Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe - 1354 Words

Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart describes the colonization of the Ibo tribe by a group of white missionaries. The text details the life of Okonkwo, a successful yam farmer with many wives and great power in his village, from his early adulthood to his untimely death. In the beginning, Achebe presents the readers with Ikemefuna, a young boy from the neighboring Mbaino tribe, sent to Okonkwo’s household as punishment for murdering an Umuofian woman. Ikemefuna integrates into the family rapidly, and is well-received by both Okonkwo and his biological son, Nwoye. He spends three years in Okonkwo’s family, which was much longer than what the clan elders had anticipated. During that time, Okonkwo treats Ikemefuna as his own son, and†¦show more content†¦Although Okonkwo never publicly displays love, he allows Ikemefuna to hold a special place in his heart, treating him like a true son. Even though Okonkwo does not treat Ikemefuna differently than other people, he admits that â€Å"there was no doubt that he liked the boy†--the only thing that prevents him from showing affection is his fear of being thought of as weak. Often, when Okonkwo was out in public, â€Å"he allowed Ikemefuna to accompany him, like a son† and revealed that â€Å"indeed, Ikemefuna called him father† (28). Ikemefuna’s stay was intended to be brief, and Okonkwo did not expect to get so attached to him. As the novel progresses, Achebe displays more instances that demonstrate their close relationship. For example, when Ogbuefi tells Okonkwo that Ikemefuna is to be killed, he wants Okonkwo to â€Å"have nothing to do with it† because â€Å"he calls you his father† (57). At this point, Okonkwo comes to the realization that he has let his feminine side manifest itself--he has let love take over his persona. Thus, he participates in Ikemefuna’s murder, and delivers the final blow, using the excuse that â€Å"he was afraid of being thought weak†, but he actually does this to control himself (61). Killing Ikemefuna was a difficult decision and it greatly pains Okonkwo--his last words are: â€Å" ‘My father, they have killed me!’ †, demonstrating that even after witnessing Okonkwo’s betrayal, Ikemefuna still believes that Okonkwo isShow MoreRelatedThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1415 Words   |  6 Pagesbook Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe does just that. This book should be taught in schools because it shows the values and traditions of Achebe’s Igbo culture, persistently teaches life lessons throughout the book, and shows the darker reality of European colonialism in Africa. Chinua Achebe is known as one of the most influential and famous authors to ever write. Chinua Achebe originates from an Igbo background and he expresses that through his writings very well including Things Fall ApartRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe1324 Words   |  6 Pages Chinua Achebe chose to write his novels in English to reveal a deep response of his people to colonisation and to make that response understood to people all over the world. Things Fall Apart was written in English to teach people worldwide of the struggles he faced and the people of Nigeria faced growing up. Many authors and critics have written about Achebe’s ‘Things fall apart’ adding their valued opinion on what he was trying to say and his decision to write in English. In the followingRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe Essay1203 Words   |  5 Pages who took their land for monetary gain. This was a dark period of time for Africans that live there. The U.S. Civil War and The Great Depression both can be related, in this instance, to how down their people were because of what happened. Chinua Achebe said it best, â€Å"I would be quite satisfied if my novels...did no more than teach my readers of their past...was not a long night of savagery from which the first European acting on God’s behalf delivered them†(qtd. in â€Å"Morning Yet† 45). In theRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1452 Words   |  6 Pagesassume control over the Roman Empire. However, imperialism in Africa remained a recorded element from 1750 to 1945. This paper visits how control and changes were influences over the Africans during this time period as seen through Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart. (UKEssays, 2015) Europe was experiencing a few financial and political changes that forced the major European forces to investigate abroad regions to add to their resources during the seventeenth century. In order for the EuropeanRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe2361 Words   |  10 PagesThings Fall Apart Book Critique Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a historical fiction novel describing the life of Okonkwo in a Nigerian village succumbing to European ways, in order to portray Achebe’s view on imperialism. It was chosen for us to read by our teacher because it describes imperialism and its effects in an Ibo village of Nigeria. It also shows the treatment of natives by the Europeans and how the natives reacted. Things Fall Apart is useful to our course of studies because itRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1265 Words   |  6 PagesThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is markedly relevant to our current course of studies in World History, as it tells a story based on European Imperialism in Africa. Coming off the heels of our Imperialism unit, this post-colonial novel provides very helpful context on different civilizations’ perspectives throughout the Age of Imperialism; aside from analyzing death tolls, descriptions of conflicts, and names of countries, it was previousl y hard to envision what life was actually like during thatRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 735 Words   |  3 PagesThings fall apart. Achebe. Ernest Gaines once said, â€Å"I write to try to find out who I am. One of my main themes is manliness. I think Im trying to figure out what manliness really is.† Indeed, every society or culture has its own understanding of an ideal man. Even though these characteristics are different in various parts of the world, the significance of masculinity can never be overestimated. â€Å"Things Fall Apart† by Chinua Achebe is considered as one of the best examples of a riseRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe692 Words   |  3 Pagesthe way to go. Through commercial trading Islam spread into Igboland, and this led to more Igbo people leaving the Igbo way of life for another, whether it be Islam or Christianity which divide the country in two. In the novel Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe British colonialism and the migration of Muslims to Nigeria led to the change in the faith, social and economic changes in the Igbo society. Traditional Igbo faith believes that there is only one creator or god known as ChinekeRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe897 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel, â€Å"Things Fall Apart† by Chinua Achebe the Igbo tradition revolves around structured gender role. Everything essential of Igbo life is based on their gender, which throughout the novel it shows the role of women and the position they hold, from their role in the family household, also planting women crops, to bearing children. Although the women were claimed to be weaker and seemed to be treated as objects, in the Igbo culture the women still provided qualities that make them worthyRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe Essay1851 Words   |  8 Pageschoice and styles are critical not only to the reader’s understanding of the text but to his appreciation as well. How language is effectively manipulated in their writings enhances the reader’s valuing of the works. The selected novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a representation of Igbo culture and their language. It explores the life of an Igbo tribe at the time of when colonization hit Africa. It could be considered as a post-colonial text, as the protagonist of the story and the other