Things Fall Apart

I.

As the novel begins, Achebe wastes no time in introducing Okonkwo as a powerful and prestigious character who is "well known throughout the nine villages and beyond." (3) I also have noticed the savagely and almost barbaric characteristics that Achebe associates him with. The animal-like descriptions sets the novel in a world that though seems organized by their religious belief in gods and spirits, is in fact uncivilized. The irony at work seems to be seen throughout the novel, as with the relationship and feelings Okonkwo holds towards his father. I find his hatred and intolerance with "unsuccessful men" and "his father" (4) to be the stem of an inevitable downfall. It is this intolerance that leads him to do everything and anything to avoid following the footsteps of his father who died as a disgrace without gaining any titles in the village. Though his motivations lead him to success, his obsession to avoid becoming his father leads him to become a man who lacks morality, sympathy and sentimentality. He is so blinded by the goal of becoming the total opposite of his father that he ignores all conscience. He is under the false impression that through abuse towards his wife, that through strict training of his children, and that through holding back his emotions he is powerful and he is respected. However, it is clear that beneath the facade that he displays for the world, he is a weak man trying to hide his insecurities about his shameful upbringing.

I find that the yams maybe in fact a symbol of Okonkwo himself. He like the yams, the most important and prized crop, holds a prestigious position in his village. However, the fate of the yams may be a foreshadowing of the fate of Okonkwo himself as “yams of the old year were all disposed of...the new year must begin with tasty, fresh yams and not the shrivelled and fibrous crop of the previous year.” (36) Through the life of the yams, it can be seen that though one may experience a period of glory, it is inevitable that that surreal moment is bound to come to a close. When one’s purpose becomes useless, one is sure to be cast aside, without regards to one’s prior status or accomplishments. Okonkwo’s strives for perfection in his yams as he “looked at each yam carefully” (32) just as he leaves no room for weakness in his life. His life in fact is dominated by this fear of being weak, which is ironic since this is his greatest weakness.

Nwoye can be viewed as the living version of Okonkwo’s fear and Ikemefuna on the other hand maybe symbolic of the ideal image he holds for what he sees as a strong man. However, when Okonkwo becomes the one to kill Ikemefuna, he in a way is killing that unrealistic ideal he has held. After the murder, we are able to catch a glimpse of the humane side of Okonkwo in which his guilt sent a “cold shiver [that] descended on his head and spread down his body.” (63)


II.

In the second part of the novel, "things [really do] fall apart" as many of you have noted and also the title is beginning to make sense. Okonkwo’s inability to show his “weaknesses” is ultimately what causes his life to fall apart. His drive to prove himself to be a man creates an overpowering pride that requires him to reflect and restart his life. The change takes place as a result of a very ironic incident as most have already mentioned. Okonkwo loses all that he strived for in one gun shot, an accidental one at that. The gunshot penetrates into his ego, and releases the one fear that he has tried to avoid. Along with losing the status he holds in his village, he becomes the "weak" man he had always despised. He now has to become dependent on his kinsmen,family from his mother's side.

In response to gypsyloo's comment that the exile is a chance for Okonkwo to learn of the importance of women, I completely agree. Okonkwo is no longer in a land which encourages the inequalities of genders, but rather respects females. Though Okonkwo is given a second chance to change his life, by starting from scratch in Mbanta, I don’t believe that he has taken the opportunity. Achebe shows Okonkwo’s inability to change through the rainstorm that occurs right before his departure back to Umuofia. A rainstorm, normally representing some sort of cleansing does little to help erase the misguided ideals Okonkwo holds for his family and himself. In spite of the storm, Okonkwo does not return a changed man, but rather a man that wants to pick up from where he left off. However, irony is continually in play as he returns to find a shift in Umuofia itself. Its so called “men” are no longer fighting back against the intruders to their village (missionaries).

To address And The Benefactor Is... Dario’s question on what the significance of Enzima being taken to the cave is, I believe that it shows the corruption of Umuofia and the blinded willingness of the people to follow along. Also it exposes readers to a side of Okonkwo that have not been seen before. Umuofia is a village deeply rooted in it’s following of spirits and gods to a point in which some actions are questionable morally. In the treatment of twins, burial of men who died dishonorably, and even of children who was born dead, we see the brutality of Umuofian traditions. In some ways Umuofia bears a parallel to Okonkwo himself since he is also “feared by all its neighbors.” (11) The invasion by the missionaries causes not only Umuofia to fall apart but he himself as well (Nwoye leaving him in shame, being held hostage by the whites, manliness being taking out of the warriorlike citizens). The immortal spirits that passes judgment to me resembles an organized group of dictators. However getting back to the question, Okonkwo finally shows his paternal side as he comes to the cave to go after Enzima, showing his emotions for the first time. He actually cares about his children. This is a revelation to the cold man Okonkwo portrays himself as.

III.

In the last third of the novel, things get more chaotic as we are brought back to Umuofia again. The missionaries have definitely had an influence on certain people of the village, drawing them away from beliefs that they had questioned before. Nwoye was the primary example of the doubts that the Umuofian traditions created amongst its people. I can understand why Nwoye had decided to join with the missionaries, and that Okonkwo was part of the blame for his son’s betrayal of his own religion. Beginning from Nwoye’s rebellion, the life as Okonkwo has envisioned falls to pieces. His village, once characterized by men of bravery, is now under the power of the white missionaries. This shift in the novel isolates Okonkwo from the rest of his village. A sense of change is coming about and as we all know, Okonkwo is too stubborn to accept anything apart from his own beliefs. His pride and ignorance causes his own death.

The ending to the novel is very dramatic. I had not expected Okonkwo to commit suicide. Gypsloo’s analysis of Okonkwo as a Christ figure seems to be quite accurate. Though he was once a man of importance in his village, Achebe continues to employ irony as he ends the novel stating that Okonkwo will only be commemorated by not “a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph.” (209) Okonkwo who has attempted throughout his life to die not as his father had, without any honors, ironically follows his father’s example. Achebe seems to be making a very realistic yet harsh point about life. Achebe uses Okonkwo to demonstrate the cynical side of life in which one’s accomplishments is disregarded in that even “one of the greatest men in Umuofia…will be buried like a dog.” (208)

Overall I enjoyed reading this novel and I have to agree with angela that there are many similarities between this novel and One Hundred Years of Solitude.