Trope In Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is a tragic yet ironic story about a lower Nigerian tribe. Food and language come into play as an important traditional value to the Igbo tribe. The passage I chose to further analyze from chapter one is, “Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.” (4) This stood out to me because of the text emphasis on the well-known value placed on food. This quote signifies the rank of food, agriculture, and language in their culture. The key trope I discuss is food, and the meaning behind the significance of it in Things Fall Apart. This quote indicates to the tradition and art that’s practiced by the Igbo, which has a great weight throughout

He shows importance to Igbo’s proverbs and tales throughout the book. Not only do these proverbs and tales show the readers the significance of what it means to their culture, but it helps us understand the African way of life, which revolves greatly around food. The Igbo are well spoken, and despite the foreign origin of proverbs and tales, the Western reader can relate very well to many of them. When analyzing the passage and trope I chose, I discovered a link between Okonkwo, food, and his determination to be nothing like his father. Okonkwo has a hunger to succeed because of his failed father. There are similarities between his hunger and ambition. Okonkwo’s father rejected his responsibility as a father as a point of food to his family “who had barely enough to eat” (3) Okonkwo comes from a tribe with such ideals regarding food, which showed him at a young age that his father didn’t achieve those values that are decided so essential throughout the community. The bond between father and son in Okonkwo’s situation was almost nonexistent, which alludes to the killing of Ikemefuna. The father and son relationships that are portrayed throughout Things Fall Apart remind me of the family values present in the Abraham story. “his soul is torn between desperate rebellion and hopeful expectation; his silent obedience is multilayered, has background. Such a problematic psychological situation as this is impossible for any of the Homeric heroes, whose destiny is clearly defined and who wake every morning as if it were the first day of their lives: their emotions, though strong, are simple and find expression instantly.” This quote from Auerbach’s Mimesis reminds me of the way Okwonko must feel while killing Ikemefuna, who he clearly cared for. Okwonko might not have desired to kill Ikemefuna, but couldn’t take the chance of looking weak, like his father was. In the end it comes