While reading the second half of the book, I discovered the answer to my question about the following quote: "'They usually stay if they do not die before the age of six'" (48), and it is on page 76--they were speaking of the flu, and Ezinma was thought to have been dying from it. Thankfully, she survives after her father brings the medicine. However, my concern arises when we are told about the stone that had been found and was apparently destroyed, which was supposed to result in Ezinma being healthy--page 85. I am thinking that this is all taking place because of the bad karma that Okonkwo has brought, by taking part in Ikemefuna's death, wishing that Ezinma were a boy, etc. Achebe hinted at sadness on page 67 when he wrote: "...action...wipes out whole families."
I also have a question about Chielo taking Ezinma because "'Agbala wants to see her'" (101)--I am curious as to why? And what happened there? Also, do you think that Ekwefi and Okonkwo following Chielo will make their karma even worse, since Chielo responded to the noise of someone not far behind by saying "'...may Agbala shave your head....twist your neck'" (105). I believe that this quote foreshadows much grief for the family, as does the previous quote.
Moving on, how ironic is it that Okonkwo accidentally kills someone, and thus has to suffer the consequence of leaving home? When he would purposely kill someone, nothing happened, but now, when it is by accident, he is punished. This is surely payback for all of the other killings that took place without consequences. This happens rather quickly compared to the rest of the book. It is a page after the quote, "'But if a man caused it, do not allow him a moment's rest'" (123)--implying that those murdered will most likely haunt their murderers, which again I find to be another foreshadowing of Okonkwo's sad future. I believe that Okonkwo is simply made to suffer, because of all the suffering that he has caused.
A final question, on page 142, the conversation between Obierika and Okonkwo wraps up with Okonkwo asking Obierika what he can do to thank him, and Obierika saying "'Kill one of your sons...'" and then saying "'Then kill yourself.'" Is Obierika joking, or is he serious? Does Okonkwo get a bit offended?
In the second part of Things Fall Apart, as Marrisa said, is very ironic. Okonkwo strives to be powerful man, not only is he exiled from the land where he has authority, but he is sent to his mother’s land. Although, he loathed his father, to live in land of his mother, who signifies nurturing and guidance for a child, it is a strike to his ego. Also, it’s interesting to see Okonkwo’s transition from being a man to being reduced to a “child”. Achebe writes, “‘…And yet we say Nneka-‘Mother is Supreme.’ Why is that?’…’I do not know the answer,’ Okonkwo replied. ‘…So you see that you are a child.'” I think Achebe’s purpose for this transition, is to show that there is more to being a man than having possessions, such as yams, or many wives.; instead to be a great man, he must respect his family, which is what Okonkwo’s uncle, Uchendu, is trying to teach him. At the end of the 2nd part, Uchendu says, “But I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship…And what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you. A man can now leave his father and his brothers.” (167). A result of what can be seen as Okonkwo’s lack of appreciation for his son, Nwoye, is his son joining the newly-settled missionaries, escaping the pressures of becoming a man that came from Okonkwo. On another note, the missionaries also seem to represent the civilization that the people of the tribes, especially Okonkwo, lack.
I completely agree with Angel and Marrisa in the sense that the second part of Things Fall Apart, Achebe presents the readers with various ironic situations. For instance, after Okonkwo accidentally kills Ezeudu’s sixteen year old son, he was forced to immediately evacuate his hut and take himself and his family to live in his motherland for seven years. I feel that irony plays a role in this situation in more than one way and the first instance occurs when the readers discover that clan leaders refer to Okonkwo’s crime as “… the female, because it had been inadvertent.” (124) Considering the fact that Okonkwo has been portrayed as an angry, powerful, and dominate man, one who is willing to call other men females because of their unwillingness to engage in many of the activities that he has, it is ironic that he has now committed a females’ crime and is banned from the tribe that practically worships him. Another way in which Okonkwo’s situation is ironic comes about when his uncle, Uchendu, informs him that while he lives in exile on his motherland, his “duty is to comfort [his] wives and children and take them back to [his] fatherland after seven years”(134). In addition, if he allows “sorrow to weigh [him] down and kill [him], they will all die in exile” (134). Seeing as how in Umuofia, Okonkwo openly mentally and physically abused his wives and children on several different occasions, it seems nearly impossible for him to be able to uphold his duties of comforting and caring for his family. At the same time, Achebe previously stated that Okonkwo only shows the emotion of anger so maybe he will not allow his sorrows to distract him from his main goal, although soon after arriving in his motherland, he was already showing a lack of endurance since “work no longer had for him the pleasure it used to have, and when there was no work to do he sat in a silent half-sleep” (131). All of these elements make it very interesting to see if and/or how Okonkwo is able to prevail in this situation.
Also, in response to Marrisa’s question about Okonkwo and Obierika’s conversation on how Okonkwo can thank Obierika, when Obierika says he can either “kill one of [his] sons …” (142) or kill himself, I too was wondering if Obierika was serious or not. However, I feel that Obierika’s comment was said in more of a joking tone than a serious tone because Obierika and Okonkwo are very close friends, especially since Obierika took it upon himself to help Okonkwo out by selling all of Okonkwo’s yams without being asked to do so. But at the same time, I also feel that in a small way, Obierika truly meant what he said because on page 125, Achebe says “Obierika was a man who thought about things. When the will of the goddess had been done, he sat down in his obi and mourned his friend’s calamity.” I think that when Obierika made his statement, a bit of jealousy may have overtook his judgment because Obierika is seen as just a friend of a well-known and feared man. Unlike Okonkwo, Obierika doesn’t have many titles and other items that signify him as a wealthy and strong man in his clan, like Okonkwo does. After Obierika began to really think about committing inadvertent crimes, he thought about “his wife’s twin children”, (125) and how he was forced to throw them away. Obierika probably thought about all of the crimes of mistreat Okonkwo has committed towards his family and all of the while; Okonkwo was able to get way with them because he was a clan leader. I feel that Obierika could have begun to feel resentment towards Okonkwo and he was realizing that Okonkwo was finally receiving the punishment that he deserved after so many years.
I agree with all three of you when you said that the second part is very ironic. Okonkwo is always the stronger of the men and believes that men rule over all. The fact that he is exiled isn't enough, but he is sent to his mother's land as well. That just shows that sometimes things happen and you cannot always be the tough man that you are so set on becoming. I agree with Angel when she used the quotes where Uchendu asked Okonkwo all those questions, and he did not know the answers. It really did show that he is still a child in people's minds and he isn't this great person that he thought he was. I also really concentrated when Uchendu said, "You think you are the greatest sufferer in the world? Do you know that men are sometimes banished for life? Do you know that men sometimes lose all their yams and even their children?"(135) That really must have struck Okonkwo's ego. He came into the new clan expecting to have everyone feel bad for him and help him. This isn't the case, people understand what he is going through but also know that people are going through much worse then he is.
The new religion was quite a suprise to me. Throughout the beginning of the book everything was based on this one religion. No one ever disobeyed it. If they had, they were punished according to the religion. Now, a whole new religion is emerging that they are unfamiliar with. It relates very much to the title "Things Fall Apart" Right when Okonkwo murdered the female, everything began to go downhill. The religion was supposed to have failed long ago due to them being put into the "Evil Forest," but now that it hasn't people are becoming much more skeptical of their religion.
The course of Okonkwo's exile has really gone by fast. I was not expecting it to be time for him to return already. I am very anxious to see wether this new religion completely takes over the one that has been built upon for such a long time.
I also find it very ironic that the white man who everyone kind of looks up to now has the same name as our principal. It just adds to the irony.
In the second stretch of the novel, Things Fall Apart, the author uses several incidents that hinders Okonkwo from the praise of his fellow men of the village, causing several instances when he would fall out of the routine of his own personality and establish a similarity towards his own father, Unoka on occasion. One example is that of which is on Page124, When Okonkwo accidentally kills a dead clansman’s son, and is forced to take flight away from the village that seeks to punish him for the act, thus forcing him into exile. The whole story not only goes downhill in the story because of Okonkwo’s situation, but his personality also changes correspondingly. This connection works to explain the slow transition of a dauntless, powerful specimen of a man like Okonkwo, into an idle, vice ridden, flawed example of his father. On Pg. 112, When Okonkwo displays the first signs of lethargy in the story: “Okonkwo was also feeling tired, and sleepy, for although nobody else knew it, he had not slept at all last night”(112) the author illustrates this to conflict against the vows that Okonkwo has said in the previous chapters. Achebe drew this happening to have the character contradict his own promises to hint how one can “break the vows” that were the foundation of his life, only to have it crumble under him in the end.
Another example of how idleness affects him is on Pg. 131, when Okonkwo then displays strong indications of idleness in his character: “Okonkwo and his family worked very hard to plant a new farm. But it was like beginning life anew without the vigor and enthusiasm of youth, like learning to become left-handed in old age. Work on longer had for him the pleasure it used to have, and when there was no work to do he sat in a silent half-sleep”(131) The narrative illustrates Okonkwo as a person who had lost his vitality and luster to his life. The youthful attributes that made him what he is currently in the story starts to dither through tragic and deliberate acts of folly by Okonkwo’s own fault and the once great man one reads in the story then deteriorates to a despairing man.
Without being overly repetitive, I wold like to comment on how chaotic the second section of this novel was. There were many instances of something surprising or sudden happening. For example, I personally was unclear as to the reason why Chielo, the oracle, takes Ezinma away . When Ezinma is returned, it is as if nothing has even happened and the incident is not mentioned again. Additionally, during Obierika's daughter's uri ceremony, one of the town's child residents releases a cow out of its pen and pandemonium ensues, causing the town's women to stop their festivity preparations and run to try and corral the cow back into it's pen. Additionally, Okonkwo's gun misfires and kills a teen boy ironically, at his father's death ceremony. The consequences for this action, because it was unintentional and accidental, is Okonkwo and his familiy being banished to his motherland for 7 years. Here, the elder of the tribe that lives there explains to Okonkwo that while the father is technically the head of the household, the mother in the family is the one who offers security and protection. This is yet another thing that seems to turn Okonkwo's world upside-down, because his tribe is so used to male-dominating cultures. I found the description given intriguing, almost as if the father is the external strength of the family while the mother is the internal strength. I believe that all of these "sudden events" are a kind of foreshadowing in the story that something big and plot-twisting is about to occur. This is further supporte dby the mention of the "white man", who was killed because the Oracles told the tribes that this white man would bring many others, "like locusts", and that they would bring death and destruction with them. I find it interesting how the Oracles are predicting the same thing that I had predicted earlier on in the book.
Well to start off i would definitly agree that irony is a reacurring theme throughout part II of Things Fall Apart. With everything that happened to Okonkwo, it seems that no matter how hard he tries, the man cannot catch a break.
Okonkwo had to go off to live at his motherland because he accidently killed a dead clansman's son. The same man who followed the clan's rules, was now a victim of its weird policies. Had the murder been intentional, the outcome would have been different. As if having to flee Umuofia was not bad enough, a few years after being in his motherland, Okonkwo and the Mbanta tribe had to deal with the arrival of the "white men". The whit men were missionaries determined to convert everyone to Christianity. To top it all off, they managed to convert Nwoye which led to Okonkwo disowning him. In Okonkwo's eyes his son was weak, as weak as his father who amounted to nothing and held no titles at the time of his death. The irony comes in the fact that Okonkwo worked so hard to have a better future than his father and in the end his own children were showing the same characteristics as his father. This way of thinking on Okonkwo's part was beautifully illustrated by Achebe on pages 152 and 153.
Going back to a previous comment, I also found it interesting how quickly time passed while Okonkwo and his family were in Mbanta. With each chapter another year would pass and things would change drastically. Okonkwo even had new children.
Moving on to another idea, i could not help but think back to history class as I read this part of the novel. The whole part about the "white men" coming just remind me of imperialism and missionary work. I found it every interesting how the two religions clashed as the tribe's people and the "white men" interacted. The beliefs of the two groups were so vastly different causing many problems. Some of the tribe's people began to see that maybe their beliefs and customs (such as killing twin children) were probably barbaric and not exactly correct.
Although I do not agree with many of the tribe's customs, I still did not like the fact that they were being converted to Christianity beacuse each person should maintain their roots and own beliefs.
I am very excited to find out how the story ends in the third part of the novel.
To somewhat repeat what we all have been saying, yes the second part is ironic. However, I was not one bit surprised about the downfall of Okonkwo. Because his life was going so perfectly and the title of the book is "Things Fall Apart" we could only expect to have major disappointment in Okonkwo's character. I believe that his downfall began emotional, when he killed his adopted son, which is ironic, because Okonkwo never let his emotions get the best of him. I must say, however, that this second half was so satisfying. I was never fond of Okonkwo's character and to see him suffer a little was a relief. Okonkwo is so bitter, angry all the time, fearing to others that having an event happen that makes him devastated not only keeps the audience intrigued in the plot, but content that he got what he deserved.
I had a similar question as Marrisa. What was up with the "Kill one of your sons... then kill yourself" offering that Obierika asked Okonkwo to do? Was he serious? I saw it as foreshadowing about how perhaps both Okonkwo and his son would somehow be sacrificed for someone else. My prediction of Nwoye was correct, if he stays with the missionaries until the end of the story, because in a sense he was sacrificing his beliefs, his lifestyles, and his family to join Christianity. I bet Okonkwo looks back and wished he had killed his son, because he would rather see his son dead then turn on him like a "woman."
And lastly, Achebe stopped using the clan language as much in this section, and instead he uses words such as "Commissioner and the court messengers," "Holy Communion," and "society" to describe the circumstances of the clan. We can see, even through Achebe's word choice, that the Europeans have the upper hand and are more powerful than the clan. This foreshadows the destruction of the clan and Okonkwo's character and family; I'm so excited to see what happens!
How do we feel about the invasion of the Europeans?? The way I see it, the clan is so wrapped up in their world of fearing gods and fear of breaking of the rules that I see the missionaries as an escape. The people that are the quickest to convert aren't so much the only that believe in the white man's God, but because they are tired of living the way they do and want to see some kind of change (as Nwoye did). However, I believe that the Europeans come so unexpectedly that none of the villagers have time to react or think over what they are pushing at them, causing them to either really hate or really accept the new religion.
And lastly, so much references to rain and food are made throughout this section. Since the rain is not washing away Okonkwo's regret and it's not cleansing his soul, the rain foreshadows muddy, difficult situations to come that will tear apart some roots and families. The food, on the other hand, shows the relationship between the kinsmen. They only gather for festivities or funerals, even then only the women cook. The men, Okonkwo for example, struggles emotionally to cover their past mistakes, regrets, and "womanly" characteristics. This symbolizes the difference between our society and the clans and how the villagers live among sexism and don't even realize it. I think this also applies to us, however, in the since that we live in a great deal of racism, sexism, and other "ism's" but most of the time we overlook it or ignore it or take it as "the culture." I believe Achebe is exaggerating the characteristics of the clan to portray how terrible our lives are.
And just to add: Because next year I will be going to Niger, Africa to do missionary work with my church I found this section of the book extra fascinating! I loved how Achebe tells of the customs and traditions and the way of life in the clans. He allows the audience to grow with the village and even feel sympathy for them. We experience births, deaths, happiness, and sadness with the villagers and this allows the audience to have a connection with the people. When I go next year, I will keep this book in mind and remember how much different my way of living is different of other people's way of living. It's an eye opener, because I didn't see the natives of the land so wrapped up and fearful of their gods. Achebe did a great job of showing the normal lives of the clan, which added to the "No! Don't let it happen" emotion when we saw the clan falling apart. That's it for now folks! =)
Most of you guys found that the settlement of the white people was unexpected. Now I see that they were foreshadowed with the locusts in chapter 7. When someone announced that they were coming, "men, women and children left their work or their play and ran into the open to see the unfamiliar sight" (55). When the missionaries came, "every mand and woman came out to see the white man" (144). The locusts came "in the cold harmattan season after the harvests had been gathered" (54). The missionaries came at a time when everyone was home, "the harvest was over" (144). And of course, in chapter fifteen, “the Oracle . . . said that other white men were on their way. They were locusts. . . .”
So to answer Alinne's question about the invasion of the Europeans, it was expected. However, I don't think that the villagers loved or hated the new religion because it came unexpectedly and they didn't have time to react or think. Achebe mentions that the missionaries were moving there, and they even "built their church there" (143). But I personally liked that they came to the village because I thought it was interesting to see the clashing of cultures, and how traditional values could be changed by modern logic. Contrary to what Cynthia thinks, I think this gives everyone a chance to think for themselves, as Nwoye did. He gets to make his own path in life. If not, he would grow up, buys some yams, have 5 wives, a million kids, and live in fear of disappointing "gods of wood and stone" (145).
That is why Obierika is my favorite character. He thinks logically, or unlike some other characters, he actually "thought about things" (125). For example, in the end of chapter 13, Obierika asks himself 'What crime had [my twins] committed?' It was the Earth that had "decreed that they were an offense on the land and must be destroyed" (125). They live on superstition and coincidences which keep them from having twins and living a normal life.
After Okonkwo went into exile, he was forced to become more humble. He got a slap in the face when he received that speech from Uchendu. On page 137, he does a woman's job! Okonkwo "brought the wine" (137) to Unchedu, a job that was once done by his wives back at his compound! So, in the third part, what can we expect? Is Okonkwo's manliness falling apart? Or his family?
Malisa here; it's always thrilling to try and blog last minute, even if you've already finished the book.
The book really begins to live up to it's title in the second section of the story. Okonkwo reached the peak of the action, and has started his slow, but crushing decent. As many have said before me, the second third of the book is quite ironic in many aspects, including the ideas behind the meaning of the cause of Okonkwo's departure. First, he is banished from his father's tribe due to his accidental killing of a fellow kinsman: a "womanly" crime. Not only that, but he is forced to relocate to his mother's homeland, where in his opinion, are considerably less fierce, and in turn, more womanly. Blow after blow continues, for his eldest son Nwoye is soon shown to be a Christian convert. Nwoye's draw to Christianity is juxtaposed by Okonkwo's distaste over it. Nwoye is drawn to the religion because it answers his questions about his native religion. Nwoye clearly questions the intent and reason behind Ikemefuna's death, and it's the reason behind that death that is also Okonkwo's reason to drive the missionaries out of the village. If they were to accept the ideas the missionaries brought, then killing Ifkemefuna would lose part of it's reason, part of it's justification. Not only that, but Okonkwo values their clan titles; his father was considered worthless, and him rising above has given him reason, a purpose. He loses that purpose, that greatness if the worthless are no longer considered worthless. Despite his feelings however, Okonkwo's ideas are somewhat, again, ironic. Despite his desire to stay with original cultural values, his beliefs in how the village should act are a direct contrast to the values themself. As the second section ends, Okonkwo is getting ready to depart back to his fatherland, where he hopes that life will improve and return to a sense of normalcy once more. While he still had hopes for Nwoye, his thoughts about his son are finalized in what he considers an ironic twist; whereas his father, a worthless man created a son with a spirit akin to a living fire, he later states to himself that "living fire begets cold impotent ash." (153)
In the second section of the novel the title of the book comes into play. The title refers to the crumbling culture and tradition of the Nigerian villages. Everything that was familiar to the villagers, especially Okonkwo, was begining to fall apart with the advent of the white missionaries. Just out of curiosity why do you think the villages couldn't resist the missionaries and retain their traditions? The exclusive, somewhat irrational and unfair nature of the village culture was probably what caused its downfall. The culture allowed women to be looked down upon, people to become outcasts, and left others like Nwoye searching for clarity. The flaws in the traditions caused such people to be drawn to this new religion. At least that's how I interpreted it.
Switching topics,I thought what Matt said,
"I found the description given intriguing, almost as if the father is the external strength of the family while the mother is the internal strength"
...was very insightful. I myself didn't initially make that connection but now that I see it,I strongly agree with it. Just to further discuss the topic, the fatherly strength represents masculinity which is the outer image projected by Okonkwo and perhaps the other men of the village. On the other hand the motherly strength, is expressed through inward emotions.
Kayla again. First of all, when I was reading, there was one line that just stopped me in my tracks. While Obierika, Uchendu, and Okonkwo were talking about how many thought the stories of white men were made up, Uchendu said "'There is no story that is not true... The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others.'"(141).That quote stuck out to me because of how true it is. Reading the posts from the first section of this book, so many people were outraged at how the women are treated. Here, women being treated like they were lower than men or even lower than dirt just isn’t stood for. We're all about equal treatment. But in other places in the world, showing the women that the men are "above them" is just what's normal and accepted. Also, the fact that he was saying there is no story that isn't true struck me because stories seem to be such an important part of their culture. In both Okonkwo's fatherland and motherland, stories were used to teach lessons. Males tell their sons stories of war and of the past, and women spin tales that have probably been passed onto them from their mothers. I also agree with Marrisa about it being ironic that Okonkwo is punished for an accidental death. I thought it was really interesting that Obierika was pondering the fairness of this later, thinking "Why should a man suffer so grievously for an offense he had committed inadvertently,"(125). Most of the characters seem to do what the law is without question. To have Obierika question the rule, although it was only in his own thoughts, added a definite depth to his character. The church development surprised me. Katie was right in saying there was foreshadowing with the locusts, but I didn’t make that connection. I liked how Achebe really went into detail with the thoughts of the tribe members and how they felt torn yet amazed. In chapter sixteen, the crowd starts off with listening to the missionaries, deeply wrapped up with what they were saying. When the white man began to talk about settling with them, they became excited, but when he began to tell them their gods were false, some became angered, yet at the same time, it seems as if they thought him to be no sort of a threat, if not a little crazy. The missionary had said “’Your gods are not alive, and cannot do you any harm… They are pieces of wood and stone.’”(146) which sent the clan into fits of mocking laughter. I liked that Achebe documented all these feelings, because it helped me relate. If someone came to me and basically told me what I had believed all along was nothing but lies, I’d probably be amazed at first, but it would soon turn to an attitude of anger and disbelief. My question for this section would be: Is what we are learning about the development of the church what Obierika is hearing from Nwoye’s mother, or is it written as if we were reading it as it happened. I don’t know if I articulated that question correctly, but it said that Obierika went to see Okonkwo a few years after their first visit because he saw that Nwoye was a missionary and wanted to know what happened. When Okonkwo wouldn’t tell him the story, Achebe writes “It was only from Nwoye’s mother that he heard scraps of the story,”(144). Then the story of how the missionaries came begins to unravel. Oh, and also, when they were talking about the metal horse, I couldn’t understand what they meant. Now I know that they were referring to a bike. But how about when they say that the interpreter referred to himself as “my buttocks,”(144) instead of “myself”? Was it a misinterpretation from language to language, or what? I was trying to figure out what word could get confused with “my buttocks” but really couldn’t come up with anything.
The second part is no doubt full of ironies. As Marrisa said, Okonkwo, despite how powerful and honorable a man he is, he is still exiled from his clan for accidentally killing a son. However, although this seems to be a tragedy for Okonwko, his exile leads the audience into different perspectives not seen in Umofia.
In Okonwko's motherland, Mbanta, men do not exude extreme control and power as Okonkwo's clan's men do. For example, when the white men came to convert the people into Christianity, Okownko persisted that they delcare war and run them out. However, Mbanta's men refuse; peace is the best resolution, and that is what prevailed. Due to this, Okonwko expresses that fact that he cannot wait to return to the lad of men, instead of staying in a place full of coward and womanly men. In addition, women are not treated as a subhuman species, but as someone who takes care of her family and someone the family runs back to in time of need. Pages 134 to 135, the importance of women is discussed by Uchendo. He says that "...a child seeks sympathy in its mother...When there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you...And that is why we say that mother is supreme" (134). This is an obvious contrast Achebe has created. It shows the audience a different perspective from one we have read through the first part of the book. His purpose could be to foreshadow the changes of traditions and customs that Okownko will have to face in his future. This exile time can serve as a transition from one extreme to another.
Now, I will attempt to explain why I think Mbanta's traditions serve as a transition point from Okonkwo's traditions in Umofia to drastic changes aroused by the missionaries. At the beginning of the book, the reader are given a look into Umofia, its perspective on the role of women, and the power of men. Obviously, women are not looked on as humans but as properties. Men are supposed to be honorable, title-worthy, and powerful. As the book goes along, Ikemefuna comes and changes things in Okonkwo's family. And then Ezinma's fever happens. The accidental killing of the son. Just a bunch of misfortune occurrs after the death of Ikemefuna. In Mbanta, the audience sees the difference in perspective: women are the supreme, men choose peace over war (that demonstrates as weakness in Umofia's eyes). Umofia's traditions definitely differ from Mbanta's, but there are still similarities. Then the missionaries come along, and everything changes even more. Religion is thrown to the side. The outcasts are seen as equals. To Okonkwo, these missionaries are blasphemy to his clan. He hopes that the younger generation do not abandon all old traditions to conver to these strange new ones.
A deeper thought into this second part: Nwoye symbolizes the younger generation and its knack for adopting new traditions and abandoning old ones. This occurs after a new group of people come into the clan, the missionaries. This could be parody of today's society. The missionaries can be seen as celebrities, who have the power to influence the young generation to believe in whatever they say and do. On the other hand, our parents, symolized as Okonkwo, hopes to God that we don't forget our roots. Just a thought. What do you guys think?
The second part of the book is a turning point for Okonkwo and the rest of the characters. It seems that Okonkwo experiences a full dose of Karma for things he did previously in the first part of the book. His daughter becomes sick and then he accidently kills a boy and is exiled. this whole part of the book just shows more and more things getting dumped on Okonkwo, along with the white men coming. I agree with Katie about the Europeans being expected through the foreshadowing of the locusts earlier on in the book.
"At last the locusts did descend. They settled on every tree and on every blade of grass; they settled on the roofs and covered the bare ground. Mighty tree branches broke away under them, and the whole country became the brown-earth color of the vast, hungry swarm" (56).
This seems like a good description of what is happening in the second part of the book. To answer marrisa's question,
"do you think that Ekwefi and Okonkwo following Chielo will make their karma even worse, since Chielo responded to the noise of someone not far behind by saying "'...may Agbala shave your head....twist your neck'"
I do think that their karma will become worse especially because of the quote, "...may Agbala shave your head....twist your neck". I think that foreshadows something that will happen by the end of the book.
I guess Okonkwo's chi isn't as great as he thought.
On the contrary I feel that his chi might be better for the first time Okonkwo has had to pay for a mistake but i dont feel he is paying in his heart for what happend to the boy i feel this is his chance to reconcile his hatred for his father and to even possibly learn that emotions do not make you any less of a man.
Through the second part of this book i feel like you are able to really understand Okonkwo in the begging the character is shown to us as this horrible ruthless man in a way but as the book continues you see that okonkwos fear of failure is what causes him to do what he does. I also feel that what will start to change him the most is Ezinma, when he followed Cheilo to the cave it shows you that he could not help but let his emotions get to him he truly does love his daughter and even Ekwefi. I feel that him being exiled is also in a way pennance for what he did to Ikemefuna and i feel he is leaving peacefully because he feels like it is an almost punishment for what he had done to the boy who became practically his own son. Also Okonkwo has his own personal demons because of his father and needs to come to terms with that and hopefully his returning to his previous home might do that for him.
I would first like to address a compelling point that Katie made. She noted that Okonkwo brought out the wine during a meeting between his aquaintances from Umofia and his kin in Mbanta. Previously emphasized as being a woman's job, Okonkwo was instructed to "go into that room" in order to retrieve "a pot of wine there" (137). In undertaking this task, in returning to the motherland, in practicing diplomacy rather than war, in being reprimanded, it is clear that Okonkwo's role within society has altered drastically even degenerated since his time in exile. And it is through this role change that Achebe emphasizes irony (as many have mentioned). His persona- austere and masculine, that took so many years to forge, was just as quickly effaced following the death in Umofia.
Achebe seems to juxtapose the characters of Okonkwo and Uchendu. Uchendu chides Okonkwo for his overt negativity, reminding him that he is not the only one who has experienced "suffering." Uchendu himself noted that he "had six wives once" and that he buried "twenty-two" of his own children but is "still alive" (135). Uchendu represents a man who is able to express both emotions and an overt love for family, yet, is still successful. By describing Uchendu as both a prosperous and more importantly, likeable character, Achebe emphasizes the folly of Okonkwo's manic desire for masculinity.
The second section of the book concludes solemnly. One of Okonkwo's older kinsman addresses him, initially expressing gratitude for the feast. The man's thoughts stray and ironically, he goes on to prophesize about the destruction of the clan based on lack of fellowship. He seems to foreshadow Okonkwo's continued and inevitable demise fortified by the quote, "I fear for you, I fear for the clan" (167). With the continued presence of the missionaries, it is evident that the clan's traditional ways are becoming obsolete.
I've been wondering if Achebe has established an opinion of the missionaries' work within the tribes. At times the reader is empathetic towards the plight of tribe and the disingration of their traditional practices. Simultaneously, the missionaries prevent the arbitrary murder of twins and as Mary pointed out, view outcasts nuetrally, even accepting them. I can not seem to sift through this information to determine whether Achebe welcomes or repudiates the onset of missionaries. Ideas?
Okay...so we're into the second part of the book. Things got a little more interesting along the way. I agree with Marrisa about how Okonkwo killing someone intentionally, but yet, it is alright, but when he killed someone accidentally, he was temporarily exiled for seven years--very ironic. I would think it to be the other way around. His guilt didn't how Okonkwo was sent to his motherland. "A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland," (134). This was said to Okonkwo by Uchendu in his motherland. I found this quote to actually have a significant impact on Okonkwo because Uchendu was an elder and he must respect that. But not only that, Okonkwo became like a child again fleeing to his motherland. The fact that he had committed a "female" crime against a 16 year old boy whose father died at the burial ceremony made it even more amusing to me. He is being torn apart slowly and he notices it, too. He first notices it after he kills Ikemefuna, which haunts him for days. Which brings me to one of the points Katie and Tzivia bring up. I agree how the gender role in Okonkwo's motherland was ironic. In Umuofia, Okonkwo is a fearless warrior, prepared for battle at any time, and also a well respected man. But, once he goes to Mbanta, he is a child again, being told what to do and such.
When the white man first appears in Umuofia, I sense corruption and disputes to take place. It's like an allegory because the white men did come to Africa and brought destruction as well as modern technology. What will become of Umuofia with this new invasion?
Well towards the end of part one and beginning of part two, this novel began to twist or should I say "fall apart". Okonkwo's world is ready to take a new path when Ikemefuna became so close to him. When Okonkwo was told that the kid was to be killed, Ezeudo told Okonkwo to stay out of the murder because "that boy calls you father. Do not bear a hand in his death"(57). If Okonkwo participated in his death, he will be killing the innocense of a child, of his son. But since Okonkwo never listens and tries to do everything his way, his life will be miserable after Ikemefuna's death. And to prove my point, Okonkwo began to have serious thoughts about Ikemefuna's death, "Okonkwo, you have become a woman indeed"(65). He can not believe that he killed a child, almost like a son, and now he is lamenting his actions like a woman. But this is nothing compare to his exile. I agree with Marrisa when she said that this was like a payback to all the killings he has participated in. This was a huge change for Okonkwo, to be sent to his mother's land, almost like a humiliation for him since in this new land nobody saw him as the "GREAT MAN" he has been used to. Instead, they told him how he really was, a child who only pretends to be tought; " you are a great man in your clan. But you are still a child..."(134).
With the second part of the book proceeding, Okonkwo has now been banned from his fatherland and thrown towards his motherland, which in those days meant no good. A man in their religion belong in the land of his fathers. Okonkwo has been banished for seven years, completely taking a whole new turn on his life. The cause of his banishment is the death of a 16 year old boy, whom to which he kills accidentally. The death reminded me of the death of Ikemefuna, to which was also a part of Okonkwo life. He shared great regret for what had been done and could not eat or sleep because of guilt.
Now that Okonkwo has been banished from the fatherland Umuofia he is sent to the motherland to which he is welcomed graciously by all, however treated differently. Okonkwo will work for seven years to regain his title in the clan and better his life when he is to return to Umofia. But things don't really come to his appeal when he return. Ill just have to wait and finish.
The second art of this book was some what chaotic. From the Enzima getting sick, to the bizarre night time visit from Chielo, to someone randomly letting a cow go to the death of Ezeudu and lastly Okonowo's accidental killing of the sixteen year-old boy.
We see in this novel a some what "softer" side of Okonowo. When Ekwefi said that Enzima was dying Okonkwo reacted like a true father "and ran" (76) to be by her side. Right away he set out to fine the "leave sand grasses and barks of trees that went into making the medicine for the iba" (76). This is the first time we see that he has a some kind passionate feelings for his family. We know from previous in the book we had a special feeling for Enzima. However later in the second part Achebe describes him as "anxious" (p112) and that he had become gravely worried (p112) when Chielo took Enzima and Ekwefi followed followed her. HE ad s[ent his whole night looking for the two. This here shows that he does have some of his father in him, becaue although his father was lazy he had a kind heart and loved his family. I think since the killing of Ikemefuna, Okonowo realized the pain you get when you loose someone so close to you. He hated his father so when he died it didn't bother him as much . I also think that by showing more of his vulnerable side, he can make himself beleive he is not truely a cold-hearted monster who killed Ikemefuna.
I also have a question. Did anyone really understand the signifigance of letting the cow loose? This was one part of the book I just didn't see what the meaning was.
Lastly irony has such a recurring role in this book. The last example would definetly have to be the exile of Okonkwo. He accidently kills the sixteen year-old boy. He "had committed the female"(124) crime. And this meant that it was an accident however he would have to run away but could "return to the clan after seven years" (124). To me this just seems so out of place. Ikemefuna had been killed by Okonkwo purposely, he did it himself and no one so much as blinked an eye. Yet he kills someone accidently in what seemed like a chaotic ceremony and he is exiled. Oberika himself wondered about this rule and how it was fair. It seems as though the rules only apply when the leaders see fit. They could justify Ikemefuna's death however an accidental death is a big offense. In this society I beleive that they want to reach some kind of perfection or superiority, so they elimainate anything that may harm that.
First off, I just wanted to emphasize what valleygirl09 noticed. When Enzima was taken by Chielo into the night, Ekwefi immediately follows her, risking "divine wrath," so to speak. In the end, her concern is not warranted, and Enzima is returned, safe and sound. But the real highlight of the situation is Okonkwo.
I believe that Okonkwo loves his family. I believe that he has a genuine concern for the wellbeing and for the future of his children. The fact that Okonkwo says "Go home and sleep...I shall wait here" (108)to Ekwefi, and given the fact that he too is "risking divine wrath" by being there, speak volumes about the concern that Okonkwo has of his family's safety. The beatings and the "iron fisted" rule that Okonkwo uses on his family is, I believe, evidence of the cultural mores that existed in Umuofia, the mores that applaud physical punishment/ beatings as a form of keeping discipline. In short, I think that he has loved his family all along, but doesn't show it because it might make him seem feminine.
Also, in response to Tzivia's question about the author's response to the "twin" question- I think that Achebe is accurately portraying villeger reaction to the missionaries saving twins. While we view twins as a happy accident, as a two-bundles-of-joy-for-the-price-of-one kind of event (I hope I'm not offending twins), the society in Things Fall Apart probably saw twins as freaks of nature, as abominations that must be purged from the community. Thus, to them, Christians saving twins was just another example of the "madness" of Christianity. As to the other aspect of Tzivia's question:What does ACHEBE think of all this? I tend to think that as a relatively modern man (published the book in 1959), Achebe would have held similar values to the Christians, namely: twins are not abominations, life is sacred, there shouldn't be outcasts in society. However I too, am puzzled by the lack of definite proof. Perhaps it is a testament to quality of Achebe's writing that he doesn't allow his personal beliefs to cloud his narrative voice.
Finally, to address the plot: things really do fall apart, don't they? Okonkwo's son becomes depressed on losing his companion, Okonkwo's gun explodes, killing a boy accidentally, and Christian missionaries threaten the tribal way of life. I think the title, "Things Fall Apart" implies that "Things" weren't really all that solid to begin with, after all, "Things" just "fall apart." (where's the HTML skill when you need it?) Just a thought. Anyone else think so?
Finally, the Christian missionaries. Personally, as a...Christian, it was disconcerting to be referred to as "the crazy men" (149). I must admit, Achebe did a great job writing the reactions of the tribes-people from their perspective. Whether from actual experience, or through sheer literary power, he managed to accurately portray the reactions to the missionaries. My question is similar to Thalp's. What side of the struggle of cultures is Achebe on? What is he trying to tell us?
After reading through the second part of the book, I too noticed the ironies of Okonkwo, the tough manly man, being exiled to the motherland.
Another thing I noticed was the white men coming to the motherland and enforcing their religion. Like Cynthia said, this reminded me of imperialism how slowly the whote men broight in their religiong and then brought in their government, as if they were expecting to take over the whole land.
Another important part of the book was when Nwoye decided to join the white mans religion. This made Okonkwo think that why "should he .. of all people be cursed with such a son."(152) I think that Okonkwo drove his son away with the way he treated him and expected him to be a tough man at such a young age.
Okonkwo also shows his need to be out of cowardly Mbanta and back into his old homeland of Umuofia "where men were bold and warlike." (162) To foreshadow, I feel like Okonkwo will come home and see that everything is different and things have "fallen apart."
Looking at Part Two with a writer's perspective, particularly organization, the final pages ring soundly and deeply through not only the title, "Things Fall Apart," but through the remainder of the book as well. Okonkwo's tragic flaw is that he is, as said in Antigone, like a boat in the ocean who never slacks its sail, and thus flips over. It becomes ever more apparent when Okonkwo is displaced from his natural environment and his aggressive nature is overridden by the more peaceful ways of the Mbanta elders. His overconfidence in his ways is as taut as Stevens in his confidence in Lord Darlington. Both characters have had unswerving loyalty to this or that, and both seem to be falling to the same fate. Stevens, steadfast and loyal to Lord Darlington, comes to an epiphany that his pure, unbending dedication was actually misplaced.
Both books emphasize a moral told centuries before.
Responding to stevie's post that Okonkwo does actually have emotions as well as glaring faults, I agree. Had Okonkwo been put in today's society and built his richness in our culture, I doubt that we as readers would dislike him to the extent we do now. He would only adapt and find success through the options given to him by society.
Responding to pretty lady ad, I love how the author creates a clash of the two worlds. Up till now, for over a hundred pages, I've been engrossed in the Nigerian culture. So focused was my attention that the "white man and the iron horse" was totally unexpected, yet completes the story and fits so well. What I'm excited to see is what happens to Umuofia; they have a missionary church there as well. Oh, and the clash between Nwoye and Okonkwo.
This exile is a chance for Okonkwo to be reborn, or cleansed of his fear. He is also sent to learn what true manliness is, starting from scratch. This includes learning that women are not weak. This is evidently shown in “‘…And yet we say Nneka-‘Mother is Supreme.’ Why is that?’…’I do not know the answer,’ Okonkwo replied. ‘…So you see that you are a child.'” He is attempting to teach him that without women, all would be lost. Women have a certain strength that Okonkwo has never imagined.
What is ironic is that although Okonkwo believes that all the weakness lays in women, it was actually his father that was the failure in life. I believe that he will be the one who will let everyone down.
This business with Ezinma becoming ill is definitely something of a higher meaning. The fact that she is Okonwo's favorite child, AND she is a female, is highly vital to the story.
So I thought that it was weird how the rifle exploded accidently and killed Ezeudu’s sixteen year old son. If I were to interpret this as a hippie, I would call this fate and Okonkwo’s fate is going downhill. I think this foreshadows Okonkwos future, and this would be the start of the falling action. I had a question about the weddings, is it more than one day for the ceremony? And what happens after the wedding? Why does the wife live with the husband’s family for a few weeks before returning home? To comment about Enzima, what exactly happened inside the cave? And why did she have to get carried to another village and back? It shows how much Okonkwo actually cared about his daughter and it’s probably the first time he’s ever shown anything but anger. Okonkwo connects to Enzima more than his other children. He’s constantly wishes that Enzima was a boy because she understands him. I was surprised at how Okonkwo reacted to his uncle when he told him that he was still a child. Even though he is his elder, Okonkwo did not even seem to get angry at the comment. After reading that, I though that Okonkwo would change his ways to being more humane. Thinking back about how he hated his father that would mean that his mother had cared for him. Wouldn't that make him less brutal? Haha to what Kristen said about Mr. Brown in the book and Mr. Brown our principal. About the missionary work, I was predicting that Nyowe was going to do something different from the traditions of the clan because of the clan’s decision to kill Ikemefuma and abandon all twin babies.
I forgot to talk about Okonkwo's life in his motherland. His life seems to be fine. I feel that he was dwelling on his past. Like i said before, him being forced to leave because of an accidental death for seven years was fate. If he wasn't so focused on going back home, he could've earned high status there. He eventually does get respected but he still wants to go back home. I feel that everyone needs a friend, even the ones that seem like they hate everyone, like Okonkwo. His friend was Obierika. He took over the yams for Okonkwo, visited him and start rebuilding his compound for a temporary home when Okonkwo's fmaily was allowed back in. From what I have read and heard about traditions based on pride, if a man were banned from his clan, his clan is forbidden to have any contact with him.
Mr. Kiaga had told the outcasts of Umuofia that converted to shave their head, which was the thing that showed others that they were outcasts. Since they didn't want to shave their head, Mr. Kiaga said, "Unless you shave off the mark of your heathen belief I will not admit you into the church." (157) Why would they have to shave their heads if God accepted everyone, that's why there are missionaries in the world.
To what Angela said about the time period, I was wondering that myself. At first I thoug it could be happening near recent times, since Africa is a third world country, without much of the luxuries that the U.S. has and from other books i've read and from priests that i've talked to, there are still missionaries and travel to establish and convert more people into the church. This taking place in the past decades ago would be more correct because of the story of the man that went to Mbana on his horse and was killed while his horse tied to a tree. I would think that most likely the man would take a bike or a car if this took place near these times.
Let me just say that I am taken by surprise by these blogs and am really glad we’re doing them… I did not notice the ironies of this section as apparently everyone else has, but now that they are pointed out, I can clearly see them and I agree.
I liked how ashley8 pointed out the irony by pointing out that Okonkwo was exiled for committing a female crime when he himself sees females lowly and week. However, I think there is a misunderstanding amongst some of us about what Okonkwo actually did (or maybe the misunderstanding is mine alone, which would certainly not be the first time). When it is written that Okonkwo commits a “female” crime, I am pretty sure he did not kill a female (as he killed Ezeudu’s son). I also am pretty sure that the crime is not female because it is commited by females but instead because it is less severe and less malicious. As the clan believed “it was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman,” and that “the crime was of two kidns, male and female. Okonkwo had committeed the female because it had been inadvertent. He could return to the clan after seven years” (124). So basically, this returns to the gender inequalities in the novel. As the clan sees it, a “female” crime is less severe (as it is inadvertent) and in general weaker, whereas a “male” crime would be the intentional murder of a clansman. Does anyone know what the punishment for a male crime would be? I think I have read it before in the novel where it said that it held a life banishment from the clan but I’m not sure.
Anyway, I have to say that the irony I found most noticeable in this section was the fact that Okonkwo, the manly-man, has to return to the land of his mother after committing a female crime. Unlike some of the bloggers (Alinne in particular) I feel bad for Okonkwo, nothing goes his way… hence the title. I still am wondering what the title is referring to in general. Though I think the degration of Okonkwo’s life has certainly begun, I wonder what event will finally do it… Any guesses? I still think it will be the slave-ships to come and take him away just because of the time and place this story is taking place.
I’m also really curious, as most of you are too, as to what happened in the cave with Enzima. It really was a bit of a… dare I say it… random event. I tried to find meaning in it but failed. Now, as I learned last year and I am sure still applies this year: everything a writer does has a purpose, and I am sure Achebe did not waste over 3 pages explaining this event without a purpose. But then, what is that purpose? I would love to hear if anyone thinks they have an idea of what it is! Please share :).
Also, I am very surprised like Kris10 that the new religion (Christianity) gains as much influence in the society as it does, especially when the new religion’s entire premice for joining is that all the native gods are “false idols” and that their God is “the true God” (150). Does this kind of conversion- merely stating “I’m right, you’re wrong, come join me” -actually work?
Also, I wonder if this is where the downfall lies in the society, from these outsiders. This reminds me of 100 Years of Solitude and the corruption that came to the peaceful community of Macondo from the outside world. Same story here?
We’ll find out soon I suppose, Hope everyone enjoys the book :)
Part two is filled with irony as well as the struggle between tradition and change. As the missionaries come to the tribe their method to gain followers is not a violent one. Instead they simply point out the fallacies of the old traditions and beliefs in order to gain support. Also the need for a caste system is discarded as the the Christians treat everyone as an equal which appeals to those of lower class or exiled. Okonkwo feels threatened by the Christians because they jeopardize everything he has worked hard for. I found it ironic how Okonkwo comments how "womenly" Nwoye is when he travels to learn to read and write which in turn shows that he looks down upon intelligence adding on to his savage nature.
Achebe connects his readers to the Nigerian culture by proving that our cultures are similar even though they may not seem so at the surface. The old and wise member of the umunna rose to thank Okonkwo at his feast, and this is where Achebe makes a point about the younger generation that relates to our younger generation as well. The character states, "We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so. You may ask why I am saying all this. I say it because I fear for the younger generation, for you people... I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship." I feel that in our generation our hi-tech technology weakens the bond between kinsmen. Instead of meeting up with each other we stay at home with our instant messaging. Sure it's convenient at times but nothing beats a face to face conversation. We have e-mail, cell phones, and instant messaging all keeping us at home. Leaving us even more vulnerable to messages from advertisement. Just like the young of Mbanta, the missionary came and stole from the village one by one because unity was weak among the tribe. How easy it is for the young generation to be caught up in the song supporting the campaign for Barack Obama even though its one simple phrase, "yes we can". It sounds just like Nwoye and the gospel music.
Something that the culture of the missionary, the tribes of Nigeria, and even our cultures all share in common is their unbelievable connection to faith. I'm not saying that everyone shares the same ideals but people who have religion, and are faithful get to the point where religion becomes a part of logic. For example in the book the tribe will not do certain actions because it will upset the gods not, for example, because it will lower the chances of harvest. The missionaries carry the same thought process and same with many people of our society. What drives faith in religion? Why do we as humans so often find comfort in something greater rather than those around us? Alright... back on topic now
Steph brought up a great point. Okonkwo thinks, why "should he .. of all people be cursed with such a son."(152) Okonkwo does not accept blame for driving his son away. Uchendu brings up how bond between kinsmen are weakening, where son can leave father. Okonkwo expected his son to be a man at such a young age, and I agree that such harsh treatment can drive anyone away.
I think the best part of part two was how quickly a completely new plot came out of no where. From one man's struggle to make it but failing by misfortune (reminds us of his own father) to the white man's imperialism into Africa.
I have to say that I really LOVE this book for some reason, I don't know why but the culture seems fascinating to me.
Mary you hit on something that I really wanted to talk about for this section. I believe that the purpose of this book is to show the similarities of people across races, cultures, and time spans. The mentioning of Nwoye as leaving his parents for religion being similar to our generation with celebrities is a very interesting one, however I viewed it more generally. Think about it, Okonkwo is considered one of the fiercest and "best" men in his village. Where have we not seen before children not following in the "great" footsteps of the their parents? It is seen all over the news today how some politicians son or daughter does this, or acts out in this way... I believe it is very similar to Nwoye. And then, how often to parents get SO angry at their children for making these mistakes, that they push them away? (seen by Okonkwo trying to kill Nwoye for his decision) I'm not saying that Nwoye made a mistake for wanting to convert, but in the eyes of Okonkwo, the thought is unfathomable...what would all of the other clansmen think? Well, I don't know, just a thought.
Anyway, I also begin to see a change in the style of the author as the story progresses. As the beginning it seemed his language was very simple and seemed to represent the cultural values of the tribe, using many tribal words and things of this nature, but as the story moves on, the language changes.
To follow up on what Danny and Mary said about making connections with today's life of the growing children, yes, it does make sense in today's life. Kids growing up sometime will take a different path than what their parents did. Nwoye is a completely different person than Okonkwo. Okonkwo kept pushing Nwoye to become strong and manly by continuously attacking him in so many ways. Its ironic that Nwoye does not want to be anywhere close to being his father the same way Okonkwo does not want to be anywhere close to his father.
Whats even more ironic is that Okonkwo's warlike way to deal with things are really starting to fall apart. At first his manlyness was able to get him far, but he just pushing his family away without emotion and is just unable to connect with them. Now the very gentle ways of the white people are enchanting everone to join in, rather than ruling them with a heavy hand. Its getting more and more evident the warlike manly ways is losing its appeal.
In the second part of the novel, "things [really do] fall apart" as many of you have noted and also the title is beginning to make sense. Okonkwo’s inability to show his “weaknesses” is ultimately what causes his life to fall apart. His drive to prove himself to be a man creates an overpowering pride that requires him to reflect and restart his life. The change takes place as a result of a very ironic incident as most have already mentioned. Okonkwo loses all that he strived for in one gun shot, an accidental one at that. The gunshot penetrates into his ego, and releases the one fear that he has tried to avoid. Along with losing the status he holds in his village, he becomes the "weak" man he had always despised. He now has to become dependent on his kinsmen,family from his mother's side.
In response to gypsyloo's comment that the exile is a chance for Okonkwo to learn of the importance of women, I completely agree. Okonkwo is no longer in a land which encourages the inequalities of genders, but rather respects females. Though Okonkwo is given a second chance to change his life, by starting from scratch in Mbanta, I don’t believe that he has taken the opportunity. Achebe shows Okonkwo’s inability to change through the rainstorm that occurs right before his departure back to Umuofia. A rainstorm, normally representing some sort of cleansing does little to help erase the misguided ideals Okonkwo holds for his family and himself. In spite of the storm, Okonkwo does not return a changed man, but rather a man that wants to pick up from where he left off. However, irony is continually in play as he returns to find a shift in Umuofia itself. Its so called “men” are no longer fighting back against the intruders to their village (missionaries).
To address And The Benefactor Is... Dario’s question on what the significance of Enzima being taken to the cave is, I believe that it shows the corruption of Umuofia and the blinded willingness of the people to follow along. Also it exposes readers to a side of Okonkwo that have not been seen before. Umuofia is a village deeply rooted in it’s following of spirits and gods to a point in which some actions are questionable morally. In the treatment of twins, burial of men who died dishonorably, and even of children who was born dead, we see the brutality of Umuofian traditions. In some ways Umuofia bears a parallel to Okonkwo himself since he is also “feared by all its neighbors.” (11) The invasion by the missionaries causes not only Umuofia to fall apart but he himself as well (Nwoye leaving him in shame, being held hostage by the whites, manliness being taking out of the warriorlike citizens). The immortal spirits that passes judgment to me resembles an organized group of dictators. However getting back to the question, Okonkwo finally shows his paternal side as he comes to the cave to go after Enzima, showing his emotions for the first time. He actually cares about his children. This is a revelation to the cold man Okonkwo portrays himself as.
This site will be the summer resource for students in Mr. Gallagher and Ms. Clapp's AP Literature courses. You'll come here to discuss summer reading, college searches and applications, and literary topics in general.
37 comments:
Hello.
While reading the second half of the book, I discovered the answer to my question about the following quote: "'They usually stay if they do not die before the age of six'" (48), and it is on page 76--they were speaking of the flu, and Ezinma was thought to have been dying from it. Thankfully, she survives after her father brings the medicine. However, my concern arises when we are told about the stone that had been found and was apparently destroyed, which was supposed to result in Ezinma being healthy--page 85. I am thinking that this is all taking place because of the bad karma that Okonkwo has brought, by taking part in Ikemefuna's death, wishing that Ezinma were a boy, etc. Achebe hinted at sadness on page 67 when he wrote:
"...action...wipes out whole families."
I also have a question about Chielo taking Ezinma because "'Agbala wants to see her'" (101)--I am curious as to why? And what happened there? Also, do you think that Ekwefi and Okonkwo following Chielo will make their karma even worse, since Chielo responded to the noise of someone not far behind by saying "'...may Agbala shave your head....twist your neck'" (105). I believe that this quote foreshadows much grief for the family, as does the previous quote.
Moving on, how ironic is it that Okonkwo accidentally kills someone, and thus has to suffer the consequence of leaving home? When he would purposely kill someone, nothing happened, but now, when it is by accident, he is punished. This is surely payback for all of the other killings that took place without consequences. This happens rather quickly compared to the rest of the book. It is a page after the quote, "'But if a man caused it, do not allow him a moment's rest'" (123)--implying that those murdered will most likely haunt their murderers, which again I find to be another foreshadowing of Okonkwo's sad future. I believe that Okonkwo is simply made to suffer, because of all the suffering that he has caused.
A final question, on page 142, the conversation between Obierika and Okonkwo wraps up with Okonkwo asking Obierika what he can do to thank him, and Obierika saying "'Kill one of your sons...'" and then saying "'Then kill yourself.'" Is Obierika joking, or is he serious? Does Okonkwo get a bit offended?
Thank You.
In the second part of Things Fall Apart, as Marrisa said, is very ironic. Okonkwo strives to be powerful man, not only is he exiled from the land where he has authority, but he is sent to his mother’s land. Although, he loathed his father, to live in land of his mother, who signifies nurturing and guidance for a child, it is a strike to his ego. Also, it’s interesting to see Okonkwo’s transition from being a man to being reduced to a “child”. Achebe writes, “‘…And yet we say Nneka-‘Mother is Supreme.’ Why is that?’…’I do not know the answer,’ Okonkwo replied. ‘…So you see that you are a child.'” I think Achebe’s purpose for this transition, is to show that there is more to being a man than having possessions, such as yams, or many wives.; instead to be a great man, he must respect his family, which is what Okonkwo’s uncle, Uchendu, is trying to teach him. At the end of the 2nd part, Uchendu says, “But I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship…And what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you. A man can now leave his father and his brothers.” (167). A result of what can be seen as Okonkwo’s lack of appreciation for his son, Nwoye, is his son joining the newly-settled missionaries, escaping the pressures of becoming a man that came from Okonkwo. On another note, the missionaries also seem to represent the civilization that the people of the tribes, especially Okonkwo, lack.
I completely agree with Angel and Marrisa in the sense that the second part of Things Fall Apart, Achebe presents the readers with various ironic situations. For instance, after Okonkwo accidentally kills Ezeudu’s sixteen year old son, he was forced to immediately evacuate his hut and take himself and his family to live in his motherland for seven years. I feel that irony plays a role in this situation in more than one way and the first instance occurs when the readers discover that clan leaders refer to Okonkwo’s crime as “… the female, because it had been inadvertent.” (124) Considering the fact that Okonkwo has been portrayed as an angry, powerful, and dominate man, one who is willing to call other men females because of their unwillingness to engage in many of the activities that he has, it is ironic that he has now committed a females’ crime and is banned from the tribe that practically worships him. Another way in which Okonkwo’s situation is ironic comes about when his uncle, Uchendu, informs him that while he lives in exile on his motherland, his “duty is to comfort [his] wives and children and take them back to [his] fatherland after seven years”(134). In addition, if he allows “sorrow to weigh [him] down and kill [him], they will all die in exile” (134). Seeing as how in Umuofia, Okonkwo openly mentally and physically abused his wives and children on several different occasions, it seems nearly impossible for him to be able to uphold his duties of comforting and caring for his family. At the same time, Achebe previously stated that Okonkwo only shows the emotion of anger so maybe he will not allow his sorrows to distract him from his main goal, although soon after arriving in his motherland, he was already showing a lack of endurance since “work no longer had for him the pleasure it used to have, and when there was no work to do he sat in a silent half-sleep” (131). All of these elements make it very interesting to see if and/or how Okonkwo is able to prevail in this situation.
Also, in response to Marrisa’s question about Okonkwo and Obierika’s conversation on how Okonkwo can thank Obierika, when Obierika says he can either “kill one of [his] sons …” (142) or kill himself, I too was wondering if Obierika was serious or not. However, I feel that Obierika’s comment was said in more of a joking tone than a serious tone because Obierika and Okonkwo are very close friends, especially since Obierika took it upon himself to help Okonkwo out by selling all of Okonkwo’s yams without being asked to do so. But at the same time, I also feel that in a small way, Obierika truly meant what he said because on page 125, Achebe says “Obierika was a man who thought about things. When the will of the goddess had been done, he sat down in his obi and mourned his friend’s calamity.” I think that when Obierika made his statement, a bit of jealousy may have overtook his judgment because Obierika is seen as just a friend of a well-known and feared man. Unlike Okonkwo, Obierika doesn’t have many titles and other items that signify him as a wealthy and strong man in his clan, like Okonkwo does. After Obierika began to really think about committing inadvertent crimes, he thought about “his wife’s twin children”, (125) and how he was forced to throw them away. Obierika probably thought about all of the crimes of mistreat Okonkwo has committed towards his family and all of the while; Okonkwo was able to get way with them because he was a clan leader. I feel that Obierika could have begun to feel resentment towards Okonkwo and he was realizing that Okonkwo was finally receiving the punishment that he deserved after so many years.
I agree with all three of you when you said that the second part is very ironic. Okonkwo is always the stronger of the men and believes that men rule over all. The fact that he is exiled isn't enough, but he is sent to his mother's land as well. That just shows that sometimes things happen and you cannot always be the tough man that you are so set on becoming. I agree with Angel when she used the quotes where Uchendu asked Okonkwo all those questions, and he did not know the answers. It really did show that he is still a child in people's minds and he isn't this great person that he thought he was. I also really concentrated when Uchendu said, "You think you are the greatest sufferer in the world? Do you know that men are sometimes banished for life? Do you know that men sometimes lose all their yams and even their children?"(135) That really must have struck Okonkwo's ego. He came into the new clan expecting to have everyone feel bad for him and help him. This isn't the case, people understand what he is going through but also know that people are going through much worse then he is.
The new religion was quite a suprise to me. Throughout the beginning of the book everything was based on this one religion. No one ever disobeyed it. If they had, they were punished according to the religion. Now, a whole new religion is emerging that they are unfamiliar with. It relates very much to the title "Things Fall Apart" Right when Okonkwo murdered the female, everything began to go downhill. The religion was supposed to have failed long ago due to them being put into the "Evil Forest," but now that it hasn't people are becoming much more skeptical of their religion.
The course of Okonkwo's exile has really gone by fast. I was not expecting it to be time for him to return already. I am very anxious to see wether this new religion completely takes over the one that has been built upon for such a long time.
I also find it very ironic that the white man who everyone kind of looks up to now has the same name as our principal. It just adds to the irony.
In the second stretch of the novel, Things Fall Apart, the author uses several incidents
that hinders Okonkwo from the praise of his fellow men of the village, causing several
instances when he would fall out of the routine of his own personality and establish a
similarity towards his own father, Unoka on occasion. One example is that of which is on Page124, When Okonkwo accidentally kills a dead clansman’s son, and is forced to take flight away from the village that seeks to punish him for the act, thus forcing him into exile. The whole story not only goes downhill in the story because of Okonkwo’s situation, but his personality also changes correspondingly. This connection works to explain the slow transition of a dauntless, powerful specimen of a man like Okonkwo, into an idle, vice ridden, flawed example of his father. On Pg. 112, When Okonkwo displays the first signs of lethargy in the story: “Okonkwo was also feeling tired, and sleepy, for although nobody else knew it, he had not slept at all last night”(112) the author illustrates this to conflict against the vows that Okonkwo has said in the previous chapters. Achebe drew this happening to have the character contradict his own promises to hint how one can “break the vows” that were the foundation of his life, only to have it crumble under him in the end.
Another example of how idleness affects him is on Pg. 131, when Okonkwo then displays strong indications of idleness in his character: “Okonkwo and his family worked very hard to plant a new farm. But it was like beginning life anew without the vigor and enthusiasm of youth, like learning to become left-handed in old age. Work on longer had for him the pleasure it used to have, and when there was no work to do he sat in a silent half-sleep”(131) The narrative illustrates Okonkwo as a person who had lost his vitality and luster to his life. The youthful attributes that made him what he is currently in the story starts to dither through tragic and deliberate acts of folly by Okonkwo’s own fault and the once great man one reads in the story then deteriorates to a despairing man.
Without being overly repetitive, I wold like to comment on how chaotic the second section of this novel was. There were many instances of something surprising or sudden happening. For example, I personally was unclear as to the reason why Chielo, the oracle, takes Ezinma away . When Ezinma is returned, it is as if nothing has even happened and the incident is not mentioned again. Additionally, during Obierika's daughter's uri ceremony, one of the town's child residents releases a cow out of its pen and pandemonium ensues, causing the town's women to stop their festivity preparations and run to try and corral the cow back into it's pen. Additionally, Okonkwo's gun misfires and kills a teen boy ironically, at his father's death ceremony. The consequences for this action, because it was unintentional and accidental, is Okonkwo and his familiy being banished to his motherland for 7 years. Here, the elder of the tribe that lives there explains to Okonkwo that while the father is technically the head of the household, the mother in the family is the one who offers security and protection. This is yet another thing that seems to turn Okonkwo's world upside-down, because his tribe is so used to male-dominating cultures. I found the description given intriguing, almost as if the father is the external strength of the family while the mother is the internal strength. I believe that all of these "sudden events" are a kind of foreshadowing in the story that something big and plot-twisting is about to occur. This is further supporte dby the mention of the "white man", who was killed because the Oracles told the tribes that this white man would bring many others, "like locusts", and that they would bring death and destruction with them. I find it interesting how the Oracles are predicting the same thing that I had predicted earlier on in the book.
Hello, Cynthia here!
Well to start off i would definitly agree that irony is a reacurring theme throughout part II of Things Fall Apart. With everything that happened to Okonkwo, it seems that no matter how hard he tries, the man cannot catch a break.
Okonkwo had to go off to live at his motherland because he accidently killed a dead clansman's son. The same man who followed the clan's rules, was now a victim of its weird policies. Had the murder been intentional, the outcome would have been different. As if having to flee Umuofia was not bad enough, a few years after being in his motherland, Okonkwo and the Mbanta tribe had to deal with the arrival of the "white men". The whit men were missionaries determined to convert everyone to Christianity. To top it all off, they managed to convert Nwoye which led to Okonkwo disowning him. In Okonkwo's eyes his son was weak, as weak as his father who amounted to nothing and held no titles at the time of his death. The irony comes in the fact that Okonkwo worked so hard to have a better future than his father and in the end his own children were showing the same characteristics as his father. This way of thinking on Okonkwo's part was beautifully illustrated by Achebe on pages 152 and 153.
Going back to a previous comment, I also found it interesting how quickly time passed while Okonkwo and his family were in Mbanta. With each chapter another year would pass and things would change drastically. Okonkwo even had new children.
Moving on to another idea, i could not help but think back to history class as I read this part of the novel. The whole part about the "white men" coming just remind me of imperialism and missionary work. I found it every interesting how the two religions clashed as the tribe's people and the "white men" interacted. The beliefs of the two groups were so vastly different causing many problems. Some of the tribe's people began to see that maybe their beliefs and customs (such as killing twin children) were probably barbaric and not exactly correct.
Although I do not agree with many of the tribe's customs, I still did not like the fact that they were being converted to Christianity beacuse each person should maintain their roots and own beliefs.
I am very excited to find out how the story ends in the third part of the novel.
Hey guys, Alinne again!
To somewhat repeat what we all have been saying, yes the second part is ironic. However, I was not one bit surprised about the downfall of Okonkwo. Because his life was going so perfectly and the title of the book is "Things Fall Apart" we could only expect to have major disappointment in Okonkwo's character. I believe that his downfall began emotional, when he killed his adopted son, which is ironic, because Okonkwo never let his emotions get the best of him. I must say, however, that this second half was so satisfying. I was never fond of Okonkwo's character and to see him suffer a little was a relief. Okonkwo is so bitter, angry all the time, fearing to others that having an event happen that makes him devastated not only keeps the audience intrigued in the plot, but content that he got what he deserved.
I had a similar question as Marrisa. What was up with the "Kill one of your sons... then kill yourself" offering that Obierika asked Okonkwo to do? Was he serious? I saw it as foreshadowing about how perhaps both Okonkwo and his son would somehow be sacrificed for someone else. My prediction of Nwoye was correct, if he stays with the missionaries until the end of the story, because in a sense he was sacrificing his beliefs, his lifestyles, and his family to join Christianity. I bet Okonkwo looks back and wished he had killed his son, because he would rather see his son dead then turn on him like a "woman."
And lastly, Achebe stopped using the clan language as much in this section, and instead he uses words such as "Commissioner and the court messengers," "Holy Communion," and "society" to describe the circumstances of the clan. We can see, even through Achebe's word choice, that the Europeans have the upper hand and are more powerful than the clan. This foreshadows the destruction of the clan and Okonkwo's character and family; I'm so excited to see what happens!
How do we feel about the invasion of the Europeans??
The way I see it, the clan is so wrapped up in their world of fearing gods and fear of breaking of the rules that I see the missionaries as an escape. The people that are the quickest to convert aren't so much the only that believe in the white man's God, but because they are tired of living the way they do and want to see some kind of change (as Nwoye did). However, I believe that the Europeans come so unexpectedly that none of the villagers have time to react or think over what they are pushing at them, causing them to either really hate or really accept the new religion.
And lastly, so much references to rain and food are made throughout this section. Since the rain is not washing away Okonkwo's regret and it's not cleansing his soul, the rain foreshadows muddy, difficult situations to come that will tear apart some roots and families. The food, on the other hand, shows the relationship between the kinsmen. They only gather for festivities or funerals, even then only the women cook. The men, Okonkwo for example, struggles emotionally to cover their past mistakes, regrets, and "womanly" characteristics. This symbolizes the difference between our society and the clans and how the villagers live among sexism and don't even realize it. I think this also applies to us, however, in the since that we live in a great deal of racism, sexism, and other "ism's" but most of the time we overlook it or ignore it or take it as "the culture." I believe Achebe is exaggerating the characteristics of the clan to portray how terrible our lives are.
And just to add: Because next year I will be going to Niger, Africa to do missionary work with my church I found this section of the book extra fascinating! I loved how Achebe tells of the customs and traditions and the way of life in the clans. He allows the audience to grow with the village and even feel sympathy for them. We experience births, deaths, happiness, and sadness with the villagers and this allows the audience to have a connection with the people. When I go next year, I will keep this book in mind and remember how much different my way of living is different of other people's way of living. It's an eye opener, because I didn't see the natives of the land so wrapped up and fearful of their gods. Achebe did a great job of showing the normal lives of the clan, which added to the "No! Don't let it happen" emotion when we saw the clan falling apart.
That's it for now folks! =)
Most of you guys found that the settlement of the white people was unexpected. Now I see that they were foreshadowed with the locusts in chapter 7. When someone announced that they were coming, "men, women and children left their work or their play and ran into the open to see the unfamiliar sight" (55). When the missionaries came, "every mand and woman came out to see the white man" (144). The locusts came "in the cold harmattan season after the harvests had been gathered" (54). The missionaries came at a time when everyone was home, "the harvest was over" (144). And of course, in chapter fifteen, “the Oracle . . . said that other white men were on their way. They were locusts. . . .”
So to answer Alinne's question about the invasion of the Europeans, it was expected. However, I don't think that the villagers loved or hated the new religion because it came unexpectedly and they didn't have time to react or think. Achebe mentions that the missionaries were moving there, and they even "built their church there" (143). But I personally liked that they came to the village because I thought it was interesting to see the clashing of cultures, and how traditional values could be changed by modern logic. Contrary to what Cynthia thinks, I think this gives everyone a chance to think for themselves, as Nwoye did. He gets to make his own path in life. If not, he would grow up, buys some yams, have 5 wives, a million kids, and live in fear of disappointing "gods of wood and stone" (145).
That is why Obierika is my favorite character. He thinks logically, or unlike some other characters, he actually "thought about things" (125). For example, in the end of chapter 13, Obierika asks himself 'What crime had [my twins] committed?' It was the Earth that had "decreed that they were an offense on the land and must be destroyed" (125). They live on superstition and coincidences which keep them from having twins and living a normal life.
After Okonkwo went into exile, he was forced to become more humble. He got a slap in the face when he received that speech from Uchendu. On page 137, he does a woman's job! Okonkwo "brought the wine" (137) to Unchedu, a job that was once done by his wives back at his compound! So, in the third part, what can we expect? Is Okonkwo's manliness falling apart? Or his family?
Malisa here; it's always thrilling to try and blog last minute, even if you've already finished the book.
The book really begins to live up to it's title in the second section of the story. Okonkwo reached the peak of the action, and has started his slow, but crushing decent. As many have said before me, the second third of the book is quite ironic in many aspects, including the ideas behind the meaning of the cause of Okonkwo's departure. First, he is banished from his father's tribe due to his accidental killing of a fellow kinsman: a "womanly" crime. Not only that, but he is forced to relocate to his mother's homeland, where in his opinion, are considerably less fierce, and in turn, more womanly. Blow after blow continues, for his eldest son Nwoye is soon shown to be a Christian convert.
Nwoye's draw to Christianity is juxtaposed by Okonkwo's distaste over it. Nwoye is drawn to the religion because it answers his questions about his native religion. Nwoye clearly questions the intent and reason behind Ikemefuna's death, and it's the reason behind that death that is also Okonkwo's reason to drive the missionaries out of the village. If they were to accept the ideas the missionaries brought, then killing Ifkemefuna would lose part of it's reason, part of it's justification. Not only that, but Okonkwo values their clan titles; his father was considered worthless, and him rising above has given him reason, a purpose. He loses that purpose, that greatness if the worthless are no longer considered worthless. Despite his feelings however, Okonkwo's ideas are somewhat, again, ironic. Despite his desire to stay with original cultural values, his beliefs in how the village should act are a direct contrast to the values themself.
As the second section ends, Okonkwo is getting ready to depart back to his fatherland, where he hopes that life will improve and return to a sense of normalcy once more. While he still had hopes for Nwoye, his thoughts about his son are finalized in what he considers an ironic twist; whereas his father, a worthless man created a son with a spirit akin to a living fire, he later states to himself that "living fire begets cold impotent ash." (153)
In the second section of the novel the title of the book comes into play. The title refers to the crumbling culture and tradition of the Nigerian villages. Everything that was familiar to the villagers, especially Okonkwo, was begining to fall apart with the advent of the white missionaries. Just out of curiosity why do you think the villages couldn't resist the missionaries and retain their traditions? The exclusive, somewhat irrational and unfair nature of the village culture was probably what caused its downfall. The culture allowed women to be looked down upon, people to become outcasts, and left others like Nwoye searching for clarity. The flaws in the traditions caused such people to be drawn to this new religion. At least that's how I interpreted it.
Switching topics,I thought what Matt said,
"I found the description given intriguing, almost as if the father is the external strength of the family while the mother is the internal strength"
...was very insightful. I myself didn't initially make that connection but now that I see it,I strongly agree with it. Just to further discuss the topic, the fatherly strength represents masculinity which is the outer image projected by Okonkwo and perhaps the other men of the village. On the other hand the motherly strength, is expressed through inward emotions.
Kayla again. First of all, when I was reading, there was one line that just stopped me in my tracks. While Obierika, Uchendu, and Okonkwo were talking about how many thought the stories of white men were made up, Uchendu said "'There is no story that is not true... The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others.'"(141).That quote stuck out to me because of how true it is. Reading the posts from the first section of this book, so many people were outraged at how the women are treated. Here, women being treated like they were lower than men or even lower than dirt just isn’t stood for. We're all about equal treatment. But in other places in the world, showing the women that the men are "above them" is just what's normal and accepted. Also, the fact that he was saying there is no story that isn't true struck me because stories seem to be such an important part of their culture. In both Okonkwo's fatherland and motherland, stories were used to teach lessons. Males tell their sons stories of war and of the past, and women spin tales that have probably been passed onto them from their mothers.
I also agree with Marrisa about it being ironic that Okonkwo is punished for an accidental death. I thought it was really interesting that Obierika was pondering the fairness of this later, thinking "Why should a man suffer so grievously for an offense he had committed inadvertently,"(125). Most of the characters seem to do what the law is without question. To have Obierika question the rule, although it was only in his own thoughts, added a definite depth to his character.
The church development surprised me. Katie was right in saying there was foreshadowing with the locusts, but I didn’t make that connection. I liked how Achebe really went into detail with the thoughts of the tribe members and how they felt torn yet amazed. In chapter sixteen, the crowd starts off with listening to the missionaries, deeply wrapped up with what they were saying. When the white man began to talk about settling with them, they became excited, but when he began to tell them their gods were false, some became angered, yet at the same time, it seems as if they thought him to be no sort of a threat, if not a little crazy. The missionary had said “’Your gods are not alive, and cannot do you any harm… They are pieces of wood and stone.’”(146) which sent the clan into fits of mocking laughter. I liked that Achebe documented all these feelings, because it helped me relate. If someone came to me and basically told me what I had believed all along was nothing but lies, I’d probably be amazed at first, but it would soon turn to an attitude of anger and disbelief.
My question for this section would be: Is what we are learning about the development of the church what Obierika is hearing from Nwoye’s mother, or is it written as if we were reading it as it happened. I don’t know if I articulated that question correctly, but it said that Obierika went to see Okonkwo a few years after their first visit because he saw that Nwoye was a missionary and wanted to know what happened. When Okonkwo wouldn’t tell him the story, Achebe writes “It was only from Nwoye’s mother that he heard scraps of the story,”(144). Then the story of how the missionaries came begins to unravel. Oh, and also, when they were talking about the metal horse, I couldn’t understand what they meant. Now I know that they were referring to a bike. But how about when they say that the interpreter referred to himself as “my buttocks,”(144) instead of “myself”? Was it a misinterpretation from language to language, or what? I was trying to figure out what word could get confused with “my buttocks” but really couldn’t come up with anything.
The second part is no doubt full of ironies. As Marrisa said, Okonkwo, despite how powerful and honorable a man he is, he is still exiled from his clan for accidentally killing a son. However, although this seems to be a tragedy for Okonwko, his exile leads the audience into different perspectives not seen in Umofia.
In Okonwko's motherland, Mbanta, men do not exude extreme control and power as Okonkwo's clan's men do. For example, when the white men came to convert the people into Christianity, Okownko persisted that they delcare war and run them out. However, Mbanta's men refuse; peace is the best resolution, and that is what prevailed. Due to this, Okonwko expresses that fact that he cannot wait to return to the lad of men, instead of staying in a place full of coward and womanly men. In addition, women are not treated as a subhuman species, but as someone who takes care of her family and someone the family runs back to in time of need. Pages 134 to 135, the importance of women is discussed by Uchendo. He says that "...a child seeks sympathy in its mother...When there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you...And that is why we say that mother is supreme" (134). This is an obvious contrast Achebe has created. It shows the audience a different perspective from one we have read through the first part of the book. His purpose could be to foreshadow the changes of traditions and customs that Okownko will have to face in his future. This exile time can serve as a transition from one extreme to another.
Now, I will attempt to explain why I think Mbanta's traditions serve as a transition point from Okonkwo's traditions in Umofia to drastic changes aroused by the missionaries. At the beginning of the book, the reader are given a look into Umofia, its perspective on the role of women, and the power of men. Obviously, women are not looked on as humans but as properties. Men are supposed to be honorable, title-worthy, and powerful. As the book goes along, Ikemefuna comes and changes things in Okonkwo's family. And then Ezinma's fever happens. The accidental killing of the son. Just a bunch of misfortune occurrs after the death of Ikemefuna. In Mbanta, the audience sees the difference in perspective: women are the supreme, men choose peace over war (that demonstrates as weakness in Umofia's eyes). Umofia's traditions definitely differ from Mbanta's, but there are still similarities. Then the missionaries come along, and everything changes even more. Religion is thrown to the side. The outcasts are seen as equals. To Okonkwo, these missionaries are blasphemy to his clan. He hopes that the younger generation do not abandon all old traditions to conver to these strange new ones.
A deeper thought into this second part: Nwoye symbolizes the younger generation and its knack for adopting new traditions and abandoning old ones. This occurs after a new group of people come into the clan, the missionaries. This could be parody of today's society. The missionaries can be seen as celebrities, who have the power to influence the young generation to believe in whatever they say and do. On the other hand, our parents, symolized as Okonkwo, hopes to God that we don't forget our roots. Just a thought. What do you guys think?
The second part of the book is a turning point for Okonkwo and the rest of the characters. It seems that Okonkwo experiences a full dose of Karma for things he did previously in the first part of the book. His daughter becomes sick and then he accidently kills a boy and is exiled. this whole part of the book just shows more and more things getting dumped on Okonkwo, along with the white men coming. I agree with Katie about the Europeans being expected through the foreshadowing of the locusts earlier on in the book.
"At last the locusts did descend. They settled on every tree and on every blade of grass; they settled on the roofs and covered the bare ground. Mighty tree branches broke away under them, and the whole country became the brown-earth color of the vast, hungry swarm" (56).
This seems like a good description of what is happening in the second part of the book. To answer marrisa's question,
"do you think that Ekwefi and Okonkwo following Chielo will make their karma even worse, since Chielo responded to the noise of someone not far behind by saying "'...may Agbala shave your head....twist your neck'"
I do think that their karma will become worse especially because of the quote, "...may Agbala shave your head....twist your neck". I think that foreshadows something that will happen by the end of the book.
I guess Okonkwo's chi isn't as great as he thought.
On the contrary I feel that his chi might be better for the first time Okonkwo has had to pay for a mistake but i dont feel he is paying in his heart for what happend to the boy i feel this is his chance to reconcile his hatred for his father and to even possibly learn that emotions do not make you any less of a man.
Through the second part of this book i feel like you are able to really understand Okonkwo in the begging the character is shown to us as this horrible ruthless man in a way but as the book continues you see that okonkwos fear of failure is what causes him to do what he does. I also feel that what will start to change him the most is Ezinma, when he followed Cheilo to the cave it shows you that he could not help but let his emotions get to him he truly does love his daughter and even Ekwefi. I feel that him being exiled is also in a way pennance for what he did to Ikemefuna and i feel he is leaving peacefully because he feels like it is an almost punishment for what he had done to the boy who became practically his own son. Also Okonkwo has his own personal demons because of his father and needs to come to terms with that and hopefully his returning to his previous home might do that for him.
I would first like to address a compelling point that Katie made. She noted that Okonkwo brought out the wine during a meeting between his aquaintances from Umofia and his kin in Mbanta. Previously emphasized as being a woman's job, Okonkwo was instructed to "go into that room" in order to retrieve "a pot of wine there" (137). In undertaking this task, in returning to the motherland, in practicing diplomacy rather than war, in being reprimanded, it is clear that Okonkwo's role within society has altered drastically even degenerated since his time in exile. And it is through this role change that Achebe emphasizes irony (as many have mentioned). His persona- austere and masculine, that took so many years to forge, was just as quickly effaced following the death in Umofia.
Achebe seems to juxtapose the characters of Okonkwo and Uchendu. Uchendu chides Okonkwo for his overt negativity, reminding him that he is not the only one who has experienced "suffering." Uchendu himself noted that he "had six wives once" and that he buried "twenty-two" of his own children but is "still alive" (135). Uchendu represents a man who is able to express both emotions and an overt love for family, yet, is still successful. By describing Uchendu as both a prosperous and more importantly, likeable character, Achebe emphasizes the folly of Okonkwo's manic desire for masculinity.
The second section of the book concludes solemnly. One of Okonkwo's older kinsman addresses him, initially expressing gratitude for the feast. The man's thoughts stray and ironically, he goes on to prophesize about the destruction of the clan based on lack of fellowship. He seems to foreshadow Okonkwo's continued and inevitable demise fortified by the quote, "I fear for you, I fear for the clan" (167). With the continued presence of the missionaries, it is evident that the clan's traditional ways are becoming obsolete.
I've been wondering if Achebe has established an opinion of the missionaries' work within the tribes. At times the reader is empathetic towards the plight of tribe and the disingration of their traditional practices. Simultaneously, the missionaries prevent the arbitrary murder of twins and as Mary pointed out, view outcasts nuetrally, even accepting them. I can not seem to sift through this information to determine whether Achebe welcomes or repudiates the onset of missionaries. Ideas?
-Tzivia
Okay...so we're into the second part of the book. Things got a little more interesting along the way. I agree with Marrisa about how Okonkwo killing someone intentionally, but yet, it is alright, but when he killed someone accidentally, he was temporarily exiled for seven years--very ironic. I would think it to be the other way around. His guilt didn't how Okonkwo was sent to his motherland. "A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland," (134). This was said to Okonkwo by Uchendu in his motherland. I found this quote to actually have a significant impact on Okonkwo because Uchendu was an elder and he must respect that. But not only that, Okonkwo became like a child again fleeing to his motherland. The fact that he had committed a "female" crime against a 16 year old boy whose father died at the burial ceremony made it even more amusing to me. He is being torn apart slowly and he notices it, too. He first notices it after he kills Ikemefuna, which haunts him for days. Which brings me to one of the points Katie and Tzivia bring up. I agree how the gender role in Okonkwo's motherland was ironic. In Umuofia, Okonkwo is a fearless warrior, prepared for battle at any time, and also a well respected man. But, once he goes to Mbanta, he is a child again, being told what to do and such.
When the white man first appears in Umuofia, I sense corruption and disputes to take place. It's like an allegory because the white men did come to Africa and brought destruction as well as modern technology. What will become of Umuofia with this new invasion?
~Vanessa
Heyy people!!
Well towards the end of part one and beginning of part two, this novel began to twist or should I say "fall apart". Okonkwo's world is ready to take a new path when Ikemefuna became so close to him. When Okonkwo was told that the kid was to be killed, Ezeudo told Okonkwo to stay out of the murder because "that boy calls you father. Do not bear a hand in his death"(57). If Okonkwo participated in his death, he will be killing the innocense of a child, of his son. But since Okonkwo never listens and tries to do everything his way, his life will be miserable after Ikemefuna's death. And to prove my point, Okonkwo began to have serious thoughts about Ikemefuna's death, "Okonkwo, you have become a woman indeed"(65). He can not believe that he killed a child, almost like a son, and now he is lamenting his actions like a woman. But this is nothing compare to his exile. I agree with Marrisa when she said that this was like a payback to all the killings he has participated in. This was a huge change for Okonkwo, to be sent to his mother's land, almost like a humiliation for him since in this new land nobody saw him as the "GREAT MAN" he has been used to. Instead, they told him how he really was, a child who only pretends to be tought; " you are a great man in your clan. But you are still a child..."(134).
With the second part of the book proceeding, Okonkwo has now been banned from his fatherland and thrown towards his motherland, which in those days meant no good. A man in their religion belong in the land of his fathers. Okonkwo has been banished for seven years, completely taking a whole new turn on his life. The cause of his banishment is the death of a 16 year old boy, whom to which he kills accidentally. The death reminded me of the death of Ikemefuna, to which was also a part of Okonkwo life. He shared great regret for what had been done and could not eat or sleep because of guilt.
Now that Okonkwo has been banished from the fatherland Umuofia he is sent to the motherland to which he is welcomed graciously by all, however treated differently. Okonkwo will work for seven years to regain his title in the clan and better his life when he is to return to Umofia. But things don't really come to his appeal when he return. Ill just have to wait and finish.
The second art of this book was some what chaotic. From the Enzima getting sick, to the bizarre night time visit from Chielo, to someone randomly letting a cow go to the death of Ezeudu and lastly Okonowo's accidental killing of the sixteen year-old boy.
We see in this novel a some what "softer" side of Okonowo. When Ekwefi said that Enzima was dying Okonkwo reacted like a true father "and ran" (76) to be by her side. Right away he set out to fine the "leave sand grasses and barks of trees that went into making the medicine for the iba" (76). This is the first time we see that he has a some kind passionate feelings for his family. We know from previous in the book we had a special feeling for Enzima. However later in the second part Achebe describes him as "anxious" (p112) and that he had become gravely worried (p112) when Chielo took Enzima and Ekwefi followed followed her. HE ad s[ent his whole night looking for the two. This here shows that he does have some of his father in him, becaue although his father was lazy he had a kind heart and loved his family. I think since the killing of Ikemefuna, Okonowo realized the pain you get when you loose someone so close to you. He hated his father so when he died it didn't bother him as much . I also think that by showing more of his vulnerable side, he can make himself beleive he is not truely a cold-hearted monster who killed Ikemefuna.
I also have a question. Did anyone really understand the signifigance of letting the cow loose? This was one part of the book I just didn't see what the meaning was.
Lastly irony has such a recurring role in this book. The last example would definetly have to be the exile of Okonkwo. He accidently kills the sixteen year-old boy. He "had committed the female"(124) crime. And this meant that it was an accident however he would have to run away but could "return to the clan after seven years" (124). To me this just seems so out of place. Ikemefuna had been killed by Okonkwo purposely, he did it himself and no one so much as blinked an eye. Yet he kills someone accidently in what seemed like a chaotic ceremony and he is exiled. Oberika himself wondered about this rule and how it was fair. It seems as though the rules only apply when the leaders see fit. They could justify Ikemefuna's death however an accidental death is a big offense. In this society I beleive that they want to reach some kind of perfection or superiority, so they elimainate anything that may harm that.
Hi all! Stephen here again.
First off, I just wanted to emphasize what valleygirl09 noticed. When Enzima was taken by Chielo into the night, Ekwefi immediately follows her, risking "divine wrath," so to speak. In the end, her concern is not warranted, and Enzima is returned, safe and sound. But the real highlight of the situation is Okonkwo.
I believe that Okonkwo loves his family. I believe that he has a genuine concern for the wellbeing and for the future of his children. The fact that Okonkwo says "Go home and sleep...I shall wait here" (108)to Ekwefi, and given the fact that he too is "risking divine wrath" by being there, speak volumes about the concern that Okonkwo has of his family's safety. The beatings and the "iron fisted" rule that Okonkwo uses on his family is, I believe, evidence of the cultural mores that existed in Umuofia, the mores that applaud physical punishment/ beatings as a form of keeping discipline. In short, I think that he has loved his family all along, but doesn't show it because it might make him seem feminine.
Also, in response to Tzivia's question about the author's response to the "twin" question- I think that Achebe is accurately portraying villeger reaction to the missionaries saving twins. While we view twins as a happy accident, as a two-bundles-of-joy-for-the-price-of-one kind of event (I hope I'm not offending twins), the society in Things Fall Apart probably saw twins as freaks of nature, as abominations that must be purged from the community. Thus, to them, Christians saving twins was just another example of the "madness" of Christianity. As to the other aspect of Tzivia's question:What does ACHEBE think of all this? I tend to think that as a relatively modern man (published the book in 1959), Achebe would have held similar values to the Christians, namely: twins are not abominations, life is sacred, there shouldn't be outcasts in society. However I too, am puzzled by the lack of definite proof. Perhaps it is a testament to quality of Achebe's writing that he doesn't allow his personal beliefs to cloud his narrative voice.
Finally, to address the plot: things really do fall apart, don't they? Okonkwo's son becomes depressed on losing his companion, Okonkwo's gun explodes, killing a boy accidentally, and Christian missionaries threaten the tribal way of life. I think the title, "Things Fall Apart" implies that "Things" weren't really all that solid to begin with, after all, "Things" just "fall apart." (where's the HTML skill when you need it?) Just a thought. Anyone else think so?
Finally, the Christian missionaries. Personally, as a...Christian, it was disconcerting to be referred to as "the crazy men" (149). I must admit, Achebe did a great job writing the reactions of the tribes-people from their perspective. Whether from actual experience, or through sheer literary power, he managed to accurately portray the reactions to the missionaries. My question is similar to Thalp's. What side of the struggle of cultures is Achebe on? What is he trying to tell us?
After reading through the second part of the book, I too noticed the ironies of Okonkwo, the tough manly man, being exiled to the motherland.
Another thing I noticed was the white men coming to the motherland and enforcing their religion. Like Cynthia said, this reminded me of imperialism how slowly the whote men broight in their religiong and then brought in their government, as if they were expecting to take over the whole land.
Another important part of the book was when Nwoye decided to join the white mans religion. This made Okonkwo think that why "should he .. of all people be cursed with such a son."(152) I think that Okonkwo drove his son away with the way he treated him and expected him to be a tough man at such a young age.
Okonkwo also shows his need to be out of cowardly Mbanta and back into his old homeland of Umuofia "where men were bold and warlike." (162) To foreshadow, I feel like Okonkwo will come home and see that everything is different and things have "fallen apart."
Hi, hi
Looking at Part Two with a writer's perspective, particularly organization, the final pages ring soundly and deeply through not only the title, "Things Fall Apart," but through the remainder of the book as well. Okonkwo's tragic flaw is that he is, as said in Antigone, like a boat in the ocean who never slacks its sail, and thus flips over. It becomes ever more apparent when Okonkwo is displaced from his natural environment and his aggressive nature is overridden by the more peaceful ways of the Mbanta elders. His overconfidence in his ways is as taut as Stevens in his confidence in Lord Darlington. Both characters have had unswerving loyalty to this or that, and both seem to be falling to the same fate. Stevens, steadfast and loyal to Lord Darlington, comes to an epiphany that his pure, unbending dedication was actually misplaced.
Both books emphasize a moral told centuries before.
Responding to stevie's post that Okonkwo does actually have emotions as well as glaring faults, I agree. Had Okonkwo been put in today's society and built his richness in our culture, I doubt that we as readers would dislike him to the extent we do now. He would only adapt and find success through the options given to him by society.
Responding to pretty lady ad, I love how the author creates a clash of the two worlds. Up till now, for over a hundred pages, I've been engrossed in the Nigerian culture. So focused was my attention that the "white man and the iron horse" was totally unexpected, yet completes the story and fits so well. What I'm excited to see is what happens to Umuofia; they have a missionary church there as well. Oh, and the clash between Nwoye and Okonkwo.
This exile is a chance for Okonkwo to be reborn, or cleansed of his fear. He is also sent to learn what true manliness is, starting from scratch. This includes learning that women are not weak. This is evidently shown in “‘…And yet we say Nneka-‘Mother is Supreme.’ Why is that?’…’I do not know the answer,’ Okonkwo replied. ‘…So you see that you are a child.'” He is attempting to teach him that without women, all would be lost. Women have a certain strength that Okonkwo has never imagined.
What is ironic is that although Okonkwo believes that all the weakness lays in women, it was actually his father that was the failure in life. I believe that he will be the one who will let everyone down.
This business with Ezinma becoming ill is definitely something of a higher meaning. The fact that she is Okonwo's favorite child, AND she is a female, is highly vital to the story.
what will happen to his sons?
So I thought that it was weird how the rifle exploded accidently and killed Ezeudu’s sixteen year old son. If I were to interpret this as a hippie, I would call this fate and Okonkwo’s fate is going downhill. I think this foreshadows Okonkwos future, and this would be the start of the falling action.
I had a question about the weddings, is it more than one day for the ceremony? And what happens after the wedding? Why does the wife live with the husband’s family for a few weeks before returning home?
To comment about Enzima, what exactly happened inside the cave? And why did she have to get carried to another village and back? It shows how much Okonkwo actually cared about his daughter and it’s probably the first time he’s ever shown anything but anger. Okonkwo connects to Enzima more than his other children. He’s constantly wishes that Enzima was a boy because she understands him.
I was surprised at how Okonkwo reacted to his uncle when he told him that he was still a child. Even though he is his elder, Okonkwo did not even seem to get angry at the comment. After reading that, I though that Okonkwo would change his ways to being more humane.
Thinking back about how he hated his father that would mean that his mother had cared for him. Wouldn't that make him less brutal?
Haha to what Kristen said about Mr. Brown in the book and Mr. Brown our principal. About the missionary work, I was predicting that Nyowe was going to do something different from the traditions of the clan because of the clan’s decision to kill Ikemefuma and abandon all twin babies.
I forgot to talk about Okonkwo's life in his motherland. His life seems to be fine. I feel that he was dwelling on his past. Like i said before, him being forced to leave because of an accidental death for seven years was fate. If he wasn't so focused on going back home, he could've earned high status there. He eventually does get respected but he still wants to go back home. I feel that everyone needs a friend, even the ones that seem like they hate everyone, like Okonkwo. His friend was Obierika. He took over the yams for Okonkwo, visited him and start rebuilding his compound for a temporary home when Okonkwo's fmaily was allowed back in. From what I have read and heard about traditions based on pride, if a man were banned from his clan, his clan is forbidden to have any contact with him.
Mr. Kiaga had told the outcasts of Umuofia that converted to shave their head, which was the thing that showed others that they were outcasts. Since they didn't want to shave their head, Mr. Kiaga said, "Unless you shave off the mark of your heathen belief I will not admit you into the church." (157) Why would they have to shave their heads if God accepted everyone, that's why there are missionaries in the world.
To what Angela said about the time period, I was wondering that myself. At first I thoug it could be happening near recent times, since Africa is a third world country, without much of the luxuries that the U.S. has and from other books i've read and from priests that i've talked to, there are still missionaries and travel to establish and convert more people into the church. This taking place in the past decades ago would be more correct because of the story of the man that went to Mbana on his horse and was killed while his horse tied to a tree. I would think that most likely the man would take a bike or a car if this took place near these times.
Let me just say that I am taken by surprise by these blogs and am really glad we’re doing them… I did not notice the ironies of this section as apparently everyone else has, but now that they are pointed out, I can clearly see them and I agree.
I liked how ashley8 pointed out the irony by pointing out that Okonkwo was exiled for committing a female crime when he himself sees females lowly and week. However, I think there is a misunderstanding amongst some of us about what Okonkwo actually did (or maybe the misunderstanding is mine alone, which would certainly not be the first time). When it is written that Okonkwo commits a “female” crime, I am pretty sure he did not kill a female (as he killed Ezeudu’s son). I also am pretty sure that the crime is not female because it is commited by females but instead because it is less severe and less malicious. As the clan believed “it was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman,” and that “the crime was of two kidns, male and female. Okonkwo had committeed the female because it had been inadvertent. He could return to the clan after seven years” (124). So basically, this returns to the gender inequalities in the novel. As the clan sees it, a “female” crime is less severe (as it is inadvertent) and in general weaker, whereas a “male” crime would be the intentional murder of a clansman. Does anyone know what the punishment for a male crime would be? I think I have read it before in the novel where it said that it held a life banishment from the clan but I’m not sure.
Anyway, I have to say that the irony I found most noticeable in this section was the fact that Okonkwo, the manly-man, has to return to the land of his mother after committing a female crime. Unlike some of the bloggers (Alinne in particular) I feel bad for Okonkwo, nothing goes his way… hence the title. I still am wondering what the title is referring to in general. Though I think the degration of Okonkwo’s life has certainly begun, I wonder what event will finally do it… Any guesses? I still think it will be the slave-ships to come and take him away just because of the time and place this story is taking place.
I’m also really curious, as most of you are too, as to what happened in the cave with Enzima. It really was a bit of a… dare I say it… random event. I tried to find meaning in it but failed. Now, as I learned last year and I am sure still applies this year: everything a writer does has a purpose, and I am sure Achebe did not waste over 3 pages explaining this event without a purpose. But then, what is that purpose? I would love to hear if anyone thinks they have an idea of what it is! Please share :).
Also, I am very surprised like Kris10 that the new religion (Christianity) gains as much influence in the society as it does, especially when the new religion’s entire premice for joining is that all the native gods are “false idols” and that their God is “the true God” (150). Does this kind of conversion- merely stating “I’m right, you’re wrong, come join me” -actually work?
Also, I wonder if this is where the downfall lies in the society, from these outsiders. This reminds me of 100 Years of Solitude and the corruption that came to the peaceful community of Macondo from the outside world. Same story here?
We’ll find out soon I suppose,
Hope everyone enjoys the book :)
Part two is filled with irony as well as the struggle between tradition and change. As the missionaries come to the tribe their method to gain followers is not a violent one. Instead they simply point out the fallacies of the old traditions and beliefs in order to gain support. Also the need for a caste system is discarded as the the Christians treat everyone as an equal which appeals to those of lower class or exiled. Okonkwo feels threatened by the Christians because they jeopardize everything he has worked hard for. I found it ironic how Okonkwo comments how "womenly" Nwoye is when he travels to learn to read and write which in turn shows that he looks down upon intelligence adding on to his savage nature.
Achebe connects his readers to the Nigerian culture by proving that our cultures are similar even though they may not seem so at the surface. The old and wise member of the umunna rose to thank Okonkwo at his feast, and this is where Achebe makes a point about the younger generation that relates to our younger generation as well. The character states, "We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so. You may ask why I am saying all this. I say it because I fear for the younger generation, for you people... I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship." I feel that in our generation our hi-tech technology weakens the bond between kinsmen. Instead of meeting up with each other we stay at home with our instant messaging. Sure it's convenient at times but nothing beats a face to face conversation. We have e-mail, cell phones, and instant messaging all keeping us at home. Leaving us even more vulnerable to messages from advertisement. Just like the young of Mbanta, the missionary came and stole from the village one by one because unity was weak among the tribe. How easy it is for the young generation to be caught up in the song supporting the campaign for Barack Obama even though its one simple phrase, "yes we can". It sounds just like Nwoye and the gospel music.
Something that the culture of the missionary, the tribes of Nigeria, and even our cultures all share in common is their unbelievable connection to faith. I'm not saying that everyone shares the same ideals but people who have religion, and are faithful get to the point where religion becomes a part of logic. For example in the book the tribe will not do certain actions because it will upset the gods not, for example, because it will lower the chances of harvest. The missionaries carry the same thought process and same with many people of our society. What drives faith in religion? Why do we as humans so often find comfort in something greater rather than those around us? Alright... back on topic now
Steph brought up a great point. Okonkwo thinks, why "should he .. of all people be cursed with such a son."(152) Okonkwo does not accept blame for driving his son away. Uchendu brings up how bond between kinsmen are weakening, where son can leave father. Okonkwo expected his son to be a man at such a young age, and I agree that such harsh treatment can drive anyone away.
I think the best part of part two was how quickly a completely new plot came out of no where. From one man's struggle to make it but failing by misfortune (reminds us of his own father) to the white man's imperialism into Africa.
I have to say that I really LOVE this book for some reason, I don't know why but the culture seems fascinating to me.
Mary you hit on something that I really wanted to talk about for this section. I believe that the purpose of this book is to show the similarities of people across races, cultures, and time spans. The mentioning of Nwoye as leaving his parents for religion being similar to our generation with celebrities is a very interesting one, however I viewed it more generally. Think about it, Okonkwo is considered one of the fiercest and "best" men in his village. Where have we not seen before children not following in the "great" footsteps of the their parents? It is seen all over the news today how some politicians son or daughter does this, or acts out in this way... I believe it is very similar to Nwoye. And then, how often to parents get SO angry at their children for making these mistakes, that they push them away? (seen by Okonkwo trying to kill Nwoye for his decision) I'm not saying that Nwoye made a mistake for wanting to convert, but in the eyes of Okonkwo, the thought is unfathomable...what would all of the other clansmen think? Well, I don't know, just a thought.
Anyway, I also begin to see a change in the style of the author as the story progresses. As the beginning it seemed his language was very simple and seemed to represent the cultural values of the tribe, using many tribal words and things of this nature, but as the story moves on, the language changes.
=)
Hey guys,
To follow up on what Danny and Mary said about making connections with today's life of the growing children, yes, it does make sense in today's life. Kids growing up sometime will take a different path than what their parents did. Nwoye is a completely different person than Okonkwo. Okonkwo kept pushing Nwoye to become strong and manly by continuously attacking him in so many ways. Its ironic that Nwoye does not want to be anywhere close to being his father the same way Okonkwo does not want to be anywhere close to his father.
Whats even more ironic is that Okonkwo's warlike way to deal with things are really starting to fall apart. At first his manlyness was able to get him far, but he just pushing his family away without emotion and is just unable to connect with them. Now the very gentle ways of the white people are enchanting everone to join in, rather than ruling them with a heavy hand. Its getting more and more evident the warlike manly ways is losing its appeal.
In the second part of the novel, "things [really do] fall apart" as many of you have noted and also the title is beginning to make sense. Okonkwo’s inability to show his “weaknesses” is ultimately what causes his life to fall apart. His drive to prove himself to be a man creates an overpowering pride that requires him to reflect and restart his life. The change takes place as a result of a very ironic incident as most have already mentioned. Okonkwo loses all that he strived for in one gun shot, an accidental one at that. The gunshot penetrates into his ego, and releases the one fear that he has tried to avoid. Along with losing the status he holds in his village, he becomes the "weak" man he had always despised. He now has to become dependent on his kinsmen,family from his mother's side.
In response to gypsyloo's comment that the exile is a chance for Okonkwo to learn of the importance of women, I completely agree. Okonkwo is no longer in a land which encourages the inequalities of genders, but rather respects females. Though Okonkwo is given a second chance to change his life, by starting from scratch in Mbanta, I don’t believe that he has taken the opportunity. Achebe shows Okonkwo’s inability to change through the rainstorm that occurs right before his departure back to Umuofia. A rainstorm, normally representing some sort of cleansing does little to help erase the misguided ideals Okonkwo holds for his family and himself. In spite of the storm, Okonkwo does not return a changed man, but rather a man that wants to pick up from where he left off. However, irony is continually in play as he returns to find a shift in Umuofia itself. Its so called “men” are no longer fighting back against the intruders to their village (missionaries).
To address And The Benefactor Is... Dario’s question on what the significance of Enzima being taken to the cave is, I believe that it shows the corruption of Umuofia and the blinded willingness of the people to follow along. Also it exposes readers to a side of Okonkwo that have not been seen before. Umuofia is a village deeply rooted in it’s following of spirits and gods to a point in which some actions are questionable morally. In the treatment of twins, burial of men who died dishonorably, and even of children who was born dead, we see the brutality of Umuofian traditions. In some ways Umuofia bears a parallel to Okonkwo himself since he is also “feared by all its neighbors.” (11) The invasion by the missionaries causes not only Umuofia to fall apart but he himself as well (Nwoye leaving him in shame, being held hostage by the whites, manliness being taking out of the warriorlike citizens). The immortal spirits that passes judgment to me resembles an organized group of dictators. However getting back to the question, Okonkwo finally shows his paternal side as he comes to the cave to go after Enzima, showing his emotions for the first time. He actually cares about his children. This is a revelation to the cold man Okonkwo portrays himself as.
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