- Tags:
- Show more
- Pages:
- 3
- Words:
- 825
Things Fall Apart Every society that aims to prosper must have systems that support itself and the members of the society. Such systems must be closely intertwined together to create a formidable bond that will last the test of time. Chinua Achebe in the novel, Things Fall Apart sets out to expose how failure to believe in your customs and culture can lead to not only your downfall but also that of your society. He uses the main protagonist Okonkwo to elaborate this intricate concept of lack of self- acceptance and belief. While the rest of other young men still look up to their parents to provide for them, Okonkwo sets out to fend for himself and also take care of his parents. He particularly doesn’t want to be like his father who would spend all his wealth on palm-wine. He has a huge fear of ending up like his father. Okonkwo becomes extremely unhappy with his tribe’s lack of strong will in fighting the whites. This way, Chinua Achebe manages to persuade his people that self-pity and laziness will only bring more misery. Everyone should work hard to earn a living in whichever means possible. Okonkwo visits Nwakibie to ask for some yam seeds to plant. Chinua depicts him as a hardworking man who is quite determined to fend for his family, unlike his lazy age mates. Okonkwo while talking to Nwakibie tells him, “I have cleared a farm but have no yams to sow. I know what it is to ask a man to trust another with his yams, especially these days when young men are afraid of hard work. I am not afraid of work” (Lawall 2429) Chinua Achebe uses Okonkwo to depict how his society has failed to cope with the evolution of the tribe and how its own abasement that follows leads
Leave feedback