Chinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart - 1538 Words

In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo, the protagonist, experiences change from the cultural collision caused by the introduction of Western ideas into the Igbo culture. Okonkwo is the personification of the Igbo cultural values and morals, he is a true warrior, hard-working man that raises a surplus of staple foods, and a holder of many Igbo cultural titles showing proof of his dedication and work. Okonkwo is also one of the Egwugwu, an elder of the village that acts as a host for a god during the Igbo clan’s cultural and judicial meetings. However, no matter how great Okonkwo was, he fell victim to the changes of Western culture as it infiltrated and destroyed his people. Okonkwo is portrayed as the man among men, he is an†¦show more content†¦Okonkwo is driven by a fear, the fear of being like his father, a person that is regarded as a waste, a lazy, feminine man. This fear pushes Okonkwo to be hard working. â€Å"But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness† (Things Fall Apart, 21). This quote shows how Okonkwo is fearful, stating exactly that his entire life he is been chasing this fear. The fear of failure is what makes Okonkwo so broad and powerful. â€Å"Okonkwo’s fear was greater than these. It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father† (Things Fall Apart, 21) is another example of where fear is linking his fear to his father. This pushes the idea that Okonkwo’s father is bad and Okonkwo needs to be something else. However, Okonkwo’s father wasn’t a particular bad person, he just wasn’t what the Igbo people thought a man should be like. This also adds to Okonkwo’s drive for success, he works his fields thoroughly, plants and weeds meticulously, all of this stemming from that fear of becoming his father. Okonkwo initially is introduced as the perfect human i n the Igbo culture. However many changes occur throughout the book that shows Okonkwo is a deeper character than what’s on the surface. Okonkwo at one point is exiled from the village after he accidentally shot someone from the tribe. Okonkwo’s exile lasted seven years and during those seven years, a new breed