Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe is an esteemed book which deals with the life and hardships of an African community trying to express their traditions in a modern, colonized world. The protagonist in the novel is a physically strong warrior, Okonkwo, who is a controlling factor in most of the communities he lives in. Themes of triumph and descent are what make up Okonkwo's character during the course of this novel. The wider world to Okonkwo consisted of the group of nine villages which comprise Umofia and certain other villages like Mbanio. Okonkwo was born and raised in Umofia and was very well known by all of the nine villages. His courage and determination led him to earn numerous titles in both wealth and wrestling. Ever since Okonkwo was a child he had to fight for what he wanted to achieve. Okonkwo possessed an obsession to always be number one, in control, and one of the most renowned men in the clan. These traits eventually led to Okonkwo's destruction. Once his world was taken over by British colonists Okonkwo was no longer in control of his clan, or his own life. Since he had such an impulse to gain supremacy, once this was lost, he underwent a state of confusion and a mental breakdown. Throughout the novel
In his novel Achebe explores the effect of one society thrust onto another. In this case the results are harsh and real. Once the British missionaries invaded the Ibo and began to gather converts, there was no turning back. Once there was a distinction between those who converted and those did not convert, the entire foundation of the community began to collapse. Finally the world of the Ibo was so dominated by the British that there was no hope possible of retaining the original world ever again, which led to Okonkwo's destruction. Okonkwo's struggle to regain control, made him realize there was no hope for himself or his country. So he sacrificed himself in an attempt to return the natives to the old traditions, so that their lives are also not destructed. Their world was lost and a new one had taken its place. Okonkwo had to fight to gain titles when he was older, due to the fact that his youth was completely poverty stricken and degrading. His father, in Okonkwo's eyes, had to have been one of the laziest people he had encountered. It seemed unfortunate to Okonkwo at the time, who when he was older wanted to aspire to someone, had to be stuck with a lazy father, so in return Okonkwo hated his father, and was very ashamed of him. His goal in life was to achieve everything Unoka, Okonkwo's father, should have accomplished during his lifetime. By the time Okonkwo was a young man Unoka had died, yet Okonkwo was much respected among his clan, and washed his hands with kings. A man can become influential in this culture by earning titles, the more titles a man receives, the more wives and children they can obtain. Okonkwo led a life with four wives, and an average of three children per wife. Since Okonkwo was comprised with such a strong superiority factor, he was always putting his wives "in their place". He constantly had to prove to them, as well as everybody else, that he was bigger and stronger then them. Such an incident occurred during one of the clan's festivals called The Week of Peace, wher
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1357
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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