes the deterioration of major relationships in his life; while, Okonkwo’s beliefs are not innate to his personality but rather self-imposed, he consciously refuses to abandon them as he fears doing this will make him less of a man. This is first exemplified in his recollections of his father, Unoka. His father was a titleless man--an agabala--who indulged in music, disliked conflict, and allowed laziness. Because his father did not fit into his view of a “perfect” male, Okonkwo grew “to hate everything that his father…..had loved” (Achebe 8). Okonkwo’s perception of masculinity, as exclusive of femininity, and his resulting fear of weakness and failure (traits he considered feminine) not only prevented him from developing a meaningful

Read More
895 Words | 4 Pages

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).

Read More
508 Words | 3 Pages

In conclusion, i believe Okonkwo is a sympathetic man and he cares about the people around deeply. He may just have a hard way of showing it. Whether he beats his family, tries to kill them, abuses them. Nobody he has touched hasn’t died. So you can look at it that way and say he cares.

Read More
1890 Words | 8 Pages

Fear is the core cause of the dramatic shift of lifestyle for both Okonkwo and Nwoye. Through the management of reputation and the avoidance of their father’s likeness, Okonkwo and Nwoye built new lives for themselves. Okonkwo sought power and authority to prove his masculinity and make up for Unoka’s reputation as a weak man. He did this to the point where manliness became his character. Fearlessness and violence were masculine qualities that in Igbo culture signifies strength and influence.

Read More

More about Fear Of Characterism In Achebe's Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

Related Topics

Open Document