Stereotypes In Things Fall Apart

The stereotypes and expectations that people hold on others reveals their true identity. It shows their kindness and intelligence towards others as well as the world. Masculine and religious stereotypes and expectations are demonstrated by the characters Nwoye and Okonkwo in the novel Things Fall Apart. During the story, Nwoye is pressured to be masculine and follow all religious traditions because that is what his father Okonkwo wants him to do. When Nwoye chooses to disobey his father and change his religion, a new meaning in the novel is revealed. In the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the character Nwoye creates the meaning that traditions change for better through his opposing views, beliefs, and experiences from his father

It may be thinking that someone is bad or weak based on what you have seen or heard about them. Sometimes, stereotypes can be true but other times they are wrong. Throughout the novel Okonkwo stereotypes Nwoye as weak due to his curiosity about his mother’s stories and the Christian teachings. When Nwoye’s mother is reading him a story, he reflects on how this would make his father feel, “Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell” (Achebe 83). Nwoye knows that his father prides himself on being strong and masculine. He knows it is upsetting to him to see Nwoye straying from his perception of being a man. Okonkwo's struggle with Nwoye not being masculine enough creates the idea of traditions versus change. It helps to show the struggle in the novel of how traditions change for better by demonstrating how Nwoye is separated from his father’s and society's standard of being strong and masculine for his happiness. Nwoye finds happiness in listening to his mother’s stories which shows how he is willing to change the tradition of being masculine in order to allow himself to be happy. Nwoye’s curiosity further causes him to distance himself from their standard of being a strong man when the church missionaries come to their village. Nwoye enjoys the church’s stories that they share with him but he fears what Okonkwo might think about it, “Although Nwoye had been attracted to the new faith from the very first day, he kept it a secret. He dared not go too near the missionaries for fear of his father” (Achebe 149). After Nwoye finds that he enjoys the church, he is afraid that his father might think of him as less of a man. Nwoye knows how high Okonkwo’s standard is for how he should act. Since he chose to follow a new religion, Nwoye fears that his father will view him as weak and unmasculine due to his change in religious