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    Things Fall Apart Essay

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    darthmat-ss
    Things Fall Apart is a novel about Okonkwo, a man from the Ibo tribe in Nigeria who falls from grace due to his rigid personality. Okonkwo is a hardworking farmer who excels but lacks balance, showing only anger and beating his family. He is also hyper-masculine, neglecting compassion and causing his son Nwoye to flee. Okonkwo's fear of appearing weak leads him to kill his surrogate son Ikemefuna against advice. This causes his honor within the tribe to crumble, representing the downfall that occurs when inflexibility and lack of balance dominate one's personality.

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    Things Fall Apart Essay

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    darthmat-ss
    2K views2 pages
    Things Fall Apart is a novel about Okonkwo, a man from the Ibo tribe in Nigeria who falls from grace due to his rigid personality. Okonkwo is a hardworking farmer who excels but lacks balance, showing only anger and beating his family. He is also hyper-masculine, neglecting compassion and causing his son Nwoye to flee. Okonkwo's fear of appearing weak leads him to kill his surrogate son Ikemefuna against advice. This causes his honor within the tribe to crumble, representing the downfall that occurs when inflexibility and lack of balance dominate one's personality.

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    Things Fall Apart is a novel about Okonkwo, a man from the Ibo tribe in Nigeria who falls from grace due to his rigid personality. Okonkwo is a hardworking farmer who excels but lacks balance, showing only anger and beating his family. He is also hyper-masculine, neglecting compassion and causing his son Nwoye to flee. Okonkwo's fear of appearing weak leads him to kill his surrogate son Ikemefuna against advice. This causes his honor within the tribe to crumble, representing the downfall that occurs when inflexibility and lack of balance dominate one's personality.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    2K views2 pages

    Things Fall Apart Essay

    Uploaded by

    darthmat-ss
    Things Fall Apart is a novel about Okonkwo, a man from the Ibo tribe in Nigeria who falls from grace due to his rigid personality. Okonkwo is a hardworking farmer who excels but lacks balance, showing only anger and beating his family. He is also hyper-masculine, neglecting compassion and causing his son Nwoye to flee. Okonkwo's fear of appearing weak leads him to kill his surrogate son Ikemefuna against advice. This causes his honor within the tribe to crumble, representing the downfall that occurs when inflexibility and lack of balance dominate one's personality.

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    Things Fall Apart Essay

    Thing Fall Apart is a novel by Chinua Achebe. In the novel, the Ibo people, a

    nation in lower Africa, are colonized by the Umofia, an Ibo tribe, is the home of

    Okonkwo, the protagonist. Okonkwo falls victim to his virtues throughout the novel. He

    is hardworking, masculine, and honorable; he loses everything because of it.

    Okonkwo is a very diligent man. His harvests are some of the best in Umofia.

    This, however, hindered him from enjoying almost anything besides work. Before and

    during feasts, he does not rejoice, only thinks of work, and his desire to be working. He

    becomes quite enraged, because he considers the work for it wasteful. While preparing

    for a feast that is quickly approaching, Okonkwo, for no reason, unleashes his anger on

    his wife, Ekwefi. “‘Who killed this banana tree?’ he asked…. As a matter of fact, the tree

    was very much alive. Okonkwo’s second wife merely cut a few leaves off it to wrap some

    food, and she said so. Without further argument Okonkwo gave her a sound beating and

    left her and her daughter weeping” (38).

    Okonkwo is very masculine. He enjoys, and typically excels in, doing manly

    things. He is renowned for beating Amalinze the Cat, undefeated for seven years, in a

    wrestling match. He lacks balance, however, and throws away his feminine side better

    then he throws Amalinze. He leaves no room for sympathy or compassion. This causes

    his first born Nwoye, an effeminate man, to run away. He receives only beatings from his

    father. Nwoye heard some very upsetting news, that his beloved step-brother Ikemefuna

    was to return back home. “Nwoye overheard it and burst into tears, whereupon his father

    beat him heavily” (57). There was nothing beautiful about Okonkwo, and when given the
    option to run away to something full of beauty, the Christian’s message of brotherhood,

    he ran at the chance.

    Okonkwo is honored highly throughout Umofia. His harvests are worthy of envy.

    He is strong, and is a good wrestler and warrior. Okonkwo prizes himself on his honor,

    and will do anything to keep it. The oracle has proclaimed that Ikemefuna must be killed.

    Ikemefuna, Okonkwo’s step-son. The man who calls him father. Okonkwo’s friend,

    Ezeudu, the oldest and wisest man in the village, tells him not to participate. Okonkwo, in

    fear of looking cowardly, ignores reason and wisdom. “He heard Ikemefuna cry ‘My

    father, they have killed me!’ as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his

    machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being though weak” (61).

    Okonkwo is a man who believes strongly in his convictions. He stands by them,

    no matter what. Sometimes they benefit him, other times, they ruin him. His life is an

    empty one. He lacks internal homeostasis, and commits atrocities because of it.

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