Events Leading to Okonkwo Falling Apart Essay

"Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe is a novel whose message revolves around the title. The title foretells a tragedy which happens at the end. It depicts a misfortune of a character, Okonkwo and also the misfortune that befalls a society. At the beginning of the story, Okonkwo is portrayed as a hardworking and respected member of the society. As fate would not know, things turn out to be tragic at the end of the story. The author explains the events that made the life of an ambitious, successful and hardworking African man who was a hero in his community to fall apart. It's worthy to note that the society also suffers when Okonkwo suffers. Typically, the novel "Things Fall Apart" elucidates how Okonkwo is a victim of undesirable life events.

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Chinua Achebe draws the "Things Fall Apart" title from the poem, "The Second Coming" by W.B Yeats. He quotes this poem in the epigraph of the novel.

"Turning and turning in the widening gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconer;Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world," (Yeats,1919).

The title, therefore, explains the idea that anything that is taken to last forever finally ends. It talks about the end of an era after a period of merry. The onset of the novel portrays the Protagonist as a successful, prosperous leader among the people of Igbo. This, however, does not last until the end of the story since there is a tragic end. The novel is about how the life of Okonkwo falls apart. At the beginning of the novel, Okonkwo carries much importance to the society that he lives as he is known all over the villages and further on. Okonkwo is also a renowned warrior and a fierce wrestler who secures honor and high regard via his athletics. He has never lost any fight in any of his battles. The villagers love Okonkwo for this reason. Okonkwo has a lot of wealth and people respect him for this.

The life of Okonkwo begins to fall apart at the moment when he makes a mistake by killing Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna was the adoptive son of Okonkwo. In a way, he was a slave that stayed in Okonkwo's home and also looked up to Okonkwo as his father and Nwoye who happened to be Okonkwo's weak son as his brother. The Oracle had made a decision that Ikemefuna will be killed as retaliation. However, Okonkwo makes a mistake of striking Ikemefuna with his machete, killing him despite the warning. This, later, makes a contribution to his tragedy making his own life to fall apart.

The clan chases Okonkwo away for a period of seven years to his maternal native land as a punishment. The hopes, aspirations, and dreams of Okonkwo, therefore, begin to fall apart. Initially, Okonkwo was aspiring to gain more wealth which would earn him more respect from the society. He was a person full of pride and he never wanted other people to view him as weak. The hope of getting popular therefore started drifting away when this incident occurred. The people that respected him started losing faith in him just as people lost faith in his father, Unoka.

Things also fell apart for Okonkwo when his oldest son, Nwoye converts to Christianity. He beats him and Nwoye leaves home to follow the path that he had chosen. Okonkwo disowns his son as a result of this. The white man came to Umuofia during the exile of Okonkwo and was preaching a new religion that many Africans found appealing. They become converted. This did not get well with Okonkwo and viewed the converts as people of low rank. Similarly, Nwoye was Okonkwo's eldest son and he, therefore, had many expectations. Christianity was very upsetting.

The life of Okonkwo also shatters when he returns back to the village from exile, where he finds things have changed This is as a result of the missionary work of the white man. The clansmen are unable to fight and protect the ways of the tribe. However, they burn the church building the district commissioner as a result comes in to investigate the matter and asks to meet the leaders of the clan whom he ends up throwing into jail. Okonkwo is among these men. They are severely beaten and the messengers of the court shave their heads. Okonkwo feels that the tribe has lost its former glory and people cannot rise to defend the clan. He, therefore, commits suicide and things fall apart for Okonkwo's life.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the story ends with the culmination of the Igbo community and passing away of a hero who things fall apart for. The invasion of Christianity causes mayhem and the protagonist becomes a killer and commits suicide as a result. The world of Okonkwo literally falls apart. Therefore, the title "Things fall apart" is very significant to the story in relation to the protagonist, Okonkwo.

Work Cited

Yeats, William Butler, and Peter Huhn. "The second coming." (1919).