Knowing how intensely ritualistic and with what passion this clan worships their ancestors and gods, I’m actually surprised at how long physical conflicts were kept at bay between the Christians and the tribe. They are clearly patient people, but possibly ignorant in certain ways. They first accepted the Christian missionaries as harmless men, telling crazy story of an almighty god. They let them live on their land, cut down their “Evil Forest”, and consequently, build their church for worship. I feel like these were all very silly mistakes—they clearly shouldn’t have underestimated the white settler’s power to change the minds of the villagers. Now the tribe has clearly gotten itself into trouble, and although the closing of the book leaves the reader hanging in some respects, it can be assumed that this tribe will be seeing troubled times ahead of it.
One point that is often stressed by the author is how Okonkwo wishes that Ezinma was born a boy. Ezinma is, in certain ways, similar to her father. Okonkwo had to face a hard childhood in order to progress as a warrior, farmer, and man. Ezinma is similar to this in how she for so long had been considered an ogbanje: a changeling who curses child after child of the mother it is born to. She was not expected to live a full life and she often got sick. But, Ezinma was clearly a fighter all along. She fought for her mother, who loved her dearly, and lived to grow into one of the most beautiful girls of her clan. In her, Okonkwo can see maturity, perseverance, and intelligence: all something he was truly looking for in a son that could grow to be like himself. With the huge disappointment that Nwoye was, it is understandable how Okonkwo regrets the sex of his daughter.
I think the incident where the District Commissioner held hostage six important men of Umuofia was the true turning point where the clan realized the true amount of trouble they were in with the arrival of the Europeans. For so long they had figured that they were harmless and that they would eventually give up on converting the villagers, or that eventually the tribe would drive them away. But now the white men have done something completely disrespectful to them, and the tribe had to pay for it…pay 250 cowries for it to be more specific.
The ending was in some ways understandable. Throughout the entire book, the reader gets the point of view of Okonkwo’s internal struggle. He’s seen hardships for much of his life, and when he finally had a name for himself, a stable life, and a promise for power in the future, everything collapsed for him. When his exile was over, he came back to Umuofia to find it ridden with the new ways of the white men. Again, he was completely disappointed. When his clan did not have the brave warrior spirit that he held and did not want to go to war, he couldn’t take it anymore, hence why he ended up taking his own life. In some ways, this is Okonkwo turning his back on his tribe. As Obierika explains, it is an insult to the tribe for a man to take his own life. And for a man with as much worth and power as Okonkwo to go against the ways of his tribe and take his life makes a huge statement, both to the tribe and the white men that drove him to do so.
The conversation between Obierika and Okonkwo is a very important exchange between the two. Okonkwo asks Obierika, “Does the white man understand our custom about land?” this is a clear indication that Okonkwo as well as Obierika is not at all happy with the arrival of the colonists. Obierika realizes that the reason for such aggravation is a two way street. The European colonists have not approached Umuofia in a kind manner. They do not speak the language, respect the culture or agree with their sense of religion. Yet, the Umuofians and Ibos have only added to the deterioration of their village and its components. For example, there are Umuofians such as Nwoye who think about or who convert to Christianity and taking advantage of the schooling that the colonialists propose. The justice system, religion, and tradition combined is the glue that holds a society or in this case a village behind. Through the reading, it is evident that the villagers have partaken in the destruction of Umuofia.
I did not realize the importance of the chi, or personal god until the end of the novel. Achebe wrote, “a man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi.” In other words, everyone is responsible for their own destiny. I concede with Samantha’s point that both the tribe and the white men drove Okonkwo to take his own life, yet I have something to add to her statement. Because no one can rise above his or her chi, Okonkwo is responsible for his own death. When Okonkwo was confident, successful and happy nothing could tear him down but as soon as the slightest mishap occurred, his pompous attitude shifted and he continued to dig at himself and to ask, why me?
Things Fall Apart is a wonderful novel. Achebe begins the novel by introducing Okonkwo and as I was reading I believed Achebe was going to write the whole story solely on Okonkwo. But, as I got deeper into the book I couldn’t put it down because I realized that intertwined in the storyline were two different stories. When I was reading I thought that Okonkwo represented Umuofia. When Okonkwo was sent into exile, he faced many hardships. Simultaneously, Umuofia and surrounding villages were being introduced to what would be their downfall.
Nearing toward the end of the book, some things are explained but we are still left hanging, as I mentioned before. With prior history knowledge, we can assume some things such as war and more change between the Europeans and all of Africa, but in the book, it doesn’t really explain that to full extent. Despite the fact that Ezinma has grown to become a mature and beautiful girl, Okonkwo still regrets the fact that she wasn’t born a boy. Many villagers, especially her own mother, is surprised that she is still even alive. She had many illnesses and wasn’t expected to live such a long live. As Renee mentioned her in blog, Okonkwo asks the question that all other villagers are asking. The villagers are finally realizing that they should not have allowed the white men to settle and build their churches in their village. This has caused issues between villages. The people of Nigeria find it hard to fight back because they would be fighting against their own kind since many had converted once the missionaries came. By the end of the novel, I feel attached to Okonkwo because we had followed his life story for over ten years now. His suicide at the end was heartbreaking but should have been foreshadowed. As a young boy, he had to live a hard life because of his father. Once his father died and Okonkwo was on his own, he finally was able to make a living for himself. He rose up to high levels in the village but after a murder, he was exiled to his mother land. This not only embarrassed him for life, but brought him back down to just another villager. Now with all these issues with the White men, this was bound to happen. The question now though is was it all his fault or could the chi’s? I actually really enjoyed reading this book because it was nice to learn so much about a culture that we don’t hear about daily.
Despite all the problems I’ve had with Okonkwo, his death certainly was tragic. After all, he never wavered. He always clung to his own values, despite how violent and rash they were. Never, ever did he turn his back on his kin.
But in the end, he really only cared about himself. He didn’t care about what might happen to the village if he slaughtered the messenger. He didn’t care what anyone else had to say at that meeting. It’s like Gatsby—he had a corrupted dream. It became so personal and self-centered that it drove him mad and he destroyed himself. Okonkwo simply wanted to become of high status and honored. But it wasn’t exactly an honorable way to die.
What I really love about Part Three of the novel is how it fantastically paints shades of grey. Both sides have instances of foolishness and ignorance. In the end, the Europeans certainly show a lack of morals and deceit the village, as shown by the Commissioner’s book title at the end that calls them “primitive.” But before then it was a lot more confusing to pick a side. Mr. Brown was a much better, more peaceful leader who at least attempted to understand their culture while also trying to educate them. The shift between Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith comes into play obviously and sharply. Just as the book describes, things became “black and white.”
Kristina mentioned Obierika’s speech on page 176 that talks about the language barrier. I definitely agree with her comments on it. But something else in the speech interested me as well. Back in my Part Two comment I commented on the role of kinship in this novel, and I feel like it has from there developed. Obierika notes that “Now [the Europeans have] won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one.” I honestly feel like this quote represents a lot of the theme in Part Three. By the clan not sticking close together, and because some of them ditched their families for a new God, everything started to fall apart.
And who’s to blame for that? Certainly not the converters. Sure, they were a bit sneaky, but the tribe allowed it to happen. Both sides were peaceful, but while the converted ditched their homes, who was trying to stop them? Probably because they were at first low class citizens, nobody cared. They weren’t valued. And that’s where a social problems starts to form—which is exactly what the primary was before it became violent. Actually, it maybe started before that, while the villagers doubted their religious.
OKAY so I may be kind of beating around the bush, but this whole issue of “where things went wrong” is the most fascinating part of the book. It’s such a huge cultural and social question. Don’t you guys think it’s brilliant? Fascinating?
I think the reason I liked this book a lot was because I thought the character of Okonkwo was very well developed, considering how short the book was. He was so serious when he had his first experience at growing yams. I really felt for Okonwo too when he suffered he suffered the killing of his adopted son Ikemefuna, or when his oldest son Nwoye converted to Christianity and abandoned him and the rest of his family. The fear he felt when his favorite daughter was ill and the joy he felt when he was visited by his best friend Obierika while in exile really jerked around my emotions. It was hard to not feel every experience he went through.
The ending is really what got me good. Why did he have to die? What is the truest to me is that Okonkwo and the traditions of his culture were one and the same. Because the traditions were being destroyed and because other tribal members were not willing to fight as Okonkwo thought they should, he saw the end of the tribal traditions and because he identified so strongly with these, i guess he had to end his own life.
After reading this book, I understood better why the first half was so centered on Okonkwo and the tribal religions. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think Achebe wanted to show a man who was awful in order to make people dislike him, to make people think of him as uncivilized. Achebe could have chosen a different character, one who was kinder and less angry, but he didn't. He showed a man who would beat his wives, bully his children, and force his family to work all the time. He showed a man who was constantly angry and lashing out. I think he wanted Western readers to think of this tribe's culture as barbaric as possible. But the white men and their religion were no better than the black men and their religion. Both could have been equally good. Both could have been equally nasty. And if they are both equal, then what right does one have to take over and destroy the other? For me, that's what Things Fall Apart was truly about.
As chapter three starts, and the book winds down towards the end, the troubles of Okonkwo temporarily subside to the increasingly growing church. As i have mentioned in a previous blog, Okonkwo's son, Nwoye, joined the church, discracing his father and his clan. The fact that Nwoye joined the church, knowing the pain it would bring to his father, clearly shows the strength and appeal that the church had, and the lack of control that people like Okonkwo had over stopping it from converting.
As the church becomes larger and more organized, it's effects bcame more significant. The trade system flourished, bringing wealth to Umuofia, causing many clanspeople to begin to accept the church. "There were many men and women in Umuofia who did not feel as strongly as Okonkwo about the new dispensation." This fact hurt Okonkwo deeply, making him believe that the men of Umuofia were not like they used to be, as they were acting like "women."
Eventually the leader of the church, Mr. Brown, was unable to lead due to sickness, allowing another man, Mr. Smith, to take the helm. Mr. Smith was much more zealous, and did not have the same tolerating attitude as Mr. Brown. Mr. Smith's new viscous leading style inspired other enthusiastic members of the church greatly. One such member, Enoch, who had a firey attitude in the first place, was so inspired by Mr. Smith that he unmasked a egugwu, which was a holy sin.
This act caused great conflict, causing the capture of 6 clansmen, including Okonkwo, at the hands of 12 members of the church. The church ordered that the Umuofia pay 250 bags of towries as bail if they ever wanted to see the 6 men again. The money was turned over, and the men were set free, leaving Okonkwo at his boiling point, full of hatred. Okonkwo was so enfuriated by the event that he devised a plan to avenge himself and his clan, even if his clan decided against war. The next morning, there was a meeting of the clan, and during the meeting, 5 messengers from the church came. Unable to control his emomtions, Okonkwo slaughtered on of the messengers. Knowing that he comitted another crime, and brought even more shame to his clan, Okonkwo took his own life by hanging himself.
The end of the book was very surprising, as Okonkwo seemed like a man that would never even allow himself to think that he was wrong. However, terrible things such as suicide can happen if emotions go unchecked.
Samantha.M.S's commented that the village had to pay 250 cowries for the six men that the Europeans had taken hostage. I'd like to add that they certainly paid much more than that insignificant monetary price: they gave up a great deal of themselves because they submitted to the Europeans' outrageous demand instead of fighting against it and finding a way around it. They fitted themselves to the Europeans' ways rather than remembering their own ways, and thus they lost a piece of themselves in the exchange. It will start a trend, and we know who comes out on top.
On page 173 Okonkwo wishes again that his daughter Ezinma were a boy because she understands him and because she has a boyish confidence about her, according to their standards. I want to make them see that a woman is just as equal as a man, that if Okonkwo wants to treat her as a son then by all means, go ahead and do so. I think they would both be happier. But I suppose that by doing that they would be converting again to modern American customs, and they would lose some of their own customs -- just like in The Namesake.
I feel as though the Europeans' move and settlement into Umuofia represents Okonkwo. It has now been established that there are two worlds, two sides, almost like good vs. evil. And this same type of struggle resides within Okonkwo: he has what he perceives to be a good side (the strong, manly side) and an evil side (the softer, emotional, human side). Okonkwo hates the Europeans and he hates his softer (to him, womanly) side.
Page 176, toward the bottom of the page, really shows a main theme of the book. The clan has crumpled, fallen apart, separated. And it is partially due to how the clan allowed the Europeans to stay, thinking they would be effaced by the spirits of the forest. But they were foolish to let them reside, to let their strength grow, and now they are paying for it. Again, we see that a headstrong and proud mindset eventually caused a form of defeat, just as it did with Okonkwo.
I was astonished that Okonkwo killed himself, that such a great and strong man could fall so low. But it shows how connected he was to his clan and his life; he would commit such an "abomination" when his clan committed, in Okonkwo's eyes, such an abomination (207). Okonkwo took his life when he hanged himself; the clan took its life when they lost their determination and perserverence and fearless attitudes. Even when the clan fell apart, Okonkwo was connected fully to the customs, to the end.
I have to say that the ending enraged me. After reading and becoming transfixed with Okonkwo's life and his country's ways, I was so outraged by how the D.C. thought he would be able to fill a paragraph with Okonkwo's story (or what he thinks is his story) -- maybe. I was angered that he thought so highly of himself, and that he would have the audacity to belittle a great man's being and death to that. And I hate the title that the D.C. thought of, as if he single-handedly brought civilization to the tribes, as if it what he was doing was a great deed or favor. He is foolish indeed. If only he could have seen the true reasons behind their customs, the real and simple beauty of their lives. But I assume his small and closed mind would not have been able to fathom it.
Like Kaela, the end of “Things Fall Apart” enraged me, but it did not surprise me. It can also be easily justified in my mind.
I feel that Okonkwo’s death was symbolic of the death of his culture. From the very beginning of the novel, Okonkwo was very determined to stick to the ways of his society. He held these values highly and expressed them in ways similar as his ancestors. The internal conflict he had with his father only reflected these values even further. The main goal of Okonkwo’s life was to live up to the ideals of his society, proving himself to be a better person than his father. He expressed this goal by acting very masculine and hard-working. The heightened determination set upon to these attitudes caused Okonkwo to deepen his respect for the ideals of his culture. Knowingly, he fought the continuous fight to extend these beliefs to others.
His plan, however, went awry when the missionaries came into the lives of the villagers and their society. I agree with Samantha’s notion that the villagers definitely should not have underestimated the extent to which the white settlers had power and influence. As soon as the villagers welcomed the missionaries onto their land and partially into their society, I think Okonkwo began to die metaphorically. As a person so adamantly against opposing cultural norms and values, it is easy to see why Okonkwo would be so wary of new settlers and missionaries. After all, they had a large desire to take advantage of the villagers and their basic isolation from the outside world.
As the values of the society began to disintegrate, Okonkwo’s life began to become less and less meaningful. His death, though sudden and sad, reflects the death of a culture he proudly represented throughout his entire life.
It was a ripple effect; or maybe one can even think about it in the sense of a candle. All the sides of the candle were being melted away, after a slow burning the candle begins to shrink and is finally consumed. It doesn’t take much to destroy something, if few of the insiders are being corrupted. There will always be unhappy people, and therefore there will always be someone to switch sides for themselves and not for their people. Others may think of this as selfishness, because they think they are helping their people when there are pulling them apart against their own will.
Indeed, Okonkwo did communicate that he wanted Enzima to be a boy, but if she were to be a boy then he probably would expect more from her, and again she would have probably been a disappointment just like the rest of the sons. Yet, sometimes I still think it is because Enzima is an only child that effected her ability to understand her father. She probably had more time and concentration to observe the actions of her father. I remember reading that her father allowed her to sit in his hut, because he was fond of her, so it was like Enzima was the “exception”. Even though she was her mothers daughter, she was also her mothers friend. Enzima even called her mother by her first name--Ekwefi, which was another exception. I believe that because of their mother/daughter relationship, Ekwefi and Enzima were able to have deep “girl talks”, including some information about Okonkwo. Although Enzima was sick a lot, and was not as rich as the other family in the father’s compound( family wise), she was the princess in a way; maybe in the sense of how she was respected by her father and her mother.
Part three was the section where things actually fell apart, and the title of the book actually became alive to me. The falling action keeps on accumulating, there is no turning back . As it is expressed on page 177 the “white man “ came in, they let him stay thinking that he could so no harm, and then BAM “ he has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart”, expresses Okonkwo to Obrieka. This demonstrates that Okonkwo is becoming threatened, and so just as always he is gong to become angry. Which brings me to another thought, Okonkwo’s expressions/feelings. Okonkwo is not the same strong Okonkwo, he has become more weak. When, everything was falling apart, EVERYTHING was really falling apart, even Okonkwo, maybe not externally because he is always ready to fight, but internally. Until at one point everything inside him crumbled and he committed suicide. I did not expect this, even more I did not expect the reactions from the people on his compound, there was nothing. I didn’t get the feeling that anyone was moved by it. No crying, no nothing especially the moment where they encountered his dead body on page 207. I guess it is because he committed the crime of killing himself, that nobody really had anything to say.
Part three is when the title of the book basically comes into the plot of the story. Okonkwo was so powerful in the beginning and then to end up killing himself is where he fell apart. He had some emotional and mental struggles and he lost himself. The ending somewhat reminds me of Macbeth because both Okonkwo and Macbeth had a lot of power and greed causing their downfalls and their own death.
It stuck out to me as well the fact that Okonkwo never doubted Ezinma of being a boy. I think Ezinma actually wanted to understand and help her father instead of feeling like she had to. Their relationship was very different from Okonkwo's other children.
Obierika said if a clansman kills himself then their body is evil. Is that said only because they are seen as crazy? I think that's why no one was effected or reacted to Okonkwo's death, because he committed suicide and that was against the clans customs.
The Christian missionaries defiantley became powerful being that people of Umuofia were becoming interested in learning and understanding their customs/beliefs. Also adopting their ways of living. Mr. Brown was respected by many people of the clan because he had faith and the clan probably seen that as superb. Mr. Brown was akin to guidance because he visited obi's and talked with the men of the village. His character is understanding/accepting and a he is a strong believer. At one point I thought about how in history, education and religion went hand in hand. It illuminated Mr. Brown's character being that he opened up a school in Umuofia and thought about different religious beliefs.
I seen a point in which karma comes back around. After the six leaders burnt down Mr. Smith's church they were served revenge. On page 194 the District Comissioner says, "If any man ill-treats you we shall come to your rescue. But we will not allow you to ill-treat others." It resembles the saying "treat others the way you want to be treated."
Achebe made the novel very ritualistic and more spiritualistic. He depicts a lot about spirits. When it's brought up that Enoch killed an ancestral spirit and he was murdered, it reminded me of a story called La Llorna. Overall, Achebe did an excellent job with this work of literature and describing how different cultures and societies utilize.
As Monika said, Achebe does not answer every question – he does not but tell us what becomes of Okonkwo’s family, or, really, what happens to the other Ibo. But this is only natural. Though Things Fall Apart is not necessarily nonfiction, its story is certainly very true; it can hardly be considered over just because there are no pages left in the book and the main character has died. As a fairly historical text, this novel’s story continues beyond its pages (and into a sequel, I’m pretty sure).
Do I like Okonkwo? Not really. After all, he rejected his oldest son, never learned how to control his rage, killed the boy who called him his father. But I cannot help but admire him; his love for his family is very evident, especially his love for Ezinma. As Terenzi pointed out, Okonkwo’s life is just one big corrupted dream, and it led to Okonkwo’s inevitable self-destruction, which is obvious from the point that he kills Ikefuma. As I’ve already said, he would/could not adapt to the European society, to the European people, and this could not have led to a happy ending, especially since we all know what happens when Europeans get bored and choose a new continent to build churches on. Okonkwo is representative of not just himself/his clan, but the entirety of his culture; they are basically the “living fire” that “begets cold, impotent ash” (153) – both literally, when they burn the church down, and figuratively, in terms of the ash that remains of their culture. I can’t help but think Okonkwo’s just one of many natives, African and otherwise, who refused to let foreign invaders take over their society. Too bad this cycle is pretty inevitable, especially when the foreign invaders have bigger, better guns and much more money, as well as, in this case, a religion that allows for people in lower social classes to gain respect.
And I think that is Achebe’s point. Yes, the Ibo people were careless in letting the European settlers build churches without much of a fight, but can you really blame them? After all, the Europeans wiped out an entire village for its defiance. They were clearly prepared to take what they wanted by force, and they clearly wanted Nigeria. But as Kristina mentioned, neither side is really cast as “the bad guy” – sure, we tend to think of the British as bad guys, but they, for the most part, were not evil people. After all, the first time we ever hear about white men, they are being mocked by Obierka for being lepers even though, in reality, they were probably the slavers of decades past (74). Gradually, however, Okonkwo’s stubborn mocking of the white men (which continues throughout part two, and even in part three, with the mocking of Mr. Brown and the kotma [175]), turns into fear and sadness – specifically from Obierka, who is devastated that Umuofia’s “men and sons have joined the ranks of the stranger” (176). At this point, Okonkwo can call those men women all he wants, but he is not the well-respected warrior he once was; this is made clear to us when the “protest” breaks out and he is the only person to resist the messengers. Basically, Okonkwo loses his chance to accept the new power in Umuofia because that new power rejects him. He is, for all intents and purposes, as much an outsider as he was after accidentally killing that man at the end of part one.
And then, by the end, we see what the Europeans really think of the Ibo. They never feared them or respected them; we already know this, of course, because they did not heed the village elders or respect the Umuofians’ laws. But it becomes even more clear on the very last page, when we learn what the District Commissioner believes the Ibo to be: “Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.” This clearly emphasizes the superiority that the Europeans feel because of their advanced technology; what they do not seem to realize (or care about, really) is that the Umuofians were living perfectly happily without such advanced technology. We know that the Umuofians were warriors, that that worked for them. “Pacifying” them was probably not particularly necessary. Ironically, this “pacification” came with plenty of death and murder from the people who, historically, have killed a ridiculous amount of people – I mean, at this point, the British had already built up colonies in the Americas, in India, in Australia. We know that along with those colonies (especially those in the Americas) came the (accidental?) genocide of the natives – not only with guns, but also with European diseases. The point is, the British are hardly pacified themselves – especially as we know that about thirty years from the time that this book takes place, they will be fighting in the first world war, and that 50 years prior to the events the book, the British were fighting the Afghans. So no, they are not painted as “bad guys,” but they are painted as sly and arrogant.
But the Ibo are hardly painted as helpless natives; they are painted as men and women who did not see the Europeans as a threat until the Europeans had already overtaken them. The most obvious shift here is the death of Mr. Brown, which seems to symbolize the death of any possibility of compromise in Umuofia (184), especially as, more and more often, internal attacks – like the school that preached European culture (181) – tore apart the structure of Umuofia. Essentially, the Umuofians didn’t stand a chance. They should have realized the danger when Abame was wiped off the map. Instead, they waited for the Europeans to come to call the land their own (as we know from history they are wont to do).
As Terenzi pointed out, the most essential question this novel asks is, “Where do things start to fall apart?” Do they first start to fall apart way back when Okonkwo kills Ikefuma (very representative, by the way, of the fierce belief that the higher-up members of Ibo society have in their religion – they will literally kill for it) and apparently brings bad luck upon himself (and, by extension, his clansmen), as Obierka warns him (67)? Or do they first start to fall apart upon the first arrival of the first European, who is immediately murdered?
Or is it something else entirely – does the entire society first start to fall apart hundreds of years ago when someone figured out that there were plenty of people willing to trade their kinsmen for some rum and guns, or even when the Chinese developed the gunpowder that eventually became the primary weapon of the Europeans?
Or do things ever really even “fall apart” – can’t it be argued that people/societies/land/the world just grows and evolves, cyclically, the stronger people taking advantage of the weaker people until the weak grow strong again? Sure, it feels like it’s falling apart when we look at the world in such a short span of time, when we look at Okonkwo’s suicide or the destruction of Ibo spirituality, but on a long enough timeline, we see more historical patterns. Everyone conquers everyone else over and over again, and it’s not just Europeans doing the conquering. Or maybe I’m missing the point by making this more about history than about these specific British conquerers and the clans they invaded.
Okonkwo’s death was somewhat unexpected for me. Here he was, this golden-boy who everyone thought was destined to achieve, would certainly make something of his life, suddenly meeting his end. His life took a turn for the worst after being exiled. However, when you take the direction of the story into consideration, this is the only ending that could be appropriate for such a character. He was exiled from his clan, dragging his family down with him and thereby placing shame on him as the breadwinner. He was no longer a valued member of his clan, and he had to start over from the bottom to provide for himself and his family to regain their respect. It was really heartbreaking to read about him hanging himself. Clearly, all that had been happening to his people had taken its toll on him. He didn’t want to see bad things progress to worse.
It’s unfortunate that Okonkwo’s people have lost the right to govern themselves. Instead, a District Commissioner is brought in to judge cases “with ignorance” (174). The white men think that the villagers are inept, unable to govern themselves. They view the people as being unrefined in comparison to their own culture and customs. The newly implanted system has already shown signs of corruption, constantly trying to set back the clan members. However, Mr. Brown is one white character that I see is trying to make an effort to make them trust him, and see that he is a decent human being. He is an insider, fully aware of the ins and outs of the white man’s rules, and he can help the African people have an easier time, or even rebel. In example, he tries to convince the people to send their children to receive an education. He doesn’t try to fool them into thinking that they already have a chance in fighting off the white man’s influence. He is a realist, and he is telling them what would best help at this time. Having their children go to school would make them more educated about the white man’s world, and that alone would give them the upper hand, in comparison to others who are ignorant.
I dislike how the community’s unique practices and customs are being washed over by those of the white man. Their presence in the community has become even greater, as many of the Africans are beginning to accept and integrate their beliefs into their lives. Religion has become the main worm on the hook to entice the Africans. Some of them like the security that it provides in terms of the direction their lives will take, including Nwoye. I suppose in the end he did rebel against the lifestyle and beliefs that he was raised with. Being constantly bombarded by masculine expectations by his father made Christianity seem more appealing to him. Religion just seemed more inviting, less threatening than the masculine ideology of the clan. His father should stop looking down upon his daughter, Ezinma, for being born a girl. Is she hurt by her father’s regret, or is she understanding of his feelings? Being the child who knows his father the best, I think she isn’t hurt by his feelings, that she understands the advantage of having a boy at the time. With all of his expectation for boys, his son didn’t stay loyal to him and his culture, while his daughter did. Though he is proud of her, he needs to stop wishing that she had been born a boy, so that she could be the ideal son. Let her be the ideal daughter, the ideal child.
As a whole, I liked how realistic the novel was. Achebe didn’t try to make it like a fairy tale. If anything, the book showed the transition from good to bad, chronicling the characters’ downfalls and how they connected to/ influenced the other members of the clan. It was really heartbreaking to read, though, because I know that this kind of thing actually happened. People’s lives were torn apart, flipped upside down.
I won’t lie, I did not like the first two parts but the third was really interesting. It really questioned good versus evil and how we perceive it based on the author of the work. But before I dive into that I want to mention the continuous mention of how Okonkwo wishes Enzima was a boy, was the only one to think of the Nirvana song (Should of) Been A Boy?
It is not said who is with and who is wrong in this set up but it is evident hat we should be cheering for the natives who were minding their own business however it can be difficult when even the natives realize that its what the intruders think is best. The natives even acknowledge that the strangers “judged in ignorance” because they are only following their culture because that is what they find right, but this does not rectify the pain that they have released onto these people (174). Though they understand that the Christians are doing what they think is best it is evident that if they allow it to continue that their own culture will “have fallen part,” this idea is repeated twice on pages 176 and 183 (176). Their fight is not to prove who is right but for the survival of the native people’s beliefs, unlike the Christians who want to prove their belief as fact.
Christians believe to be right while so do the native people of Ibo. As the intruders argue that “there is one supreme G-d” the Ibo people argue that Chukwu has others working for him, neither have proof of this except belief (179). The Christians are determined to prove themselves the victor as the converted Enoch unveils a gewgaw, desecrating the sacredness of the event (186). Christianity brings a disgrace onto the old religion as it insults it and defames its idols. However the old religion “salutes” those who worships G-d but still does not take kindly to the defamation of their own beliefs (190). Because of the acceptance Ibo people have shown it is clear that they are the representation of the good guys as they are also the victims but in the last sentence : He had already chosen the title of the book, after much thought : The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger proves Achebe’s large point. Achebe’s point being that the good guy is also about perception created by the author, this book will view Ibo as he victim but the book written by the Christians will prove them to look like savages saved by the heroic British.
Achebe is really interesting that he plays with the readers and really makes them question what is right and what it wrong. It really kind of makes you feel guilty.
Now we see a shift in the novel where Okonkwo finally returns home from the exile. Yet, it was not the same as he left it. This reveals the change we all face even in our customs. Although Okonkwo disapproves of the drastic change it may be for the better. Mr. Brown, the Christian leader, wants to learn about the natives’ religion to understand them more so he can relate to them. By him doing this he reminds me as if he is one of the readers reading along the novel as well. Since we both are trying to have a perspective of the natives.
After the natives had burned down the Christian’s shrine Okonkwo was happy his village acted as “men”. However, the messengers took care of them and Okonkwo to face their consequences. Now Okonkwo wants to take matters into his own hands and he had killed one of the messenger during a tribal meeting. You would of thought Okonkwo would have learned his lesson from the act of crime of the burning of the shrine. This emphasizes the stubbornness Okonkwo is encountered with.
By Okonkwo killing himself indeed shocked me. I would never guess he would dare to do such a thing. From the very beginning of the book he persisted in obeying his custom and trying his absolute best to be everything his father was not. He married three wives and owned two barns to demonstrate his wealth. He beat his eldest son because he joined the Christians. He was a well respected man who tried to live his life strictly by the books of his culture. He knew killing himself he would be dishonored him. Yet, he still decided to do it knowing the consequences that were involved. To answer my two questions I had asked in part two, about whether or not he can redeem himself after the exile. Based on the suicide he had committed; no Okonkwo can not redeem himself and prove to society that he is a true respected honorable man.
Okonkwo’s death from suicide came as a surprise because although I predicted his beliefs would lead to his downfall the shameful way he died was a surprise. I figure he would blindly charge toward his enemies and die as a result. The ironic thing is that he died a death that’s considered very dishonorable like his dad who he hated so much and considered him a worthless and weak person. (Harsh but true) I think the author gave okonkwo this death to show how weak he really was. Through he only respect his beliefs and only respected the beliefs of the villages in order to keep his status, not once did he listen things that could not be solved with violence.
I think that was his way of dealing with his suffering either by pushing it away and pretending it’s not their, use as the drive to rise to hire places or use it to further fuel his ignorance. I think that Okonkwo blamed everything that happened to him on the foreigners rather than himself. He foolishly believed that getting rid of then would fix everything. He was so fixed on himself that he didn’t realize that no one was with him. When he cut the messenger’s head off he expected a war, but to his surprise nobody was wiling to fight with him not even his best friend. This was last chance I believe Okonkwo thought he had to stop things from falling apart.
All his suffering came down on him the moment no one joined him. He had so much pain and no where to release. He could not talk about them to anyway because that would mean his weak. The ironic thing is killing yourself is one of the most cowardice things you can do, but even to this point he still held tightly to his meaningless beliefs which shows how pathetic he is because I don’t think since his childhood did he act like himself. But it’s really unfortunate that his true self come out at the wrong time. The older Okonkwo wore a mask that he created from his pain, a mask the broke bringing his true self who in reality was unable to withstand the overwhelming sadness. To survive Okonkwo put that pain into something positive so he could push it away like he did when he was younger. Unfortunately that not what happened, in the end no one was with him and for the first time he believed in his weakness and since he was unable to hold that sadness in any longer he killed himself.
What I’ve just I believe is only half true the other reason I believe Okonkwo killed himself was that he wanted to take control. Not everyone kills themselves to escape because sometimes it’s a chance to take control that was taken from then. In the last moments Okonkwo must have realized this and took last bit of control he had. I know this is ironic because of his status, but because of he held in so much emotional pain over many years he was never able to realize this. From this I conclude that the author wanted people to that there is no defined views of the world because with time and new discoveries we begin to accept different things. Although we don’t evolve physically we still evolve mentally in the sense that our of the world changes and those unable to accept that will sit and watch believing their world is coming to an end, use violence or commit suicide as last change to show of control
As I aggravating as I found the ending of Things Fall Apart, it fascinated me nonetheless. The beginning of the book and the ending of the book are really polar opposites, making a brilliant display of how much change has occurred in Okonkwo’s life and Umuofia from cover to cover. At the book’s start, Achebe introduces her audience to a man who is notably strong, incredibly driven, with as much respect as he holds for his home, his history, and his culture. At the book’s start, Okonkwo considers himself untouchable, his faith the only faith, his Ibo customs the customs all should follow. At the book’s start, the author writes with a style that seems to reflect the primitive way in which Okonkwo and his people live.
At the end of the book, however, all has changed. At the book’s end, Okonkwo’s status and strength and will are all so weakened that a stranger “[drives] him to kill himself,” and the audience sees his tragic downfall (208). At the book’s end, Okonkwo’s world takes such a decline that he loses all respect for it as well, acting out, as Andrew T pointed out, not even considering the effects of his seeking vengeance on the enemy—the messengers, the white men. As we observe his decline, we realize that, after being exiled, Okonkwo does not grow, but instead grows backwards, so to speak. He returns to his previous ways, planning to revive his reputation in a way that his “return should be marked by his people,” and to act for it more than ever (171), praying for war, sincerely believing that, a war could solve the conflict with the white man, that all would be restored, that “all would be well” (199). The drastic changes towards the end exist in other characters as well, including Nwoye and his choice to turn his back on his family and home. His great change foreshadows the rebirth of his roots, the rebirth of his family’s culture, and is similar to Gogol’s great change in The Namesake; both boys betrayed the culture they were born into and wove their own paths towards a new start, even going so far as to create new identities for themselves (in Things Fall Apart, Nwoye changes his name to Isaac (182), and in The Namesake, Gogol changes his name to Nikhil.)
The change in writing style from the start of the book to the book’s end depicts a time of growth as well, though forward rather than backwards. While, through the majority of the book, Achebe’s style of writing is about as primitive as the context—choppy, with simple words and raw Ibo vocabulary—the final chapter of Things Fall Apart is noticeably more structured, with far richer context, less cultural vocab, and a seemingly new point of view. This change in writing style—as well as context and point of view—not only represents the passing of Okonkwo, but also the massive change that has begun, the massive change he was unable to stop. By ending with the Commissioner’s plans for his book, Achebe recognizes the modernization about to take place, the mention of the book not only that revealing that the Ibo culture and Okonkwo’s efforts to preserve it are history in the making—history that will not receive the respect it deserves, what with its mere “reasonable paragraph” of focus—but also symbolizes the future of the Ibo people. The book symbolizes both the civilization yet to come, and the raw culture almost already lost.
Okonkwo is a man that holds onto the past. Even in his first year of exile, he planned to return with grandeur (171). He is falling prey to his own dreams; he never once thought what if those ideas did not work out. A man such as Okonkwo is left hoping and dreaming of a better future, and getting nothing or worse, death.
Umofia has changed greatly since Okonkwo’s leave and his return is barely noticed. Okonkwo was not able to adapt to the shift in culture. Instead, he says they have gone soft like women (183). I completely agree with Brittany with the rebirth of Nwoye into Isaac. Not only is the change of name a cultural shift, it is another moment where we see Okonkwo directly dealing with the missionaries. And deal he does, he throws Mr. Brown out of his hut, and warns Mr. Brown to never come back (182). Okonkwo does not know how to deal with the foreigners other than to use force. When Okonkwo stands as the lone man against the Christians, he is left powerless.
The theme of a unity is evident in this section as well as in the previous section. The clan can not act as one (176), thus they can not fend off the Europeans with full force. The clan divides up the people; status is embedded into the culture and religion. In Christianity, all people are created equal. In a sense, Christianity unites people, while the clan’s beliefs create greater imbalances among the people.
The reason Christianity is so predominant in the world today is because of its adaptability. There is not one set of rules for Christianity. There are the Protestants, the Roman Catholic, the Anglicans, and various other sects. This is like the separate but equal doctrine, but with religion. The people of Umofia struggled to stay together; many children and outcasts joined the ranks of the Christians. The unmasking of the egwugwu was the final destruction of the clan. The immortals were just mere people. The clansmen (and women) were stunned, that night, strange and fearful noises were heard, but what Achebe writes is that it would be the last time it would be heard (187). The end of the clan is inevitable.
Okonkwo’s happiness is short lived. The meeting of the six men of Umofia and the twelve men of the District Commissioner goes to show how cunning the Europeans are. Although it is the land of the Umofia(ns), the foreigners come and go as they wish. They arrest the head of the clan as if it was nothing. The meeting takes together the old and the new, the old lifestyle, and the new culture. Before going to the meeting, Okonkwo states, “An Umofia man does not refuse a call” (193). He goes to the meeting thinking that he can not refuse to attend the meeting, but he can refuse what ever that is asked of him. Oh, how wrong he was! The Europeans have a different idea, they do not go by oral codes or traditions like Okonkwo and the clansmen do; they go by the law. There are twice as many Europeans than clansmen, which goes to show how powerless the clansmen are.
Being powerless is not something Okonkwo can take. He can not adapt to the Christian culture, so he chooses the only way out: death. I agree with Aidan, that Okonkwo resorted to suicide, because is own life was the last thing he could control. To be dead was better than being alive.
The void between Okonkwo killing one messenger and the time of his hanging leaves it up to the reader to decide what Okonkwo did in between the time span.
What I found the most interesting about this section was the District Commissioner thinking of creating a book on this event. He was going to call it The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger. Achebe takes the reader back to reality with this statement. I realized that the stories I have been told as a child, about the British taking over, were not entirely true, or the natives were not as barbaric as they were depicted. Achebe gives the reader insight on what a true native culture was like, before any Europeans came along. I completely agree with Jeri, the author’s viewpoint makes all the difference. Most American and British literature glorifies the take over of natives. It was very interesting reading from the viewpoint of a narrator who was a part of the natives.
The third part of "Things Fall Apart" strongly communicates Achebe's purpose. I believe the author wants to inform us of life's variability.
Achebe demonstrates how things fall apart through characterization. Okonkwo is characterized as proud, stubborn, brutal and selfish. His lack of discipline and a proper upbringing leads to his destruction. Achebe's message is that to maintain power, honor, and prosperity, one must have a solid moral foundation. Okonkwo's weak moral foundation caused his suicide.
Achebe's message about things falling apart is also illustrated through the destruction of the church. Initially the church was PROSPEROUS and RESPECTED, being under the just leadership of Mr. Brown. Then, the fall of the church came, when Mr. Smith became the leader of the church and inspired proud and radical views in its followers - specifically Enoch, who subsequently boasted of the power in Christianity, destroying Umuofian rituals (Achebe 186). Achebe's message is that a lack of discipline causes "things to fall apart." "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
Achebe is also implying that prosperity is something predestined. As previously stated, one must have a strong moral foundation in order to stay on top. In Okonkwo's case, his father was a low-life; therefore, Oknonkwo was predisposed to a lack of morale. Despite his ambitions to be the opposite of his father (dignified, bold, successful), Okonkwo could not finish with such virtues. Additionally, this concept of predestination is shown through the life of Ezinma, as she has the potential to be a great leader - if she were healthy and was born a man. The fact that she is an ogbanje and therefore cursed from birth, emphasizes this understanding of fate.
Furthermore, this concept can also be identified in the fate of Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna possessed a great potential to be a strong leader in Umuofia; however, this fate was impossible for him to have, since he was born to another clan. Relating to what Renee said about "a man could not rise above the destiny of his chi," I oppose her view, and suggest that this quote means that one cannot change his/her destiny, despite his/her ambitions. Achebe is a clear believer of fate and inevitability.
In response to Nidale's comments about things falling apart, I believe that things must sometimes fall apart in order to preserve the essence and unexpectancy of life. Achebe's depiction of this cycle makes his novel the more interesting, yet somewhat depressing, leaving readers with the knowledge that fate cannot be changed.
Some of you mention that you were surprised and upset that Okonkwo kills himself at the end of the book. I felt quite the opposite. Throughout the book, Okonkwo had kept a lot of his emotions on the inside. Instead of improving as time went on, Okonkwo's emotional status became worse. All Okonkwo had going for him was that he was the strongest man in his tribe, and he lost that feeling when the Christians took over. Once he realized there was little hope for his tribe, he was "deeply grieved" and "mourned" for Umuofia (183). The words "mourned" and "grieved" are similar to death, which shows me that Okonkwo had lost a part of him and a part of everything he cared for. Jean mentions that Ikemefuna's fate seemed to reappear in this chapter, and he's right. Okonkwo tried to hide his feelings of loss for his boy, but feelings get harder and harder to ignore when you lose everything. For this reason, I think Achebe wanted the main character's absence and discovery of his new clan to be more tragic that his actual death.
I disagree that his death was "tragic." I believe the destruction of the clan's culture and success was tragic, but not Okonkwo's death. It was clear to me when Okonkwo returned to his clan after a seven-year absence that him leaving had been tragic. The clan couldn't hold its culture entirely together without him. But when he returned, Okonkwo did not save the day. He wanted his clan to go back to how it was seven years ago and only a fraction of Umuofia was on his side. In the end, it felt clear to me that Okonkwo and his followers would not succeed in driving out the Christians.
I'm not saying that I do not feel sorry for Okonkwo and his tribe. I agree with what many have said about Achebe siding with Umuofia rather than the Europeans. It was wise for Achebe to publish his book in the United States, because many Americans will realize the harshness of imperialism and forced religion as a result of this book’s point of views.
In Chapters 17-25 of Things Fall Apart, the Christian church in Okonkwo's village is growing in power and in followers, successfully converting a large part of the village and at the same time creating schools and hospitals under the European missionary, Mr. Brown. Under Mr.Brown, the church and the clan are peaceful with one another, a point that I found to be very surprising. In my opinion, Mr. Brown represented the opposite of what I expected from the European settlers in the Umuofia clan. I had expected the Europeans to be violent, forcing their laws and religion on the Ibo people and killing those that didn't accept it, but Mr. Brown seems to truly just want to gain an understanding of the Umuofia customs and preach peace between the church and the clan. On a side note, I can say that Mr. Smith, the extremely cruel missionary who replaced Mr. Brown, exemplified the type of cruelty I was expecting. It disgusts me.
Okonkwo, in the meantime is planning on how to rebuild his compound and restore, even increase his rank in the clan once his exile is over, which it nearly is. Here, we can see that Okonkwo is over his depression from his exile. He is starting to care about his pride and rank once more, and he even thinks of his kinsmen in Mbanta as being "womanly" because they chose to exile, rather than go to battle with the white settlers, which shows that his aggressive "masculinity" is back to what it was before he was exiled. However, when he arrives at his village, he sees that his clan is being ruled by the laws of the Europeans, which "deeply grieves Okonkwo. And it was not just a personal grief. He mourned for the clan, which he saw breaking up and falling apart, and he mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women" (p.183). It must have been tough for Okonkwo to see his clan submitting to the white settlers, going against everything that he believed in. It must have been worse, after he is one of six clansmen kidnapped and held for a 250 bags of towrie ransom. I'm actually starting to feel bad for Okonkwo, not only is the toughness and pride of his clan in question, his own pride and toughness is in question now, his life is breaking apart.
At the end of Part 3, Okonkwo is absolutely furious when he is returned to the village after his ransom is paid and his anger gets the best of him when he kills a messenger from the church, bringing a ton of shame to his clan and to himself. Unable to deal with his shame, the loss of the toughness in his clan and the heart-breaking loss of his own masculine beliefs, Okonkwo hangs himself, such a serious and shameful crime that his own closest friends refuse to bring his body down.
Personally, I found the end of the book to be the most surprising part in the entire book. I would have never expected a man like Okonkwo, who put pride and aggression before anything else, to end his life by suicide, an act that I believe shows ultimate weakness. I never saw it coming that he would commit such weak act, especially when he hated weakness.
This is easily the most powerful section of the novel because it’s where Chinua Achebe makes his anti-colonialism statement. Achebe shows the progress of the missionaries in the village and how they went from being an annoying presence to an encroaching influence, and he makes the destructive impact of the evangelization clear through Okonkwo.
At exile, Okonkwo planned his return to normalcy but upon his return, he finds the people of Umofia fundamentally different, as if “they lost the will to fight.” Okonkwo represents his village’s culture up to end of the book, and his suicide represents the demise of Umofia. Am I surprised that Okonkwo killed himself? Yes, and I think we were all supposed to be. Okonkwo did not kill himself because the village was being taken, but because his clan refused to back him up. At that moment, his foundation, which was so entangled with his culture, was completely destroyed. I just have to strongly disagree with Ravi’s claim that Okonkwo’s suicide was a sign of weakness, that claim is completely baseless and inconsistent with Okonkwo’s character, which remained constant throughout the text (a strategy used so that readers can compare the old village, represented by Okonkwo, with the one he returns to after exile). It seems to me like he saw his suicide as the only way to call people’s attention to the impending doom of the village and to break them out of their uncharacteristic submission.
I think that Things Fall Apart does portray Achebe’s views intercultural discourse politics very frankly, by having the more diplomatic missionary die he is making a commentary against this kind of abrasive dialogue, but ultimately saying that oppression will surely ensue after a invasion, despite the foreign “good intentions.”
Regarding Nidale's comment saying that she did not like Okonkwo due to his actions, all I have to say is that I think that's part of the point. Someone who grew up in the West will immediately reject those values, and this kind of premature judgment and lack of communication is what Achebe is calling attention to.
The end of the last part of the third part of the book was a very symbolic occurrence. It signified the end of a group of people, the group that Okonkwo represented. The olden ways of the clan, symbolically, died with Okonkwo. Not everything about it was lost, as they would not even touch Okonkwo after he took his life, but the spirit and courage of the people. The “masculinity” of the people was lost with the exile of Okonkwo. Towards the end of the book, he states how “worthy men are no more”. In that moment, he realizes that his fight will be a lost cause, and decides to go out with honor as he sees it, not as the clan sees it. While the clan does things as their ancestors previously have laid down for them in rules and laws which the clan obeys, but they seem to have lost the heart and ways of their ancestors from before, in that aspect. The arrest of the six clans men that happened so fast as they couldn’t even grab their machetes. I think that this represents the way the Europeans in a way blindsided the African clans in their colonization of them.
Just to add in some kind of biblical perspective, if anyone doesn’t know, Enoch in the old Testament was a man who walked very closely with God throughout his life. So it doesn’t really surprise me that Enoch was one of the most radical of the converts.
Many people have previously stated that the chi of everyone represents the personal destiny, and I couldn’t agree more. The way that Achbee always says that the chi is a “personal” god continually hints at the fact he wants them to represent the indavidual’s destiny.
I began to like this book more and more as it went on and more action was developing. At first it was a little boring to me, but reading more and more into it I developed a kind of like for it.
Part 3 surely was a heartbreaking finish to the novel. Although Okwonko’s demise was inevitable to me, even from the very beginning, I have dug a soft spot in my heart for him. Although his actions describe a treacherous, even heartless man, I admire his devotion and loyalty. To his very last day on Earth he would not abandon the culture in which he worked hard to carve out his title for himself. He would not sacrifice his beliefs and customs to pacify the white converts, he stuck to his guns and ended his own life. Admirable? Yes. Smartest thing to do? No.
This culture clash between Umuofia and the Christians definitely parallels what I have learned in history. The British invade new land, take the it by force If need be, establish churches and western institutions of learning, wear out the resources of the native peoples and move on. Even as much as I had wished that maybe perhaps Okwonko pulled a miracle and happened to drive away the converts, like Nidale said, they had bigger and better guns and could take the land by force if they needed to.
I would like to compare Okwonko’s life to a yam. I found that foreshadowing in the beginning of the book to be rather indicative of something that would probably happen to Okwonko later on in the book. Too much rain and it will die, too little and it will die too. Goes to show that everything should be done with moderation and balance. Okwonko’s father was too lazy and life loving, hence he was the village fool. On the other hand Okwonko was the headstrong and driven man, nothing could budge him, he knew what he wanted and always strove to achieve it, no matter what. In his pursuit he would even kill his loved ones, and abandoned his home out of primitive customs and rituals.
Unlike previous posters who showed surprise at Okownko’s suicide, I found it kind of like relief. I rather that he ended his own life than have his own life taken by the hands of his enemies. If you really put this into perspective the Christians were far better equipped and better experienced, the commissioners incident was evidence of their quick acting intelligence. In a way, Okownko and his clan look kind of pathetic in their goatskin bags and sheathed machetes, they were no match for better built guns and advanced years of accumulated battle strategies. Okwonko’s death is ironically the first and last act of rebellion that was intentional, people of his clan are not allowed to take away their own lives, but for the sake of his people and culture, he ended his as to show the converts that he was in control until the very end.
In "Things Fall Apart", Chinua Achebe clearly has some important moral lessons. One is that one can not change their fate or chi and that if one does not achieve mental peace then no peace will be acquired.
In Part 3 you can literally see "things fall apart", especially for Okonkwo. With the arrival of the Europeans, Nyowe's betrayal, and the converts of tribesmen, it seemed like nothing was going Okonkwo's way. The tribe's decision to lend some land to the Christians to build a church turned out to be one of the worst mistake ever. Fighting off the Christians wasn't an option either because "How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us?" Life in Umuofia did not seem to brighten for the tribe.
I felt as though Mr. Brown was helping the clan by providing education, and hospitals. It definately modernized Umuofia but at the same time he was killing the tribe's religion/culture. I don't think anyone has the right to say your belief is wrong and theirs is right. As long as they aren't bothering you let the people do as they please.
The ending of the novel was a bit unexpected. When "they came to the tree from which Okonkwo's body was dangling, and they had stopped dead," (207). I had a feeling that Okonkwo was going to die but I didn't expect him to take his own life which is a great sin in the tribe. It was a bit ironic too because who would of thought a man destined for greatness would end his life himself. Okonkwo's suicide also shows how after all his life attempting to be tough and strong, in the end becoming weak and collapsing.
Overall, "Things Fall Apart" is a remarkable story and Achebe did an amazing job capturing colonization from a different perspective.
"He never stopped regretting that Ezinma was a girl" (172). Well now, this reminds me of something similar. Just as it is here, bearing sons is highly coveted and desired in comparison to daughters...in China. In fact, sometimes a daughter would be disposed of by being sold or even outright killed in order for the parents to start again with a clean slate and try to bear a son. Pretty sadistic if you ask me. It's surprising that Okonkwo didn't kill Ezinma then. If he did, he wouldn't have to bear the incessant teasing that 'this is what one of your sons could have been' that loomed over him for so long because of her existence.
Achebe seems to be a master at pulling of irony, even if he doesn't necessarily mean to. It still happens. At one point, Okonkwo complains that there no brave men anymore, no good men, no men who are actually men. Only cowards. And this fact proves itself in an ironic faction. A meeting is held between the men who have no yet defected to the Christians and a speech is made where great things are said involving going to war and killing our brothers since they joined the enemy. Too bad it all falls apart when white messengers are at the door. Out of manly anger, Okonkwo decapitates the first messenger. But the rest run away while the other men, whom seconds ago were up in arms over fighting the Christians, stood around like a group of clueless ducks, in pure fright, and thought Okonkwo was a fool for having killed one of the white men. Even though that was what they were planning to do son anyway...understandably, walks away in anger.
The ending was a lot to take in at once. Okonkwo killing himself isn't very much of a stretch. In fact that was probably his best available decision. It was either that or face execution from white men. And as a true man, allowing one's self to be killed willingly by his enemy is unthinkable. Killing himself isn't much better since it defiled the tribe, but...perhaps that was his intention all along. The tribe he once loved so much had devolved into a bunch of sniveling cowards. He must have felt shame to have been a part of that group at all. Sadly, though, the legacy he leaves behind will be in the same vain as his father - a disgrace to his tribe. But it doesn't mean much anyway, because the tribe has already fallen apart, 'pacified' by the white men who treat as them as equally as dirt...or more specifically, material towards writing a book that may hope to sell well.
The title for this book was aptly chosen. Things certainly did fall apart, in all fronts, for the tribe. Their pride fell apart, their manliness fell apart, their courage fell apart, their beliefs fell apart, their tradition fell apart, their independence fell apart, their religion fell apart, their sturdiness fell apart, I could go on forever. The worst part? Knowing that there wasn't a damn thing they could possibly do about it.
In Chapter 20, the Imuofia figures out the European deception tactics: “How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. . . Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can longer act like one (176).” This quote here, illustrates a dangerous attempt to colonize the whole tribal region. The Europeans are basically using the tribe’s own people to suppress the whole clan from aggression. It’s a classical move to control the population of people, simply by deception. I thought the ending was quite predictable taking into account of Okwonko’s foolish attitude. Like I said before, Okwonko’s personality is very much similar to Creon in the Greek myth Oedipus. Such flaw would invariably cause the character’s demise: whether Okonkwo was to be killed by the Europeans or his suicidal move. Really, the whole Imuofia clan was collapsing and there was no defense from European invasion. Things were falling apart.
In part three we learn of all that has gone on in the last seven years in the village when Okonkwo was gone. When he arrives back he finds how the village has been taken over by white Christian men who have built a church, courthouse, and made a government while he was gone. I think this angered him because he felt like he couldn’t be a powerful person in the village anymore. He ends up wanting to kick these men out…but not many people think that that is a good idea. I agree with what Cynthia say and how part three really is the part where everything “fell apart” as the title says. As Andrew and Nidale talk about I also wondered when things really start to fall apart. I also wondered was it when Okonkwo killed Ikefuma or if it was all falling apart from the beginning and we all never really realized it? I think this was really one of the main thing Achbe wanted us to think about and wonder. Was it at one specific point or was everything falling apart from the beginning. Lastly, I was really shocked at the end when Okonkwo dies. I honestly didn’t see that coming. I never thought he would kill himself. I really thought that he saw himself as a manly man and that committing suicide would be the furthest thing from what he would do.
To be honest, I was a bit iffy on this book until I came across its end. In a truly amazing way, Achebe shows the horrible and disgusting side to human nature, which I believe he was doing throughout the book.
When you think about it, these men, Okonkwo included, were revered as being the strongest men with the most titles. I remember in the first section that Okonkwo took pride in carrying the skulls of men he had killed. In fact, this did not just apply to him but to the culture it was a feat that was accepted and even encouraged. Okonkwo in particular has had an itching to go into battle, to have bloodshed throughout the book. This need to kill something and Okonkwo's own need to do violence of any kind is one of the perverse sides humans. This same aspect can be seen in the missionaries who, despite coming to spread the love and benevolence of God, beat, whip, demean, and kill the Africans all in the name of God. It is this almost sick mentality of doing what you believe is right despite the facts that it is most likely wrong on many levels. I believe that Achebe is indicating this to us, emphasizing it the most in this section.
Personally as a Christian myself, I found it hard to read what the missionaries were doing to the people, however it makes sense, historically and when taking into consideration the point of view of the book. The Africans have lived fine for centuries and now invaders have come to ruin them by getting rid of 1) their gods, 2) their clansmen, and 3) their government. I understand the rightly felt fear and anger of and towards the missionaries. I believe that Achebe is also putting out the question, what is the right way to live? Clearly, the missionaries and the Africans have different ideas on this matter and Okonkwo's hanging to me signifies that Achebe believes there cannot be more than one correct way. Okonkwo's hanging was as if he was saying, "My way of living is getting destroyed, therefore I choose not to live any longer." In the end, after the missionaries complete their work, there will be only one way of living. Perhaps, Achebe suggests that there will be fights over which way is correct, but like any good fight, there will be a victor.
Clearly the main focus of the third chunk is the conflict between the clan and the white men and their Christianity. I would have reacted in the same way that Onkokwo did. If random white men showed up to my land and started preaching a God and shutting down my own gods and my way of living, I would go crazy. It's one thing to show up to a foreign land and decide to live there, but it's another thing to completely change the cultural status of the people who were originally on that land. As the Christians began to grow in numbers, the clan members began to increase in anger. They decided to fight back by refusing to let them into the market, but this act only started a chain of events that eventually permitting things to fall apart -- :).
Okonkwo was upset that his return to his fatherland was not noticed as much as he had hoped it would be. He was happy that his daughters had become beautiful young women. Ezinma had even developed a short fuse which caused her to freak out on everyone but her father -- most likely because this was something they had in common. Though he was happy of his daughters' beautiful appearances, he was very displeased with his son's actions. Nwoye/Isaac's acceptajce to training college should have been something that Okonkwo was proud of. His son had done something that he had wanted to do. Doesn't it make him successful if he has done it on his own? Okonkwo should be proud of that.
Okonkwo keeps confusing me. When he was told about his son's acceptance of Christianity he was infuriated and blamed his chi. This reminds me of what Ekwefi had done when her children kept dying. Okonkwo, while in exhile, managed to maintain a sense of responsibility. He sent money to his clan ahead of time so he could make sure that his land would be prepared for when he returned. While he was in exile he gained of sense of kinship that helped motivate him to stand up for his clan against the Christians. The people of his motherland gathered "together in the moonlit village ground not because of the moon" but because "it is good for kinsmen to do so" (p 167). The mentioning of the moon reminds me of the very beginning of the book when they mention that even a crippled man becomes hungry for a walk in the moonlight. With this in mind, Okonkwo was able to somehow find the energy to kill the messenger. He gave it everything he had because he believed it was right.
It's not really too important, but I don't really understand why the Christians felt the need to shave their heads. Were they being reborn? It reminds me of The Namesake -- except that was for mourning.
I knew that Okonkwo's ultimate suicide was coming because it seemed like the world turned against him. His clan obviously didn't care about him anymore because he'd been away too long and the Europeans had built their churches and stores on the land, gaining converts from the clan. Okonkwo no longer held a high authority amongst his own people which drove him bananas and made him take his own life. It's sad but I saw it coming a mile away because of Okonkwo's difficult personality and his power-thirsty drive, which led to his ultimate downfall.
This book represents the eyes for many people: for Africans,Native Americans and many others. We condemn what we don not understand or feel that it is inferior. One of my favorite moments is when Ekwefi is telling the story of the tortoise and the reason why his shell is not smooth. I agree and disagree a little with Sam. I think they were some what ignorant but I don' think any more than the Englishmen where at that time. They still had many unanswered question and still had a religion and sacrifices of their own kind. The Africans put their trust in a human being, the Brits but their trust in an old dusty book that can mean many different things to many different people, a book written with many different authors. I don't think it was a mistake as Samantha said but more of a show of being civil. Should the native had attacked all the Brits it is like they would have easily fallen at the end of gun. I don't really think the tribe "got themselves into trouble by standing for their beliefs and refraining from violence, I think honestly they had very few options.
I think what Chinua Achebe is trying to bring out is that there has been a great loss because of the arrival of the Brits. A loss of roots history and stories. That everything that gave the tribe pride and honor was now suddenly looked at with shame and shock.In a way I almost pity the Brits because as much as they tried to fill the native up with information they only learned enough about the other side not to try and understand the length of the history behind it but to simply use it to manipulate people. They themselves have given birth to their own great ignorance.
The gender role is stressed throughout the whole book. In the second part of the book shows how in the motherland, women have the power to take care of the family. Another strength seen in females is through Ezinma. Although she is a girl, she is just as strong as her father. Ezinma is the opposite of her brother, Nwoye because she is bravery, intelligence,and strength that he is not. The amount of love Okonkwa had for his daughter should not have been based on gender. The ending connects to the idea of imperialism learned in history class. Usually the ones who stubbornly fight and refuse to accept new ideas end up losing more lives. For example, Okonkwo refuses to accept the education and new technologies provided by the missionaries, so he ends up killing himself. For someone who has as much pride as Okonkwo, his death showed how stubborn and self centered he was.
I completely agree with everyone: it is so irritating how Achebe leaves so many questions unanswered, however this is the common link in all literature: the authors ability to leave the reader guessing, leaving the answers up to ones imagination and analysis of the information that is provided. Overall, it is ironic how Okonokwo life had turned out be ALMOST everything he had deemed it not to be; he is his father’s son, and his lifestyle choices reflect this completely; he had become everything he wished not to be.
Overall the novel is very similar to “The Heart of Darkness” this lurking idea of the hypocritical motive behind imperialism and its repetitive appearances throughout history. As in “The Heart of Darkness”, “Things Fall Apart” demonstrates the European powers swiftly and successfully taking over the weaker components: African societies, and the Umuofia cultures and the toll this imperialistic actions had taken on the individuals effected by it. All in all, the self inflicted demise of Okonokwo was predictable, it had been his downfall, and the reader eventually can see it coming.
In Part three I find the colonist moving into the land of Obrerika and Okonkwo very disrespectful. The people of the village should immediately of said no to the white men settling their crunvhes in their home.
I feel like Okonkwo tried so much to not be like his father. He tried so much that he didnt care about others just himself. He even wished his daughter was a boy just because she had the confidence like a boy and he loved it because his own very son turned into a christian and left his family behind. We can never hate a man for trying to do his best, but it has to be in a honerable way. Not in a greedy way because once you have that power it will go away if you dont know how to use it the right way.
I feel attached to Okonkwo because I been reading ten years of his life. I just dont know why he had to die that way. The meeting with the six men of Umofia and the twelve men of the district commissioner is where Okonkwo lost his power. He could no longer control anyone. Its so hard transitioning to having all the power and in the blink of an eye you dont have the crown anymore. He felt weak and hopeless like he felt about women. I feel like the only control he had was taking his life because theres no way he was going to adapt to the Christian life because if he did then everything he ever stood for would stand for nothing !
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41 comments:
Knowing how intensely ritualistic and with what passion this clan worships their ancestors and gods, I’m actually surprised at how long physical conflicts were kept at bay between the Christians and the tribe. They are clearly patient people, but possibly ignorant in certain ways. They first accepted the Christian missionaries as harmless men, telling crazy story of an almighty god. They let them live on their land, cut down their “Evil Forest”, and consequently, build their church for worship. I feel like these were all very silly mistakes—they clearly shouldn’t have underestimated the white settler’s power to change the minds of the villagers. Now the tribe has clearly gotten itself into trouble, and although the closing of the book leaves the reader hanging in some respects, it can be assumed that this tribe will be seeing troubled times ahead of it.
One point that is often stressed by the author is how Okonkwo wishes that Ezinma was born a boy. Ezinma is, in certain ways, similar to her father. Okonkwo had to face a hard childhood in order to progress as a warrior, farmer, and man. Ezinma is similar to this in how she for so long had been considered an ogbanje: a changeling who curses child after child of the mother it is born to. She was not expected to live a full life and she often got sick. But, Ezinma was clearly a fighter all along. She fought for her mother, who loved her dearly, and lived to grow into one of the most beautiful girls of her clan. In her, Okonkwo can see maturity, perseverance, and intelligence: all something he was truly looking for in a son that could grow to be like himself. With the huge disappointment that Nwoye was, it is understandable how Okonkwo regrets the sex of his daughter.
I think the incident where the District Commissioner held hostage six important men of Umuofia was the true turning point where the clan realized the true amount of trouble they were in with the arrival of the Europeans. For so long they had figured that they were harmless and that they would eventually give up on converting the villagers, or that eventually the tribe would drive them away. But now the white men have done something completely disrespectful to them, and the tribe had to pay for it…pay 250 cowries for it to be more specific.
The ending was in some ways understandable. Throughout the entire book, the reader gets the point of view of Okonkwo’s internal struggle. He’s seen hardships for much of his life, and when he finally had a name for himself, a stable life, and a promise for power in the future, everything collapsed for him. When his exile was over, he came back to Umuofia to find it ridden with the new ways of the white men. Again, he was completely disappointed. When his clan did not have the brave warrior spirit that he held and did not want to go to war, he couldn’t take it anymore, hence why he ended up taking his own life. In some ways, this is Okonkwo turning his back on his tribe. As Obierika explains, it is an insult to the tribe for a man to take his own life. And for a man with as much worth and power as Okonkwo to go against the ways of his tribe and take his life makes a huge statement, both to the tribe and the white men that drove him to do so.
The conversation between Obierika and Okonkwo is a very important exchange between the two. Okonkwo asks Obierika, “Does the white man understand our custom about land?” this is a clear indication that Okonkwo as well as Obierika is not at all happy with the arrival of the colonists. Obierika realizes that the reason for such aggravation is a two way street. The European colonists have not approached Umuofia in a kind manner. They do not speak the language, respect the culture or agree with their sense of religion. Yet, the Umuofians and Ibos have only added to the deterioration of their village and its components. For example, there are Umuofians such as Nwoye who think about or who convert to Christianity and taking advantage of the schooling that the colonialists propose. The justice system, religion, and tradition combined is the glue that holds a society or in this case a village behind. Through the reading, it is evident that the villagers have partaken in the destruction of Umuofia.
I did not realize the importance of the chi, or personal god until the end of the novel. Achebe wrote, “a man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi.” In other words, everyone is responsible for their own destiny. I concede with Samantha’s point that both the tribe and the white men drove Okonkwo to take his own life, yet I have something to add to her statement. Because no one can rise above his or her chi, Okonkwo is responsible for his own death. When Okonkwo was confident, successful and happy nothing could tear him down but as soon as the slightest mishap occurred, his pompous attitude shifted and he continued to dig at himself and to ask, why me?
Things Fall Apart is a wonderful novel. Achebe begins the novel by introducing Okonkwo and as I was reading I believed Achebe was going to write the whole story solely on Okonkwo. But, as I got deeper into the book I couldn’t put it down because I realized that intertwined in the storyline were two different stories. When I was reading I thought that Okonkwo represented Umuofia. When Okonkwo was sent into exile, he faced many hardships. Simultaneously, Umuofia and surrounding villages were being introduced to what would be their downfall.
Nearing toward the end of the book, some things are explained but we are still left hanging, as I mentioned before. With prior history knowledge, we can assume some things such as war and more change between the Europeans and all of Africa, but in the book, it doesn’t really explain that to full extent.
Despite the fact that Ezinma has grown to become a mature and beautiful girl, Okonkwo still regrets the fact that she wasn’t born a boy. Many villagers, especially her own mother, is surprised that she is still even alive. She had many illnesses and wasn’t expected to live such a long live.
As Renee mentioned her in blog, Okonkwo asks the question that all other villagers are asking. The villagers are finally realizing that they should not have allowed the white men to settle and build their churches in their village. This has caused issues between villages. The people of Nigeria find it hard to fight back because they would be fighting against their own kind since many had converted once the missionaries came.
By the end of the novel, I feel attached to Okonkwo because we had followed his life story for over ten years now. His suicide at the end was heartbreaking but should have been foreshadowed. As a young boy, he had to live a hard life because of his father. Once his father died and Okonkwo was on his own, he finally was able to make a living for himself. He rose up to high levels in the village but after a murder, he was exiled to his mother land. This not only embarrassed him for life, but brought him back down to just another villager. Now with all these issues with the White men, this was bound to happen. The question now though is was it all his fault or could the chi’s?
I actually really enjoyed reading this book because it was nice to learn so much about a culture that we don’t hear about daily.
Despite all the problems I’ve had with Okonkwo, his death certainly was tragic. After all, he never wavered. He always clung to his own values, despite how violent and rash they were. Never, ever did he turn his back on his kin.
But in the end, he really only cared about himself. He didn’t care about what might happen to the village if he slaughtered the messenger. He didn’t care what anyone else had to say at that meeting. It’s like Gatsby—he had a corrupted dream. It became so personal and self-centered that it drove him mad and he destroyed himself. Okonkwo simply wanted to become of high status and honored. But it wasn’t exactly an honorable way to die.
What I really love about Part Three of the novel is how it fantastically paints shades of grey. Both sides have instances of foolishness and ignorance. In the end, the Europeans certainly show a lack of morals and deceit the village, as shown by the Commissioner’s book title at the end that calls them “primitive.” But before then it was a lot more confusing to pick a side. Mr. Brown was a much better, more peaceful leader who at least attempted to understand their culture while also trying to educate them. The shift between Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith comes into play obviously and sharply. Just as the book describes, things became “black and white.”
Kristina mentioned Obierika’s speech on page 176 that talks about the language barrier. I definitely agree with her comments on it. But something else in the speech interested me as well. Back in my Part Two comment I commented on the role of kinship in this novel, and I feel like it has from there developed. Obierika notes that “Now [the Europeans have] won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one.” I honestly feel like this quote represents a lot of the theme in Part Three. By the clan not sticking close together, and because some of them ditched their families for a new God, everything started to fall apart.
And who’s to blame for that? Certainly not the converters. Sure, they were a bit sneaky, but the tribe allowed it to happen. Both sides were peaceful, but while the converted ditched their homes, who was trying to stop them? Probably because they were at first low class citizens, nobody cared. They weren’t valued. And that’s where a social problems starts to form—which is exactly what the primary was before it became violent. Actually, it maybe started before that, while the villagers doubted their religious.
OKAY so I may be kind of beating around the bush, but this whole issue of “where things went wrong” is the most fascinating part of the book. It’s such a huge cultural and social question. Don’t you guys think it’s brilliant? Fascinating?
I think the reason I liked this book a lot was because I thought the character of Okonkwo was very well developed, considering how short the book was. He was so serious when he had his first experience at growing yams. I really felt for Okonwo too when he suffered he suffered the killing of his adopted son Ikemefuna, or when his oldest son Nwoye converted to Christianity and abandoned him and the rest of his family. The fear he felt when his favorite daughter was ill and the joy he felt when he was visited by his best friend Obierika while in exile really jerked around my emotions. It was hard to not feel every experience he went through.
The ending is really what got me good. Why did he have to die? What is the truest to me is that Okonkwo and the traditions of his culture were one and the same. Because the traditions were being destroyed and because other tribal members were not willing to fight as Okonkwo thought they should, he saw the end of the tribal traditions and because he identified so strongly with these, i guess he had to end his own life.
After reading this book, I understood better why the first half was so centered on Okonkwo and the tribal religions. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think Achebe wanted to show a man who was awful in order to make people dislike him, to make people think of him as uncivilized. Achebe could have chosen a different character, one who was kinder and less angry, but he didn't. He showed a man who would beat his wives, bully his children, and force his family to work all the time. He showed a man who was constantly angry and lashing out. I think he wanted Western readers to think of this tribe's culture as barbaric as possible. But the white men and their religion were no better than the black men and their religion. Both could have been equally good. Both could have been equally nasty. And if they are both equal, then what right does one have to take over and destroy the other? For me, that's what Things Fall Apart was truly about.
As chapter three starts, and the book winds down towards the end, the troubles of Okonkwo temporarily subside to the increasingly growing church. As i have mentioned in a previous blog, Okonkwo's son, Nwoye, joined the church, discracing his father and his clan. The fact that Nwoye joined the church, knowing the pain it would bring to his father, clearly shows the strength and appeal that the church had, and the lack of control that people like Okonkwo had over stopping it from converting.
As the church becomes larger and more organized, it's effects bcame more significant. The trade system flourished, bringing wealth to Umuofia, causing many clanspeople to begin to accept the church. "There were many men and women in Umuofia who did not feel as strongly as Okonkwo about the new dispensation." This fact hurt Okonkwo deeply, making him believe that the men of Umuofia were not like they used to be, as they were acting like "women."
Eventually the leader of the church, Mr. Brown, was unable to lead due to sickness, allowing another man, Mr. Smith, to take the helm. Mr. Smith was much more zealous, and did not have the same tolerating attitude as Mr. Brown. Mr. Smith's new viscous leading style inspired other enthusiastic members of the church greatly. One such member, Enoch, who had a firey attitude in the first place, was so inspired by Mr. Smith that he unmasked a egugwu, which was a holy sin.
This act caused great conflict, causing the capture of 6 clansmen, including Okonkwo, at the hands of 12 members of the church. The church ordered that the Umuofia pay 250 bags of towries as bail if they ever wanted to see the 6 men again. The money was turned over, and the men were set free, leaving Okonkwo at his boiling point, full of hatred. Okonkwo was so enfuriated by the event that he devised a plan to avenge himself and his clan, even if his clan decided against war. The next morning, there was a meeting of the clan, and during the meeting, 5 messengers from the church came. Unable to control his emomtions, Okonkwo slaughtered on of the messengers. Knowing that he comitted another crime, and brought even more shame to his clan, Okonkwo took his own life by hanging himself.
The end of the book was very surprising, as Okonkwo seemed like a man that would never even allow himself to think that he was wrong. However, terrible things such as suicide can happen if emotions go unchecked.
Samantha.M.S's commented that the village had to pay 250 cowries for the six men that the Europeans had taken hostage. I'd like to add that they certainly paid much more than that insignificant monetary price: they gave up a great deal of themselves because they submitted to the Europeans' outrageous demand instead of fighting against it and finding a way around it. They fitted themselves to the Europeans' ways rather than remembering their own ways, and thus they lost a piece of themselves in the exchange. It will start a trend, and we know who comes out on top.
On page 173 Okonkwo wishes again that his daughter Ezinma were a boy because she understands him and because she has a boyish confidence about her, according to their standards. I want to make them see that a woman is just as equal as a man, that if Okonkwo wants to treat her as a son then by all means, go ahead and do so. I think they would both be happier. But I suppose that by doing that they would be converting again to modern American customs, and they would lose some of their own customs -- just like in The Namesake.
I feel as though the Europeans' move and settlement into Umuofia represents Okonkwo. It has now been established that there are two worlds, two sides, almost like good vs. evil. And this same type of struggle resides within Okonkwo: he has what he perceives to be a good side (the strong, manly side) and an evil side (the softer, emotional, human side). Okonkwo hates the Europeans and he hates his softer (to him, womanly) side.
Page 176, toward the bottom of the page, really shows a main theme of the book. The clan has crumpled, fallen apart, separated. And it is partially due to how the clan allowed the Europeans to stay, thinking they would be effaced by the spirits of the forest. But they were foolish to let them reside, to let their strength grow, and now they are paying for it. Again, we see that a headstrong and proud mindset eventually caused a form of defeat, just as it did with Okonkwo.
I was astonished that Okonkwo killed himself, that such a great and strong man could fall so low. But it shows how connected he was to his clan and his life; he would commit such an "abomination" when his clan committed, in Okonkwo's eyes, such an abomination (207). Okonkwo took his life when he hanged himself; the clan took its life when they lost their determination and perserverence and fearless attitudes. Even when the clan fell apart, Okonkwo was connected fully to the customs, to the end.
I have to say that the ending enraged me. After reading and becoming transfixed with Okonkwo's life and his country's ways, I was so outraged by how the D.C. thought he would be able to fill a paragraph with Okonkwo's story (or what he thinks is his story) -- maybe. I was angered that he thought so highly of himself, and that he would have the audacity to belittle a great man's being and death to that. And I hate the title that the D.C. thought of, as if he single-handedly brought civilization to the tribes, as if it what he was doing was a great deed or favor. He is foolish indeed. If only he could have seen the true reasons behind their customs, the real and simple beauty of their lives. But I assume his small and closed mind would not have been able to fathom it.
Like Kaela, the end of “Things Fall Apart” enraged me, but it did not surprise me. It can also be easily justified in my mind.
I feel that Okonkwo’s death was symbolic of the death of his culture. From the very beginning of the novel, Okonkwo was very determined to stick to the ways of his society. He held these values highly and expressed them in ways similar as his ancestors. The internal conflict he had with his father only reflected these values even further. The main goal of Okonkwo’s life was to live up to the ideals of his society, proving himself to be a better person than his father. He expressed this goal by acting very masculine and hard-working. The heightened determination set upon to these attitudes caused Okonkwo to deepen his respect for the ideals of his culture. Knowingly, he fought the continuous fight to extend these beliefs to others.
His plan, however, went awry when the missionaries came into the lives of the villagers and their society. I agree with Samantha’s notion that the villagers definitely should not have underestimated the extent to which the white settlers had power and influence. As soon as the villagers welcomed the missionaries onto their land and partially into their society, I think Okonkwo began to die metaphorically. As a person so adamantly against opposing cultural norms and values, it is easy to see why Okonkwo would be so wary of new settlers and missionaries. After all, they had a large desire to take advantage of the villagers and their basic isolation from the outside world.
As the values of the society began to disintegrate, Okonkwo’s life began to become less and less meaningful. His death, though sudden and sad, reflects the death of a culture he proudly represented throughout his entire life.
THE CENTER IS BEING ATTACKED !
It was a ripple effect; or maybe one can even think about it in the sense of a candle. All the sides of the candle were being melted away, after a slow burning the candle begins to shrink and is finally consumed. It doesn’t take much to destroy something, if few of the insiders are being corrupted. There will always be unhappy people, and therefore there will always be someone to switch sides for themselves and not for their people. Others may think of this as selfishness, because they think they are helping their people when there are pulling them apart against their own will.
Indeed, Okonkwo did communicate that he wanted Enzima to be a boy, but if she were to be a boy then he probably would expect more from her, and again she would have probably been a disappointment just like the rest of the sons. Yet, sometimes I still think it is because Enzima is an only child that effected her ability to understand her father. She probably had more time and concentration to observe the actions of her father. I remember reading that her father allowed her to sit in his hut, because he was fond of her, so it was like Enzima was the “exception”. Even though she was her mothers daughter, she was also her mothers friend. Enzima even called her mother by her first name--Ekwefi, which was another exception. I believe that because of their mother/daughter relationship, Ekwefi and Enzima were able to have deep “girl talks”, including some information about Okonkwo. Although Enzima was sick a lot, and was not as rich as the other family in the father’s compound( family wise), she was the princess in a way; maybe in the sense of how she was respected by her father and her mother.
Part three was the section where things actually fell apart, and the title of the book actually became alive to me. The falling action keeps on accumulating, there is no turning back . As it is expressed on page 177 the “white man “ came in, they let him stay thinking that he could so no harm, and then BAM “ he has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart”, expresses Okonkwo to Obrieka. This demonstrates that Okonkwo is becoming threatened, and so just as always he is gong to become angry. Which brings me to another thought, Okonkwo’s expressions/feelings. Okonkwo is not the same strong Okonkwo, he has become more weak. When, everything was falling apart, EVERYTHING was really falling apart, even Okonkwo, maybe not externally because he is always ready to fight, but internally. Until at one point everything inside him crumbled and he committed suicide. I did not expect this, even more I did not expect the reactions from the people on his compound, there was nothing. I didn’t get the feeling that anyone was moved by it. No crying, no nothing especially the moment where they encountered his dead body on page 207. I guess it is because he committed the crime of killing himself, that nobody really had anything to say.
Part three is when the title of the book basically comes into the plot of the story. Okonkwo was so powerful in the beginning and then to end up killing himself is where he fell apart. He had some emotional and mental struggles and he lost himself. The ending somewhat reminds me of Macbeth because both Okonkwo and Macbeth had a lot of power and greed causing their downfalls and their own death.
It stuck out to me as well the fact that Okonkwo never doubted Ezinma of being a boy. I think Ezinma actually wanted to understand and help her father instead of feeling like she had to. Their relationship was very different from Okonkwo's other children.
Obierika said if a clansman kills himself then their body is evil. Is that said only because they are seen as crazy? I think that's why no one was effected or reacted to Okonkwo's death, because he committed suicide and that was against the clans customs.
The Christian missionaries defiantley became powerful being that people of Umuofia were becoming interested in learning and understanding their customs/beliefs. Also adopting their ways of living. Mr. Brown was respected by many people of the clan because he had faith and the clan probably seen that as superb. Mr. Brown was akin to guidance because he visited obi's and talked with the men of the village. His character is understanding/accepting and a he is a strong believer. At one point I thought about how in history, education and religion went hand in hand. It illuminated Mr. Brown's character being that he opened up a school in Umuofia and thought about different religious beliefs.
I seen a point in which karma comes back around. After the six leaders burnt down Mr. Smith's church they were served revenge. On page 194 the District Comissioner says, "If any man ill-treats you we shall come to your rescue. But we will not allow you to ill-treat others." It resembles the saying "treat others the way you want to be treated."
Achebe made the novel very ritualistic and more spiritualistic. He depicts a lot about spirits. When it's brought up that Enoch killed an ancestral spirit and he was murdered, it reminded me of a story called La Llorna. Overall, Achebe did an excellent job with this work of literature and describing how different cultures and societies utilize.
As Monika said, Achebe does not answer every question – he does not but tell us what becomes of Okonkwo’s family, or, really, what happens to the other Ibo. But this is only natural. Though Things Fall Apart is not necessarily nonfiction, its story is certainly very true; it can hardly be considered over just because there are no pages left in the book and the main character has died. As a fairly historical text, this novel’s story continues beyond its pages (and into a sequel, I’m pretty sure).
Do I like Okonkwo? Not really. After all, he rejected his oldest son, never learned how to control his rage, killed the boy who called him his father. But I cannot help but admire him; his love for his family is very evident, especially his love for Ezinma. As Terenzi pointed out, Okonkwo’s life is just one big corrupted dream, and it led to Okonkwo’s inevitable self-destruction, which is obvious from the point that he kills Ikefuma. As I’ve already said, he would/could not adapt to the European society, to the European people, and this could not have led to a happy ending, especially since we all know what happens when Europeans get bored and choose a new continent to build churches on. Okonkwo is representative of not just himself/his clan, but the entirety of his culture; they are basically the “living fire” that “begets cold, impotent ash” (153) – both literally, when they burn the church down, and figuratively, in terms of the ash that remains of their culture. I can’t help but think Okonkwo’s just one of many natives, African and otherwise, who refused to let foreign invaders take over their society. Too bad this cycle is pretty inevitable, especially when the foreign invaders have bigger, better guns and much more money, as well as, in this case, a religion that allows for people in lower social classes to gain respect.
And I think that is Achebe’s point. Yes, the Ibo people were careless in letting the European settlers build churches without much of a fight, but can you really blame them? After all, the Europeans wiped out an entire village for its defiance. They were clearly prepared to take what they wanted by force, and they clearly wanted Nigeria. But as Kristina mentioned, neither side is really cast as “the bad guy” – sure, we tend to think of the British as bad guys, but they, for the most part, were not evil people. After all, the first time we ever hear about white men, they are being mocked by Obierka for being lepers even though, in reality, they were probably the slavers of decades past (74). Gradually, however, Okonkwo’s stubborn mocking of the white men (which continues throughout part two, and even in part three, with the mocking of Mr. Brown and the kotma [175]), turns into fear and sadness – specifically from Obierka, who is devastated that Umuofia’s “men and sons have joined the ranks of the stranger” (176). At this point, Okonkwo can call those men women all he wants, but he is not the well-respected warrior he once was; this is made clear to us when the “protest” breaks out and he is the only person to resist the messengers. Basically, Okonkwo loses his chance to accept the new power in Umuofia because that new power rejects him. He is, for all intents and purposes, as much an outsider as he was after accidentally killing that man at the end of part one.
(cont.)
And then, by the end, we see what the Europeans really think of the Ibo. They never feared them or respected them; we already know this, of course, because they did not heed the village elders or respect the Umuofians’ laws. But it becomes even more clear on the very last page, when we learn what the District Commissioner believes the Ibo to be: “Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.” This clearly emphasizes the superiority that the Europeans feel because of their advanced technology; what they do not seem to realize (or care about, really) is that the Umuofians were living perfectly happily without such advanced technology. We know that the Umuofians were warriors, that that worked for them. “Pacifying” them was probably not particularly necessary. Ironically, this “pacification” came with plenty of death and murder from the people who, historically, have killed a ridiculous amount of people – I mean, at this point, the British had already built up colonies in the Americas, in India, in Australia. We know that along with those colonies (especially those in the Americas) came the (accidental?) genocide of the natives – not only with guns, but also with European diseases. The point is, the British are hardly pacified themselves – especially as we know that about thirty years from the time that this book takes place, they will be fighting in the first world war, and that 50 years prior to the events the book, the British were fighting the Afghans. So no, they are not painted as “bad guys,” but they are painted as sly and arrogant.
But the Ibo are hardly painted as helpless natives; they are painted as men and women who did not see the Europeans as a threat until the Europeans had already overtaken them. The most obvious shift here is the death of Mr. Brown, which seems to symbolize the death of any possibility of compromise in Umuofia (184), especially as, more and more often, internal attacks – like the school that preached European culture (181) – tore apart the structure of Umuofia. Essentially, the Umuofians didn’t stand a chance. They should have realized the danger when Abame was wiped off the map. Instead, they waited for the Europeans to come to call the land their own (as we know from history they are wont to do).
As Terenzi pointed out, the most essential question this novel asks is, “Where do things start to fall apart?” Do they first start to fall apart way back when Okonkwo kills Ikefuma (very representative, by the way, of the fierce belief that the higher-up members of Ibo society have in their religion – they will literally kill for it) and apparently brings bad luck upon himself (and, by extension, his clansmen), as Obierka warns him (67)? Or do they first start to fall apart upon the first arrival of the first European, who is immediately murdered?
Or is it something else entirely – does the entire society first start to fall apart hundreds of years ago when someone figured out that there were plenty of people willing to trade their kinsmen for some rum and guns, or even when the Chinese developed the gunpowder that eventually became the primary weapon of the Europeans?
Or do things ever really even “fall apart” – can’t it be argued that people/societies/land/the world just grows and evolves, cyclically, the stronger people taking advantage of the weaker people until the weak grow strong again? Sure, it feels like it’s falling apart when we look at the world in such a short span of time, when we look at Okonkwo’s suicide or the destruction of Ibo spirituality, but on a long enough timeline, we see more historical patterns. Everyone conquers everyone else over and over again, and it’s not just Europeans doing the conquering. Or maybe I’m missing the point by making this more about history than about these specific British conquerers and the clans they invaded.
Okonkwo’s death was somewhat unexpected for me. Here he was, this golden-boy who everyone thought was destined to achieve, would certainly make something of his life, suddenly meeting his end. His life took a turn for the worst after being exiled. However, when you take the direction of the story into consideration, this is the only ending that could be appropriate for such a character. He was exiled from his clan, dragging his family down with him and thereby placing shame on him as the breadwinner. He was no longer a valued member of his clan, and he had to start over from the bottom to provide for himself and his family to regain their respect. It was really heartbreaking to read about him hanging himself. Clearly, all that had been happening to his people had taken its toll on him. He didn’t want to see bad things progress to worse.
It’s unfortunate that Okonkwo’s people have lost the right to govern themselves. Instead, a District Commissioner is brought in to judge cases “with ignorance” (174). The white men think that the villagers are inept, unable to govern themselves. They view the people as being unrefined in comparison to their own culture and customs. The newly implanted system has already shown signs of corruption, constantly trying to set back the clan members. However, Mr. Brown is one white character that I see is trying to make an effort to make them trust him, and see that he is a decent human being. He is an insider, fully aware of the ins and outs of the white man’s rules, and he can help the African people have an easier time, or even rebel. In example, he tries to convince the people to send their children to receive an education. He doesn’t try to fool them into thinking that they already have a chance in fighting off the white man’s influence. He is a realist, and he is telling them what would best help at this time. Having their children go to school would make them more educated about the white man’s world, and that alone would give them the upper hand, in comparison to others who are ignorant.
I dislike how the community’s unique practices and customs are being washed over by those of the white man. Their presence in the community has become even greater, as many of the Africans are beginning to accept and integrate their beliefs into their lives. Religion has become the main worm on the hook to entice the Africans. Some of them like the security that it provides in terms of the direction their lives will take, including Nwoye. I suppose in the end he did rebel against the lifestyle and beliefs that he was raised with. Being constantly bombarded by masculine expectations by his father made Christianity seem more appealing to him. Religion just seemed more inviting, less threatening than the masculine ideology of the clan. His father should stop looking down upon his daughter, Ezinma, for being born a girl. Is she hurt by her father’s regret, or is she understanding of his feelings? Being the child who knows his father the best, I think she isn’t hurt by his feelings, that she understands the advantage of having a boy at the time. With all of his expectation for boys, his son didn’t stay loyal to him and his culture, while his daughter did. Though he is proud of her, he needs to stop wishing that she had been born a boy, so that she could be the ideal son. Let her be the ideal daughter, the ideal child.
As a whole, I liked how realistic the novel was. Achebe didn’t try to make it like a fairy tale. If anything, the book showed the transition from good to bad, chronicling the characters’ downfalls and how they connected to/ influenced the other members of the clan. It was really heartbreaking to read, though, because I know that this kind of thing actually happened. People’s lives were torn apart, flipped upside down.
I won’t lie, I did not like the first two parts but the third was really interesting. It really questioned good versus evil and how we perceive it based on the author of the work. But before I dive into that I want to mention the continuous mention of how Okonkwo wishes Enzima was a boy, was the only one to think of the Nirvana song (Should of) Been A Boy?
It is not said who is with and who is wrong in this set up but it is evident hat we should be cheering for the natives who were minding their own business however it can be difficult when even the natives realize that its what the intruders think is best. The natives even acknowledge that the strangers “judged in ignorance” because they are only following their culture because that is what they find right, but this does not rectify the pain that they have released onto these people (174). Though they understand that the Christians are doing what they think is best it is evident that if they allow it to continue that their own culture will “have fallen part,” this idea is repeated twice on pages 176 and 183 (176). Their fight is not to prove who is right but for the survival of the native people’s beliefs, unlike the Christians who want to prove their belief as fact.
Christians believe to be right while so do the native people of Ibo. As the intruders argue that “there is one supreme G-d” the Ibo people argue that Chukwu has others working for him, neither have proof of this except belief (179). The Christians are determined to prove themselves the victor as the converted Enoch unveils a gewgaw, desecrating the sacredness of the event (186). Christianity brings a disgrace onto the old religion as it insults it and defames its idols. However the old religion “salutes” those who worships G-d but still does not take kindly to the defamation of their own beliefs (190). Because of the acceptance Ibo people have shown it is clear that they are the representation of the good guys as they are also the victims but in the last sentence : He had already chosen the title of the book, after much thought : The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger proves Achebe’s large point. Achebe’s point being that the good guy is also about perception created by the author, this book will view Ibo as he victim but the book written by the Christians will prove them to look like savages saved by the heroic British.
Achebe is really interesting that he plays with the readers and really makes them question what is right and what it wrong. It really kind of makes you feel guilty.
Now we see a shift in the novel where Okonkwo finally returns home from the exile. Yet, it was not the same as he left it. This reveals the change we all face even in our customs. Although Okonkwo disapproves of the drastic change it may be for the better. Mr. Brown, the Christian leader, wants to learn about the natives’ religion to understand them more so he can relate to them. By him doing this he reminds me as if he is one of the readers reading along the novel as well. Since we both are trying to have a perspective of the natives.
After the natives had burned down the Christian’s shrine Okonkwo was happy his village acted as “men”. However, the messengers took care of them and Okonkwo to face their consequences. Now Okonkwo wants to take matters into his own hands and he had killed one of the messenger during a tribal meeting. You would of thought Okonkwo would have learned his lesson from the act of crime of the burning of the shrine. This emphasizes the stubbornness Okonkwo is encountered with.
By Okonkwo killing himself indeed shocked me. I would never guess he would dare to do such a thing. From the very beginning of the book he persisted in obeying his custom and trying his absolute best to be everything his father was not. He married three wives and owned two barns to demonstrate his wealth. He beat his eldest son because he joined the Christians. He was a well respected man who tried to live his life strictly by the books of his culture. He knew killing himself he would be dishonored him. Yet, he still decided to do it knowing the consequences that were involved. To answer my two questions I had asked in part two, about whether or not he can redeem himself after the exile. Based on the suicide he had committed; no Okonkwo can not redeem himself and prove to society that he is a true respected honorable man.
Okonkwo’s death from suicide came as a surprise because although I predicted his beliefs would lead to his downfall the shameful way he died was a surprise. I figure he would blindly charge toward his enemies and die as a result. The ironic thing is that he died a death that’s considered very dishonorable like his dad who he hated so much and considered him a worthless and weak person. (Harsh but true) I think the author gave okonkwo this death to show how weak he really was. Through he only respect his beliefs and only respected the beliefs of the villages in order to keep his status, not once did he listen things that could not be solved with violence.
I think that was his way of dealing with his suffering either by pushing it away and pretending it’s not their, use as the drive to rise to hire places or use it to further fuel his ignorance. I think that Okonkwo blamed everything that happened to him on the foreigners rather than himself. He foolishly believed that getting rid of then would fix everything. He was so fixed on himself that he didn’t realize that no one was with him. When he cut the messenger’s head off he expected a war, but to his surprise nobody was wiling to fight with him not even his best friend. This was last chance I believe Okonkwo thought he had to stop things from falling apart.
All his suffering came down on him the moment no one joined him. He had so much pain and no where to release. He could not talk about them to anyway because that would mean his weak. The ironic thing is killing yourself is one of the most cowardice things you can do, but even to this point he still held tightly to his meaningless beliefs which shows how pathetic he is because I don’t think since his childhood did he act like himself. But it’s really unfortunate that his true self come out at the wrong time. The older Okonkwo wore a mask that he created from his pain, a mask the broke bringing his true self who in reality was unable to withstand the overwhelming sadness. To survive Okonkwo put that pain into something positive so he could push it away like he did when he was younger. Unfortunately that not what happened, in the end no one was with him and for the first time he believed in his weakness and since he was unable to hold that sadness in any longer he killed himself.
What I’ve just I believe is only half true the other reason I believe Okonkwo killed himself was that he wanted to take control. Not everyone kills themselves to escape because sometimes it’s a chance to take control that was taken from then. In the last moments Okonkwo must have realized this and took last bit of control he had. I know this is ironic because of his status, but because of he held in so much emotional pain over many years he was never able to realize this. From this I conclude that the author wanted people to that there is no defined views of the world because with time and new discoveries we begin to accept different things. Although we don’t evolve physically we still evolve mentally in the sense that our of the world changes and those unable to accept that will sit and watch believing their world is coming to an end, use violence or commit suicide as last change to show of control
As I aggravating as I found the ending of Things Fall Apart, it fascinated me nonetheless. The beginning of the book and the ending of the book are really polar opposites, making a brilliant display of how much change has occurred in Okonkwo’s life and Umuofia from cover to cover. At the book’s start, Achebe introduces her audience to a man who is notably strong, incredibly driven, with as much respect as he holds for his home, his history, and his culture. At the book’s start, Okonkwo considers himself untouchable, his faith the only faith, his Ibo customs the customs all should follow. At the book’s start, the author writes with a style that seems to reflect the primitive way in which Okonkwo and his people live.
At the end of the book, however, all has changed. At the book’s end, Okonkwo’s status and strength and will are all so weakened that a stranger “[drives] him to kill himself,” and the audience sees his tragic downfall (208). At the book’s end, Okonkwo’s world takes such a decline that he loses all respect for it as well, acting out, as Andrew T pointed out, not even considering the effects of his seeking vengeance on the enemy—the messengers, the white men. As we observe his decline, we realize that, after being exiled, Okonkwo does not grow, but instead grows backwards, so to speak. He returns to his previous ways, planning to revive his reputation in a way that his “return should be marked by his people,” and to act for it more than ever (171), praying for war, sincerely believing that, a war could solve the conflict with the white man, that all would be restored, that “all would be well” (199). The drastic changes towards the end exist in other characters as well, including Nwoye and his choice to turn his back on his family and home. His great change foreshadows the rebirth of his roots, the rebirth of his family’s culture, and is similar to Gogol’s great change in The Namesake; both boys betrayed the culture they were born into and wove their own paths towards a new start, even going so far as to create new identities for themselves (in Things Fall Apart, Nwoye changes his name to Isaac (182), and in The Namesake, Gogol changes his name to Nikhil.)
The change in writing style from the start of the book to the book’s end depicts a time of growth as well, though forward rather than backwards. While, through the majority of the book, Achebe’s style of writing is about as primitive as the context—choppy, with simple words and raw Ibo vocabulary—the final chapter of Things Fall Apart is noticeably more structured, with far richer context, less cultural vocab, and a seemingly new point of view. This change in writing style—as well as context and point of view—not only represents the passing of Okonkwo, but also the massive change that has begun, the massive change he was unable to stop. By ending with the Commissioner’s plans for his book, Achebe recognizes the modernization about to take place, the mention of the book not only that revealing that the Ibo culture and Okonkwo’s efforts to preserve it are history in the making—history that will not receive the respect it deserves, what with its mere “reasonable paragraph” of focus—but also symbolizes the future of the Ibo people. The book symbolizes both the civilization yet to come, and the raw culture almost already lost.
Okonkwo is a man that holds onto the past. Even in his first year of exile, he planned to return with grandeur (171). He is falling prey to his own dreams; he never once thought what if those ideas did not work out. A man such as Okonkwo is left hoping and dreaming of a better future, and getting nothing or worse, death.
Umofia has changed greatly since Okonkwo’s leave and his return is barely noticed. Okonkwo was not able to adapt to the shift in culture. Instead, he says they have gone soft like women (183). I completely agree with Brittany with the rebirth of Nwoye into Isaac. Not only is the change of name a cultural shift, it is another moment where we see Okonkwo directly dealing with the missionaries. And deal he does, he throws Mr. Brown out of his hut, and warns Mr. Brown to never come back (182). Okonkwo does not know how to deal with the foreigners other than to use force. When Okonkwo stands as the lone man against the Christians, he is left powerless.
The theme of a unity is evident in this section as well as in the previous section. The clan can not act as one (176), thus they can not fend off the Europeans with full force. The clan divides up the people; status is embedded into the culture and religion. In Christianity, all people are created equal. In a sense, Christianity unites people, while the clan’s beliefs create greater imbalances among the people.
The reason Christianity is so predominant in the world today is because of its adaptability. There is not one set of rules for Christianity. There are the Protestants, the Roman Catholic, the Anglicans, and various other sects. This is like the separate but equal doctrine, but with religion. The people of Umofia struggled to stay together; many children and outcasts joined the ranks of the Christians. The unmasking of the egwugwu was the final destruction of the clan. The immortals were just mere people. The clansmen (and women) were stunned, that night, strange and fearful noises were heard, but what Achebe writes is that it would be the last time it would be heard (187). The end of the clan is inevitable.
cont.
Okonkwo’s happiness is short lived. The meeting of the six men of Umofia and the twelve men of the District Commissioner goes to show how cunning the Europeans are. Although it is the land of the Umofia(ns), the foreigners come and go as they wish. They arrest the head of the clan as if it was nothing. The meeting takes together the old and the new, the old lifestyle, and the new culture. Before going to the meeting, Okonkwo states, “An Umofia man does not refuse a call” (193). He goes to the meeting thinking that he can not refuse to attend the meeting, but he can refuse what ever that is asked of him. Oh, how wrong he was! The Europeans have a different idea, they do not go by oral codes or traditions like Okonkwo and the clansmen do; they go by the law. There are twice as many Europeans than clansmen, which goes to show how powerless the clansmen are.
Being powerless is not something Okonkwo can take. He can not adapt to the Christian culture, so he chooses the only way out: death. I agree with Aidan, that Okonkwo resorted to suicide, because is own life was the last thing he could control. To be dead was better than being alive.
The void between Okonkwo killing one messenger and the time of his hanging leaves it up to the reader to decide what Okonkwo did in between the time span.
What I found the most interesting about this section was the District Commissioner thinking of creating a book on this event. He was going to call it The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger. Achebe takes the reader back to reality with this statement. I realized that the stories I have been told as a child, about the British taking over, were not entirely true, or the natives were not as barbaric as they were depicted. Achebe gives the reader insight on what a true native culture was like, before any Europeans came along. I completely agree with Jeri, the author’s viewpoint makes all the difference. Most American and British literature glorifies the take over of natives. It was very interesting reading from the viewpoint of a narrator who was a part of the natives.
The third part of "Things Fall Apart" strongly communicates Achebe's purpose. I believe the author wants to inform us of life's variability.
Achebe demonstrates how things fall apart through characterization. Okonkwo is characterized as proud, stubborn, brutal and selfish. His lack of discipline and a proper upbringing leads to his destruction. Achebe's message is that to maintain power, honor, and prosperity, one must have a solid moral foundation. Okonkwo's weak moral foundation caused his suicide.
Achebe's message about things falling apart is also illustrated through the destruction of the church. Initially the church was PROSPEROUS and RESPECTED, being under the just leadership of Mr. Brown. Then, the fall of the church came, when Mr. Smith became the leader of the church and inspired proud and radical views in its followers - specifically Enoch, who subsequently boasted of the power in Christianity, destroying Umuofian rituals (Achebe 186). Achebe's message is that a lack of discipline causes "things to fall apart." "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
Achebe is also implying that prosperity is something predestined. As previously stated, one must have a strong moral foundation in order to stay on top. In Okonkwo's case, his father was a low-life; therefore, Oknonkwo was predisposed to a lack of morale. Despite his ambitions to be the opposite of his father (dignified, bold, successful), Okonkwo could not finish with such virtues. Additionally, this concept of predestination is shown through the life of Ezinma, as she has the potential to be a great leader - if she were healthy and was born a man. The fact that she is an ogbanje and therefore cursed from birth, emphasizes this understanding of fate.
Furthermore, this concept can also be identified in the fate of Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna possessed a great potential to be a strong leader in Umuofia; however, this fate was impossible for him to have, since he was born to another clan. Relating to what Renee said about "a man could not rise above the destiny of his chi," I oppose her view, and suggest that this quote means that one cannot change his/her destiny, despite his/her ambitions. Achebe is a clear believer of fate and inevitability.
In response to Nidale's comments about things falling apart, I believe that things must sometimes fall apart in order to preserve the essence and unexpectancy of life. Achebe's depiction of this cycle makes his novel the more interesting, yet somewhat depressing, leaving readers with the knowledge that fate cannot be changed.
Some of you mention that you were surprised and upset that Okonkwo kills himself at the end of the book. I felt quite the opposite. Throughout the book, Okonkwo had kept a lot of his emotions on the inside. Instead of improving as time went on, Okonkwo's emotional status became worse. All Okonkwo had going for him was that he was the strongest man in his tribe, and he lost that feeling when the Christians took over. Once he realized there was little hope for his tribe, he was "deeply grieved" and "mourned" for Umuofia (183). The words "mourned" and "grieved" are similar to death, which shows me that Okonkwo had lost a part of him and a part of everything he cared for. Jean mentions that Ikemefuna's fate seemed to reappear in this chapter, and he's right. Okonkwo tried to hide his feelings of loss for his boy, but feelings get harder and harder to ignore when you lose everything. For this reason, I think Achebe wanted the main character's absence and discovery of his new clan to be more tragic that his actual death.
I disagree that his death was "tragic." I believe the destruction of the clan's culture and success was tragic, but not Okonkwo's death. It was clear to me when Okonkwo returned to his clan after a seven-year absence that him leaving had been tragic. The clan couldn't hold its culture entirely together without him. But when he returned, Okonkwo did not save the day. He wanted his clan to go back to how it was seven years ago and only a fraction of Umuofia was on his side. In the end, it felt clear to me that Okonkwo and his followers would not succeed in driving out the Christians.
I'm not saying that I do not feel sorry for Okonkwo and his tribe. I agree with what many have said about Achebe siding with Umuofia rather than the Europeans. It was wise for Achebe to publish his book in the United States, because many Americans will realize the harshness of imperialism and forced religion as a result of this book’s point of views.
In Chapters 17-25 of Things Fall Apart, the Christian church in Okonkwo's village is growing in power and in followers, successfully converting a large part of the village and at the same time creating schools and hospitals under the European missionary, Mr. Brown. Under Mr.Brown, the church and the clan are peaceful with one another, a point that I found to be very surprising. In my opinion, Mr. Brown represented the opposite of what I expected from the European settlers in the Umuofia clan. I had expected the Europeans to be violent, forcing their laws and religion on the Ibo people and killing those that didn't accept it, but Mr. Brown seems to truly just want to gain an understanding of the Umuofia customs and preach peace between the church and the clan. On a side note, I can say that Mr. Smith, the extremely cruel missionary who replaced Mr. Brown, exemplified the type of cruelty I was expecting. It disgusts me.
Okonkwo, in the meantime is planning on how to rebuild his compound and restore, even increase his rank in the clan once his exile is over, which it nearly is. Here, we can see that Okonkwo is over his depression from his exile. He is starting to care about his pride and rank once more, and he even thinks of his kinsmen in Mbanta as being "womanly" because they chose to exile, rather than go to battle with the white settlers, which shows that his aggressive "masculinity" is back to what it was before he was exiled. However, when he arrives at his village, he sees that his clan is being ruled by the laws of the Europeans, which "deeply grieves Okonkwo. And it was not just a personal grief. He mourned for the clan, which he saw breaking up and falling apart, and he mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women" (p.183). It must have been tough for Okonkwo to see his clan submitting to the white settlers, going against everything that he believed in. It must have been worse, after he is one of six clansmen kidnapped and held for a 250 bags of towrie ransom. I'm actually starting to feel bad for Okonkwo, not only is the toughness and pride of his clan in question, his own pride and toughness is in question now, his life is breaking apart.
At the end of Part 3, Okonkwo is absolutely furious when he is returned to the village after his ransom is paid and his anger gets the best of him when he kills a messenger from the church, bringing a ton of shame to his clan and to himself. Unable to deal with his shame, the loss of the toughness in his clan and the heart-breaking loss of his own masculine beliefs, Okonkwo hangs himself, such a serious and shameful crime that his own closest friends refuse to bring his body down.
Personally, I found the end of the book to be the most surprising part in the entire book. I would have never expected a man like Okonkwo, who put pride and aggression before anything else, to end his life by suicide, an act that I believe shows ultimate weakness. I never saw it coming that he would commit such weak act, especially when he hated weakness.
This is easily the most powerful section of the novel because it’s where Chinua Achebe makes his anti-colonialism statement. Achebe shows the progress of the missionaries in the village and how they went from being an annoying presence to an encroaching influence, and he makes the destructive impact of the evangelization clear through Okonkwo.
At exile, Okonkwo planned his return to normalcy but upon his return, he finds the people of Umofia fundamentally different, as if “they lost the will to fight.” Okonkwo represents his village’s culture up to end of the book, and his suicide represents the demise of Umofia. Am I surprised that Okonkwo killed himself? Yes, and I think we were all supposed to be. Okonkwo did not kill himself because the village was being taken, but because his clan refused to back him up. At that moment, his foundation, which was so entangled with his culture, was completely destroyed. I just have to strongly disagree with Ravi’s claim that Okonkwo’s suicide was a sign of weakness, that claim is completely baseless and inconsistent with Okonkwo’s character, which remained constant throughout the text (a strategy used so that readers can compare the old village, represented by Okonkwo, with the one he returns to after exile). It seems to me like he saw his suicide as the only way to call people’s attention to the impending doom of the village and to break them out of their uncharacteristic submission.
I think that Things Fall Apart does portray Achebe’s views intercultural discourse politics very frankly, by having the more diplomatic missionary die he is making a commentary against this kind of abrasive dialogue, but ultimately saying that oppression will surely ensue after a invasion, despite the foreign “good intentions.”
Regarding Nidale's comment saying that she did not like Okonkwo due to his actions, all I have to say is that I think that's part of the point. Someone who grew up in the West will immediately reject those values, and this kind of premature judgment and lack of communication is what Achebe is calling attention to.
The end of the last part of the third part of the book was a very symbolic occurrence. It signified the end of a group of people, the group that Okonkwo represented. The olden ways of the clan, symbolically, died with Okonkwo. Not everything about it was lost, as they would not even touch Okonkwo after he took his life, but the spirit and courage of the people. The “masculinity” of the people was lost with the exile of Okonkwo. Towards the end of the book, he states how “worthy men are no more”. In that moment, he realizes that his fight will be a lost cause, and decides to go out with honor as he sees it, not as the clan sees it. While the clan does things as their ancestors previously have laid down for them in rules and laws which the clan obeys, but they seem to have lost the heart and ways of their ancestors from before, in that aspect. The arrest of the six clans men that happened so fast as they couldn’t even grab their machetes. I think that this represents the way the Europeans in a way blindsided the African clans in their colonization of them.
Just to add in some kind of biblical perspective, if anyone doesn’t know, Enoch in the old Testament was a man who walked very closely with God throughout his life. So it doesn’t really surprise me that Enoch was one of the most radical of the converts.
Many people have previously stated that the chi of everyone represents the personal destiny, and I couldn’t agree more. The way that Achbee always says that the chi is a “personal” god continually hints at the fact he wants them to represent the indavidual’s destiny.
I began to like this book more and more as it went on and more action was developing. At first it was a little boring to me, but reading more and more into it I developed a kind of like for it.
Part 3 surely was a heartbreaking finish to the novel. Although Okwonko’s demise was inevitable to me, even from the very beginning, I have dug a soft spot in my heart for him. Although his actions describe a treacherous, even heartless man, I admire his devotion and loyalty. To his very last day on Earth he would not abandon the culture in which he worked hard to carve out his title for himself. He would not sacrifice his beliefs and customs to pacify the white converts, he stuck to his guns and ended his own life. Admirable? Yes. Smartest thing to do? No.
This culture clash between Umuofia and the Christians definitely parallels what I have learned in history. The British invade new land, take the it by force If need be, establish churches and western institutions of learning, wear out the resources of the native peoples and move on. Even as much as I had wished that maybe perhaps Okwonko pulled a miracle and happened to drive away the converts, like Nidale said, they had bigger and better guns and could take the land by force if they needed to.
I would like to compare Okwonko’s life to a yam. I found that foreshadowing in the beginning of the book to be rather indicative of something that would probably happen to Okwonko later on in the book. Too much rain and it will die, too little and it will die too. Goes to show that everything should be done with moderation and balance. Okwonko’s father was too lazy and life loving, hence he was the village fool. On the other hand Okwonko was the headstrong and driven man, nothing could budge him, he knew what he wanted and always strove to achieve it, no matter what. In his pursuit he would even kill his loved ones, and abandoned his home out of primitive customs and rituals.
Unlike previous posters who showed surprise at Okownko’s suicide, I found it kind of like relief. I rather that he ended his own life than have his own life taken by the hands of his enemies. If you really put this into perspective the Christians were far better equipped and better experienced, the commissioners incident was evidence of their quick acting intelligence. In a way, Okownko and his clan look kind of pathetic in their goatskin bags and sheathed machetes, they were no match for better built guns and advanced years of accumulated battle strategies. Okwonko’s death is ironically the first and last act of rebellion that was intentional, people of his clan are not allowed to take away their own lives, but for the sake of his people and culture, he ended his as to show the converts that he was in control until the very end.
In "Things Fall Apart", Chinua Achebe clearly has some important moral lessons. One is that one can not change their fate or chi and that if one does not achieve mental peace then no peace will be acquired.
In Part 3 you can literally see "things fall apart", especially for Okonkwo. With the arrival of the Europeans, Nyowe's betrayal, and the converts of tribesmen, it seemed like nothing was going Okonkwo's way. The tribe's decision to lend some land to the Christians to build a church turned out to be one of the worst mistake ever. Fighting off the Christians wasn't an option either because "How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us?" Life in Umuofia did not seem to brighten for the tribe.
I felt as though Mr. Brown was helping the clan by providing education, and hospitals. It definately modernized Umuofia but at the same time he was killing the tribe's religion/culture. I don't think anyone has the right to say your belief is wrong and theirs is right. As long as they aren't bothering you let the people do as they please.
The ending of the novel was a bit unexpected. When "they came to the tree from which Okonkwo's body was dangling, and they had stopped dead," (207). I had a feeling that Okonkwo was going to die but I didn't expect him to take his own life which is a great sin in the tribe. It was a bit ironic too because who would of thought a man destined for greatness would end his life himself. Okonkwo's suicide also shows how after all his life attempting to be tough and strong, in the end becoming weak and collapsing.
Overall, "Things Fall Apart" is a remarkable story and Achebe did an amazing job capturing colonization from a different perspective.
"He never stopped regretting that Ezinma was a girl" (172). Well now, this reminds me of something similar. Just as it is here, bearing sons is highly coveted and desired in comparison to daughters...in China. In fact, sometimes a daughter would be disposed of by being sold or even outright killed in order for the parents to start again with a clean slate and try to bear a son. Pretty sadistic if you ask me. It's surprising that Okonkwo didn't kill Ezinma then. If he did, he wouldn't have to bear the incessant teasing that 'this is what one of your sons could have been' that loomed over him for so long because of her existence.
Achebe seems to be a master at pulling of irony, even if he doesn't necessarily mean to. It still happens. At one point, Okonkwo complains that there no brave men anymore, no good men, no men who are actually men. Only cowards. And this fact proves itself in an ironic faction. A meeting is held between the men who have no yet defected to the Christians and a speech is made where great things are said involving going to war and killing our brothers since they joined the enemy. Too bad it all falls apart when white messengers are at the door. Out of manly anger, Okonkwo decapitates the first messenger. But the rest run away while the other men, whom seconds ago were up in arms over fighting the Christians, stood around like a group of clueless ducks, in pure fright, and thought Okonkwo was a fool for having killed one of the white men. Even though that was what they were planning to do son anyway...understandably, walks away in anger.
The ending was a lot to take in at once. Okonkwo killing himself isn't very much of a stretch. In fact that was probably his best available decision. It was either that or face execution from white men. And as a true man, allowing one's self to be killed willingly by his enemy is unthinkable. Killing himself isn't much better since it defiled the tribe, but...perhaps that was his intention all along. The tribe he once loved so much had devolved into a bunch of sniveling cowards. He must have felt shame to have been a part of that group at all. Sadly, though, the legacy he leaves behind will be in the same vain as his father - a disgrace to his tribe. But it doesn't mean much anyway, because the tribe has already fallen apart, 'pacified' by the white men who treat as them as equally as dirt...or more specifically, material towards writing a book that may hope to sell well.
The title for this book was aptly chosen. Things certainly did fall apart, in all fronts, for the tribe. Their pride fell apart, their manliness fell apart, their courage fell apart, their beliefs fell apart, their tradition fell apart, their independence fell apart, their religion fell apart, their sturdiness fell apart, I could go on forever. The worst part? Knowing that there wasn't a damn thing they could possibly do about it.
In Chapter 20, the Imuofia figures out the European deception tactics: “How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. . . Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can longer act like one (176).” This quote here, illustrates a dangerous attempt to colonize the whole tribal region. The Europeans are basically using the tribe’s own people to suppress the whole clan from aggression. It’s a classical move to control the population of people, simply by deception.
I thought the ending was quite predictable taking into account of Okwonko’s foolish attitude. Like I said before, Okwonko’s personality is very much similar to Creon in the Greek myth Oedipus. Such flaw would invariably cause the character’s demise: whether Okonkwo was to be killed by the Europeans or his suicidal move.
Really, the whole Imuofia clan was collapsing and there was no defense from European invasion. Things were falling apart.
In part three we learn of all that has gone on in the last seven years in the village when Okonkwo was gone. When he arrives back he finds how the village has been taken over by white Christian men who have built a church, courthouse, and made a government while he was gone. I think this angered him because he felt like he couldn’t be a powerful person in the village anymore. He ends up wanting to kick these men out…but not many people think that that is a good idea.
I agree with what Cynthia say and how part three really is the part where everything “fell apart” as the title says. As Andrew and Nidale talk about I also wondered when things really start to fall apart. I also wondered was it when Okonkwo killed Ikefuma or if it was all falling apart from the beginning and we all never really realized it? I think this was really one of the main thing Achbe wanted us to think about and wonder. Was it at one specific point or was everything falling apart from the beginning.
Lastly, I was really shocked at the end when Okonkwo dies. I honestly didn’t see that coming. I never thought he would kill himself. I really thought that he saw himself as a manly man and that committing suicide would be the furthest thing from what he would do.
To be honest, I was a bit iffy on this book until I came across its end. In a truly amazing way, Achebe shows the horrible and disgusting side to human nature, which I believe he was doing throughout the book.
When you think about it, these men, Okonkwo included, were revered as being the strongest men with the most titles. I remember in the first section that Okonkwo took pride in carrying the skulls of men he had killed. In fact, this did not just apply to him but to the culture it was a feat that was accepted and even encouraged. Okonkwo in particular has had an itching to go into battle, to have bloodshed throughout the book. This need to kill something and Okonkwo's own need to do violence of any kind is one of the perverse sides humans. This same aspect can be seen in the missionaries who, despite coming to spread the love and benevolence of God, beat, whip, demean, and kill the Africans all in the name of God. It is this almost sick mentality of doing what you believe is right despite the facts that it is most likely wrong on many levels. I believe that Achebe is indicating this to us, emphasizing it the most in this section.
Personally as a Christian myself, I found it hard to read what the missionaries were doing to the people, however it makes sense, historically and when taking into consideration the point of view of the book. The Africans have lived fine for centuries and now invaders have come to ruin them by getting rid of 1) their gods, 2) their clansmen, and 3) their government. I understand the rightly felt fear and anger of and towards the missionaries. I believe that Achebe is also putting out the question, what is the right way to live? Clearly, the missionaries and the Africans have different ideas on this matter and Okonkwo's hanging to me signifies that Achebe believes there cannot be more than one correct way. Okonkwo's hanging was as if he was saying, "My way of living is getting destroyed, therefore I choose not to live any longer." In the end, after the missionaries complete their work, there will be only one way of living. Perhaps, Achebe suggests that there will be fights over which way is correct, but like any good fight, there will be a victor.
Clearly the main focus of the third chunk is the conflict between the clan and the white men and their Christianity. I would have reacted in the same way that Onkokwo did. If random white men showed up to my land and started preaching a God and shutting down my own gods and my way of living, I would go crazy. It's one thing to show up to a foreign land and decide to live there, but it's another thing to completely change the cultural status of the people who were originally on that land. As the Christians began to grow in numbers, the clan members began to increase in anger. They decided to fight back by refusing to let them into the market, but this act only started a chain of events that eventually permitting things to fall apart -- :).
Okonkwo was upset that his return to his fatherland was not noticed as much as he had hoped it would be. He was happy that his daughters had become beautiful young women. Ezinma had even developed a short fuse which caused her to freak out on everyone but her father -- most likely because this was something they had in common. Though he was happy of his daughters' beautiful appearances, he was very displeased with his son's actions. Nwoye/Isaac's acceptajce to training college should have been something that Okonkwo was proud of. His son had done something that he had wanted to do. Doesn't it make him successful if he has done it on his own? Okonkwo should be proud of that.
Okonkwo keeps confusing me. When he was told about his son's acceptance of Christianity he was infuriated and blamed his chi. This reminds me of what Ekwefi had done when her children kept dying. Okonkwo, while in exhile, managed to maintain a sense of responsibility. He sent money to his clan ahead of time so he could make sure that his land would be prepared for when he returned. While he was in exile he gained of sense of kinship that helped motivate him to stand up for his clan against the Christians. The people of his motherland gathered "together in the moonlit village ground not because of the moon" but because "it is good for kinsmen to do so" (p 167). The mentioning of the moon reminds me of the very beginning of the book when they mention that even a crippled man becomes hungry for a walk in the moonlight. With this in mind, Okonkwo was able to somehow find the energy to kill the messenger. He gave it everything he had because he believed it was right.
It's not really too important, but I don't really understand why the Christians felt the need to shave their heads. Were they being reborn? It reminds me of The Namesake -- except that was for mourning.
I knew that Okonkwo's ultimate suicide was coming because it seemed like the world turned against him. His clan obviously didn't care about him anymore because he'd been away too long and the Europeans had built their churches and stores on the land, gaining converts from the clan. Okonkwo no longer held a high authority amongst his own people which drove him bananas and made him take his own life. It's sad but I saw it coming a mile away because of Okonkwo's difficult personality and his power-thirsty drive, which led to his ultimate downfall.
This book represents the eyes for many people: for Africans,Native Americans and many others. We condemn what we don not understand or feel that it is inferior. One of my favorite moments is when Ekwefi is telling the story of the tortoise and the reason why his shell is not smooth. I agree and disagree a little with Sam. I think they were some what ignorant but I don' think any more than the Englishmen where at that time. They still had many unanswered question and still had a religion and sacrifices of their own kind. The Africans put their trust in a human being, the Brits but their trust in an old dusty book that can mean many different things to many different people, a book written with many different authors. I don't think it was a mistake as Samantha said but more of a show of being civil. Should the native had attacked all the Brits it is like they would have easily fallen at the end of gun. I don't really think the tribe "got themselves into trouble by standing for their beliefs and refraining from violence, I think honestly they had very few options.
I think what Chinua Achebe is trying to bring out is that there has been a great loss because of the arrival of the Brits. A loss of roots history and stories. That everything that gave the tribe pride and honor was now suddenly looked at with shame and shock.In a way I almost pity the Brits because as much as they tried to fill the native up with information they only learned enough about the other side not to try and understand the length of the history behind it but to simply use it to manipulate people. They themselves have given birth to their own great ignorance.
The gender role is stressed throughout the whole book. In the second part of the book shows how in the motherland, women have the power to take care of the family. Another strength seen in females is through Ezinma. Although she is a girl, she is just as strong as her father. Ezinma is the opposite of her brother, Nwoye because she is bravery, intelligence,and strength that he is not. The amount of love Okonkwa had for his daughter should not have been based on gender. The ending connects to the idea of imperialism learned in history class. Usually the ones who stubbornly fight and refuse to accept new ideas end up losing more lives. For example, Okonkwo refuses to accept the education and new technologies provided by the missionaries, so he ends up killing himself. For someone who has as much pride as Okonkwo, his death showed how stubborn and self centered he was.
I completely agree with everyone: it is so irritating how Achebe leaves so many questions unanswered, however this is the common link in all literature: the authors ability to leave the reader guessing, leaving the answers up to ones imagination and analysis of the information that is provided. Overall, it is ironic how Okonokwo life had turned out be ALMOST everything he had deemed it not to be; he is his father’s son, and his lifestyle choices reflect this completely; he had become everything he wished not to be.
Overall the novel is very similar to “The Heart of Darkness” this lurking idea of the hypocritical motive behind imperialism and its repetitive appearances throughout history. As in “The Heart of Darkness”, “Things Fall Apart” demonstrates the European powers swiftly and successfully taking over the weaker components: African societies, and the Umuofia cultures and the toll this imperialistic actions had taken on the individuals effected by it. All in all, the self inflicted demise of Okonokwo was predictable, it had been his downfall, and the reader eventually can see it coming.
In Part three I find the colonist moving into the land of Obrerika and Okonkwo very disrespectful. The people of the village should immediately of said no to the white men settling their crunvhes in their home.
I feel like Okonkwo tried so much to not be like his father. He tried so much that he didnt care about others just himself. He even wished his daughter was a boy just because she had the confidence like a boy and he loved it because his own very son turned into a christian and left his family behind. We can never hate a man for trying to do his best, but it has to be in a honerable way. Not in a greedy way because once you have that power it will go away if you dont know how to use it the right way.
I feel attached to Okonkwo because I been reading ten years of his life. I just dont know why he had to die that way. The meeting with the six men of Umofia and the twelve men of the district commissioner is where Okonkwo lost his power. He could no longer control anyone. Its so hard transitioning to having all the power and in the blink of an eye you dont have the crown anymore. He felt weak and hopeless like he felt about women. I feel like the only control he had was taking his life because theres no way he was going to adapt to the Christian life because if he did then everything he ever stood for would stand for nothing !
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