Okonkwo's Own Son example essay topic

The novel Things Fall Apart, by China Achebe, is a story about an African man named Okonkwo who appears to be strong on the outside, but eventually crumbles within. Along with the protagonist, the African culture that is his way of life dissolves also, due to the arrival of Christian missionaries who set up a government within his village, Umuofia. Okonkwo's biggest fear is ending up like his father, Unoka, who was lazy and made nothing of himself; he was known as a coward among the African people. Okonkwo is a well-respected warrior in his village, and carries many titles, which gives him authority.

One day, during a funeral, Okonkwo inadvertently shoots a boy in the heart. The only way that this crime can be forgiven, according to custom, is if Okonkwo and his family leave for seven years; so they do. When they return, they find that many villages in the Ibo society have been taken over by white missionaries, and Umuofia is one of them. This new religion attracts many people and some begin to follow, instead of fighting to save their culture; one of the followers is Okonkwo's own son, Nwoye. Okonkwo is determined to save the village and make a new name for himself, and so in anger, he decapitates one of the white messengers and later commits suicide. Umuofia then falls to Christianity and the Ibo society and traditions are therefore lost.

The progressive falling apart of Okonkwo's culture is parallel to the falling apart of Okonkwo's inner self. "All was silent. In the center of the crowd a boy lay in a pool of blood... Okonkwo's gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy's heart (Achebe 124)". This is the event that leads to Okonkwo and his family's exile to Mbanta, the village where Okonkwo's mother was buried. The accidental murder ends up causing the village to cast out one of their greatest warriors, which in turn inhibits their fight against the white men.

Okonkwo's exile also hurts him personally, because he has to start all over in a new land. "His life had been ruled by a great passion- to become one of the lords of the clan... Then everything had been broken. He had been cast out of his clan... (Achebe 131)". Okonkwo's exile hurt his pride, because he realizes that his dream is now out of reach (Understanding).

This is one step towards the fall of the Ibo society, as they lose a warrior. It is also a point where Okonkwo is discouraged and struggles within. When the white missionaries arrive, most of the African people resent them and make fun of them, but a few are attracted to the religion that they speak of. The missionaries draw them in with songs of evangelism and stories of a loving God, who will take care of His people. One of Okonkwo's sons, Nwoye, is fascinated by this new belief, but he keeps his fascination a secret, because he fears his father (Achebe 149). When Okonkwo finally finds out, he is very angry.

He compares Nwoye to his father, Unoka, which depresses Okonkwo very much, because he wants his children to become respected in the society. Okonkwo finds it embarrassing that his son has converted to Christianity, because "at Nwoye's age, Okonkwo had already become famous throughout Umuofia for his wrestling and his fearlessness (Achebe 153)". Nwoye's conversion also means bad news for the village of Mbanta (Okonkwo's place of exile). They want to keep their traditions and customs, and not collapse due to a new religion.

Nwoye and some others break apart from their own people; this signifies the "falling apart" of the Ibo society. It also saddens Okonkwo to see his son turn into his father, because he has become a coward. "Okonkwo was deeply grieved. And it was not just a personal grief. He mourned for the clan, which he saw breaking up and falling apart, and he mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women (Achebe 183)". After his seven years of exile were up, Okonkwo and his family return to Umuofia to find that the white people have set up a church and a government.

This depresses him, because no warriors would fight for their civilization, they just let the white people step all over them and take over Umuofia. Okonkwo is not satisfied with the way things are going, so he decides that even if no one will go to war, he will do whatever it takes to save his village. The village is called to a meeting the next morning, and the white men try and stop it; Okonkwo resents this. "In a flash Okonkwo drew his machete. The messenger crouched to avoid the blow.

It was useless. Okonkwo's machete descended twice and the man's head lay beside his uniformed body (Achebe 204)". Okonkwo knows what is going to happen to him after he killed the messenger. He knows that the white men will come and kill him and his family.

Obi erika, one of Okonkwo's friends, leads the Commissioner and his men to Okonkwo's compound (house) where they find Okonkwo's body dangling from a tree (Achebe 207). Okonkwo has given up. He has turned into his father by becoming a coward, and because he has taken his own life, his clansmen cannot bury him respectively. It has always been his dream to become a leader among his people, but now that he has chosen not to fight, he will be forgotten. Just as Okonkwo lost his life, his culture was lost also. Okonkwo was one of the only people who chose to fight against the white men, and now that he has given up, their society will be converted to Christianity and will soon disintegrate.

The falling apart of the Ibo society corresponds with Okonkwo's struggle within. When Okonkwo accidentally shoots the boy at the funeral, and is banished to Mbanta, he wrestles with himself internally, because his dream of becoming a clan lord is destroyed. His exile also hurts the village, because it takes away one of the strongest warriors. Nwoye converts to Christianity and that contributes to Okonkwo's losing battle inside. The society falls even more when they lose Nwoye, because it represents the white people prevailing over them. When Okonkwo hangs himself, he gives up.

He willing loses to the missionaries, because he does not want to fight. His struggle is over, and his biggest fear of being like his father has happened. This suicide represents the "falling apart" of not only Okonkwo's life, but also his culture.