To what extent do you feel that Achebe intends the reader to be sympathetic towards Okonkwo?
To what extent do you feel that Achebe intends the reader to be sympathetic towards Okonkwo?
'Things Fall Apart' is written in the postcolonial period, but is set before and during the process of colonization.
Achebe therefore wants to educate the reader about the civilization that was destroyed. Hence Okonkwo to a great extent represents that civilization; it would be reasonable to suppose that, ultimately, Achebe wants us to sympathise with Okonkwo.
I believe that Achebe is trying to give an explanation of what it is like to live in an African society. The story is about a man named Okonkwo who is a member of the Ibo tribe. Achebe is telling the story of Okonkwo from his childhood till his death.
Before I read this book I did not have a very good idea of how people lived in Africa, and the ideas I did have about life in traditional African societies turned out to be untrue.
Achebe did a very good job of illustrating a traditional African society, and by reading this book I now have a much better idea of what life is like in a non-western society. I think that this was Achebe's goal in writing this book, to educate people about some of the struggles people have and life in traditional African societies.
The title 'Things Fall Apart' is a good choice of title for this book because the book presents the destruction of the main protagonist, and of his culture. Throughout the novel Achebe manipulates our sympathies for Okonkwo.
The book is chronologically organized, and even though Achebe is writing about his roots, I feel that he and the book remain unbiased.
From the first chapter of the novel Achebe is very keen for his readers to develop an understanding of the main character Okonkwo. Achebe informs the reader of Okonkwo's background and in particular the role his Father has played in his life. Okonkwo, did not like the way his father lived. Unoka is depicted as a alcoholic and a complete failure by his fellow villagers:
"Unoka the grown-up was a failure - people laughed at him because he was a loafer, and they swore never to lend him any more money"
Achebe shows the role a Father plays particularly in the upbringing of his son's as very important culturally. The father takes the responsibility for instilling into his son what is required by Ibo society traditions, to become a man of high standing in the village. The fact that Okonkwo has had to teach himself the skills and values that make a good Ibo man will lead the reader have respect at the achievements Okonkwo makes, and at the same time gain a sense of sympathy at his plight as a child in having no role model. He thought that a man should be strong and do typical male tasks. But Okonkwo's father, Unoka, did not fit that particular mould according to Okonkwo. He was ashamed of his father, and would tell himself that he would make a better life for himself and his family than his father ever did. Okonkwo's desire for success becomes an obsession that causes him to act often without regard to the consequences. The development of Okonkwo's obsessive nature is disturbing and is an indication from Achebe that his personality will cause tragedy later in the novel.
This is the first time Achebe present Okonkwo in such a way, that we feel any sort of feeling towards him. I feel that Achebe intends us to note Okonkwo's obvious fear of failure and that he is afraid of being seen of as inferior and weak.
"He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father"
Okonkwo was the complete opposite to his father, he was a successful wrestler when he was young, and was famous for his honour and achievements. Even as a boy he resented his father's failure.
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This is the first time Achebe present Okonkwo in such a way, that we feel any sort of feeling towards him. I feel that Achebe intends us to note Okonkwo's obvious fear of failure and that he is afraid of being seen of as inferior and weak.
"He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father"
Okonkwo was the complete opposite to his father, he was a successful wrestler when he was young, and was famous for his honour and achievements. Even as a boy he resented his father's failure.
"His fame rested on his personal achievements".
He was very successful within the Ibo tribe and had gained a very high standing within the tribe. It was a goal of his to become an elder in the tribe, and it looked as though he was going to achieve it. Achebe presents Okonkwo to us as a man who dreamed as a child of being well known and respected throughout his village and neighboring villages. He, worked hard at his goal, and he achieved it. Okonkwo, a man with great strength and personality, had achieved his goal to become rich and famous, a privilege that was unseen before in his family. Although Okonkwo reached his goal at an early age, his life began to Fall Apart when tragic episodes took place. We can see that Okonkwo's life first began to fall apart when Ikemefuna, a captive who stayed at Okonkwo's home, was killed. Okonkwo had thought of Ikemefuna as one of his own sons. He was deeply saddened when he was killed. Achebe shows us the effects that these events have on Okonkwo from then on. Firstly Okonkwo was unable to sleep for the following three days. He also kept on getting drunk, and that was a sign that he was depressed. Achebe in presenting Okonkwo in this way shows us that at this point we should show some sympathy towards Okonkwo. This incident also had a long-term effect on Okonkwo. From then on his family would look at him as if it were his fault that Ikemefuna is dead. This episode can be seen as an event where Okonkwo looses some faith from his family. This corresponds to Okonkwo loosing faith in his father.
Another important occurrence where one can see that Okonkwo's life falls apart was when he was in exile for seven years for murdering a clansman. From this episode Achebe implies that Okonkwo's hopes dreams have begun to fall apart. His hopes of being a rich and popular individual had drifted away with this upsetting incident. Okonkwo had no longer had his farm or animals. Also Okonkwo lost faith with most of his friends. This goes to show that Okonkwo lost faith with his friends, like his father lost faith with his.
Another episode that showed the downfall in Okonkwo's life was when Nwoye, his oldest and favourite son, converted to the white mans religion, Christianity. To Okonkwo this was very upsetting because Nwoye was his eldest son, and Okonkwo had the greatest expectations for him. When news came to him that Nwoye was among the white men Okonkwo is also aggravated by his youngest son's lack of drive. He can see in his son exactly how his father was at that age, care free and lazy, flying kites when he should be working. From this point in the novel we can foresee that only bad luck was going to face Okonkwo after that.
Yet, even though Okonkwo was highly respected and regarded as a great man, many also feared him.
"His wives especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper and so did his little children"
His whole life was dominated by fear, the fear that he may resemble his father, and this fear lay deep inside of him. His temper often spills over into violence too.
"Whenever he was angry and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fists"
We see this violent side to Okonkwo when we learn that he had been banished from the Ibo tribe for seven years because he killed a boy.
Achebe, I think would want us to respond to this murder in a way that does not just condemn Okonkwo's actions but to make us think why he would do such a terrible thing. Should we feel any sympathy towards Okonkwo at all?
I believe that Achebe would expect us to be angry with Okonkwo at this particular point, as he has committed a very serious crime, yet at the same time sympathise with the fact that Okonkwo has to go into exile for seven years.
Okonkwo lost all of his titles and his standing in the Ibo tribe. This would have put a large dent in Okonkwo's pride, and after the seven years in exile, were over he was allowed to return to the Ibo tribe but with his reputation in ruins, he had to start his life over.
This is yet another example of when Achebe implies that we should think about whether we sympathise with Okonkwo or not.
When Okonkwo returns after seven years in his mother's tribe, many things have changed, most of them down to the missionaries, which have come to Africa to try to convert people to Christianity.
Achebe through Okonkwo is able to show the pride he has in Nigerian culture before colonisation. British literature from the post colonisation era of writing perceives native African society as one that has no sense of culture, religion or structure. 'Things Fall Apart' is a novel that is able to erode these British stereotypes and present uniquely an account of colonisation from the viewpoint of the African people themselves. Achebe shows that native communities had religion, rich culture (with a detailed history) with a very strong value in community and their social order. Achebe shows the difference in Ibo society between the individual and the communal aspects. The community is very important to the survival of the tribe, and the people often work together for the betterment of the clan. There are also individual aspects to Ibo society, each person has his or her own 'chi' or personal God. This personal God is to watch over a person and protect them, it is believed that some people have a stronger chi than others, and they will achieve a higher standing in the society. Achebe is showing us that the Ibo tribe are deeply spiritual and positive people with a strong sense of right and support for each other.
In British literature that deals with the time of colonisation in the 1890's Africa is stereotyped a cruel 'savage' land. Missionaries are shown to be saviours for the native people. The colonisation was pervaded to bring the culture and order to a country like Nigeria that did not exist prior to British rule. Achebe being an African author is able to remove the bias of British writing in showing the true depth of Nigerian culture and history hundreds of years before colonisation. The Ibo use of language, particularly their use of stories and proverbs shows the richness of their culture. A community with these aspects is clearly as rich in culture as any society can claim to be.
Western literature has always thought that the 'wondrous prosperity' and gains colonisation gives the Nigerian people, it has been only beneficial, not undermining their beliefs. It is seen to be nothing but good for the nation. Achebe in removing the bias and stereotypical views shows what the Nigerian people had to sacrifice when colonisation occurred. Their traditions, community and their identity are discriminated against by their new rulers. The same loss of identity that infuriates Okonkwo. In this the reader can reader empathise with not wanting his life to change. Okonkwo's aggressive temperament will cause the new inhabitants serious difficulties. 'Things Fall Apart' from a colonial aspect is very good at educating the readers.
Achebe shows us the effects of colonialism on African society, and the conflict between modern and traditional values. 'Things Fall Apart' depicts a tribal societies first contact with Europeans, and the western world.
I found it ironic that both Okonkwo and his Father (Unoka) ended up with the same fate, both ended up being put in the 'Evil Forest' after their deaths. Unoka ended up in the 'Evil Forest' because he died from a strange disease, while Okonkwo ended up in the 'Evil Forest' because he had murdered a clansman. I saw this as a deliberate piece of irony on Achebe part because it seemed that Okonkwo tried everything in his power to be as different from his Father, and not to live the life his Father did. The prospect of a life identical to Unoka was Okonkwo's greatest fear in life. Inevitably for the reader Okonkwo's efforts are in vain as his actions cause him to die in shame just as his Father did. This could be perceived as the novels greatest tragedy.
Even though they took completely different paths in their lives, these paths would eventually lead them to the same fate. It could be that Achebe is demonstrating to him and Ibo culture that the role a Father plays in his child's development is crucial for that child to become a success. Okonkwo shows the tragic effect the absence of a role model has on a child's entire life.
From reading this novel I feel I have learnt a lot about what it is like to live in a traditional African society. I must admit that I did not know much about African societies before reading the novel, and most of what I believed to be true turned out to be false. Many people would consider a society like the Ibo society primitive. They may not have many of the technology and conveniences that we as Westerners have, but do those conveniences make our lives better? I do not think that a person should be judged on the number of material possessions he or she own, but on what they are like as a person. Western societies today seem to be very individualistic. Many people seem to look out for themselves and no one else. This I have found not to be true in African societies, many times the community comes before the individual. Therefore I think that there is a lot to be learnt from traditional African societies about how to live, how to survive and how to treat others.
I think that a culture that partakes in rituals or set ways that seem to be just and logical to them, then they should be left to get on with that, even if other cultures think it is immoral to do so.
Okonkwo's death is the main point that I felt Achebe intended us to be sympathetic towards him, the way in which Okonkwo's body is discovered does not some how seem to do Okonkwo the justice he rightfully deserves.
"Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo's body was dangling, and they stopped dead"
Okonkwo was not a man with out his faults but he was a decent man deep down and did not deserve to die in the way he did.
By glancing at Okonkwo's life, we could see that the title 'Things Fall Apart' fits perfectly with the book. Starting from the murder of Ikemefuna, we see that Okonkwo's life will fall apart. Then, later on in the book, when Okonkwo was thrown in to exile, we could have been sure that Okonkwo's hopes of being rich and famous were ruined. After all that, with the incident of Nwoye, we see that Okonkwo's life was a total failure. Achebe, I think presented Okonkwo to us the reader, intending us to see that even though Okonkwo had achieved his goals initially, by the end of his life, he had become a failure like his father.
By Hayley Gibbs
