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Things Fall Apart Universal Justice Essay

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Recommended: Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and culture

The Igbo people of Nigeria believe that no consequence or calamity occurs unless the individual 's actions justify that event, referred to as "universal justice." While the Igbo culture has since been entwined with other cultures, Chinua Achebe preserves their unique culture in his book Things Fall Apart. In the final moments of the novel, readers see the protagonist Okonkwo, once a "Roaring Flame" and successful man, driven to suicide to escape the weakening of his tribe. While readers might take pity on Okonkwo, his life and suicide are simple consequences of his life as said by his own peoples ' idea of universal justice. Okonkwo 's life and eventual suicide occur as the results of universal justice, punishing him for his immense hatred of any cultural change and excessive violence. Okonkwo 's immense hatred of cultural change lead him to suicide as a result of the Igbo idea of universal justice. After his son Nwoye joined the Christians and left Okonkwo and his family, “A sudden fury rose within [Okonkwo] and he felt a strong desire to take up his …show more content…

The Igbo culture of universal justice can be seen in the life of Okonkwo due to his hatred of cultural change and his violent actions in Chinua Achebe 's Things Fall Apart. Universal justice, while a part of Igbo culture, can also be seen in much of today 's culture. Referred to as karma, many people believe in the concept of a universal justice system, including Christians in the forms of the Holy Spirit and the acceptance into heaven dependent on how a person acted on Earth towards others. While universal justice may not even exist, accepting change and being kind and respectful to people creates in that individual a better person, which is something that the world could use more of. Without people like that the world suffers, bad events occur, and the people that are kind and respectful suffer when those around them treat them with harsh actions and indifference, just like Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe

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In his novel, “Things Fall Apart,” Chinua Achebe reveals the stories of a respected clan member, whose pride and anger eventually led to his end against the incoming British Imperialists. Okonkwo is a short-tempered man who is afraid of following the footsteps of his failed father. Although he works his way up in the community, his temper overtakes him and causes him to take actions that later lead to harsh consequences. After living for seven years in his home village to serve his sentence of banishment, Okonkwo returns to the village of Umuofia to find the British imperialists slowly taking over. Due to a sequence of events that include being taken hostage and murdering a messenger, Okonkwo decides to take his own life before the British have a chance to execute him.

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Okonkwo experienced change because of the actions that lead to his banishment and this made some of his fears come true. Even after these parts of his life have occurred, Okonkwo would have still been able to recover from his incident. However, because of colonialism, this idea of returning to his old life was shot down by the new ideas and changes within the people of Umoufia. This negative change was caused directly by colonialism. In “Things Fall Apart” the Igbo have been shown to have a large amount of culture that was effected by western beliefs.

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Negative meaning the colliding of cultures may cause the person to question their sense of identity, and positive meaning they respect the culture and may convert to it. In this novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, the main character Okonkwo questions his sense of identity, because his sense of culture is such a huge part of his identity. Experiencing two different cultures at once can cause confusion in ones eyes, forcing them to re-think what they have grown up knowing, and learning what that means for them and their identity. The Christian missionaries tried to teach the Nigerians their ways and convert them, but most of them did not convert and were against the Christians, they wanted them to leave or to be killed. Although, they were able to both prove each other wrong when it came to certain things, only a few people could respect each others cultures.

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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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This springs a collision between Okonkwo and Nwoye. Nwoye wants to become Christian and Okonkwo does not approve of what the white men introduced to the Ibo culture. There were other people in the clan like Okonkwo that went against their faith and claimed that everything the Christians believe in was false. Nwoye knows his father has a bad temper and so when Okonkwo found out that he wanted to convert, Nwoye knew that it would cause conflict, and Okonkwo would want to kill him. " Answer me," roared Okonkwo, "before I kill you!"

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Today, Christianity is one of the largest religions in Africa. In the past few decades, there has been a large growth of Christians in Africa - this is coupled with a steady decline in the more traditional African religions. The book, Things Fall Apart shows that a character that has a tragic flaw is one that constantly makes error in there actions that eventually cates us to them and leads them to there doom. Okonkwo, a perfect tragic character, is driven by his fear of being unmanly, this causes him to act very harsh toward his fellow tribesmen, his family and himself; he will judge all the people in the village. In the eyes of Okonkwo, a true man is wealthy, hard-working, and violent.

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Apart, the personal value system of Okonkwo was in stark contrast to that of his only son, Nwoye. Okonkwo was a closed minded individual whose determination

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His father was the exact opposite of what the Igbo people stand for. Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, is a “coward [who] could not bear the sight of blood” (Achebe 6). In turn, Okonkwo became a ruthless warrior who was known across the different tribes. The worst aspect of Unoka is that he was considered to be a failure. This caused Okonkwo “even as a little boy [to resent] his father’s failure” (13).

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The hatred that he had for his father he carried with him throughout his whole life. That hatred turned into him killing Ikemefuna and the messenger. Ikemefuna was thought of as a son and he killed him in fear of being considered weak in front of his clan members. That weakness was thought of his weakness which was considered a failure. At the end of the story Okonkwo ends up being just like his father which is ironic because he strived to be nothing like him.

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The story has many examples of the importance of community through tradition and religion, which also plays a major part in the story. For example, we see the community working together and supporting each other throughout the book, until change visits them and changes their culture and muddles their ideals. The introduction of the white man forever changes the Igbo culture which we see at the very end of the book when Okonkwo kills the missionary to try to bring war to drive the change out, and no one supports him. The community has changed, and Okonkwo hadn’t realized it, this change was destructive to both the Igbo culture and to Okonkwo, as he realizes that the change he is trying to prevent is inevitable, and the community he once was respected in and loved, had turned their backs on

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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.

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