Abdulaziz Alothman Dr.

Price McMurray English 2327 July 21, 2013 A Research About "Things Fall Apart"

"Things fall apart" is one of the most beautiful novels written. It was written by the Nigerian

author Chinua Achebe. The novel describes the life of Okonkwo. It also focuses on the culture

and customs of the Igbo's society and shows how the Igbo's society was influenced by the

British colonialism in the nineteenth century. In my essay, I will focus on Okonkwo's failure, the

story as tragedy, and finally at the comparison of the character and his defects to those of a

classical European tragic figure.

There are many things that are considered as a reason for Okonkwo's failure. One of the

reasons as the Western Michigan posted was, "Okonkwo uses aggression to replace his lack of

speech" (Carroll, 40). Also, the Western Michigan posted that,"This flaw sets him apart from the

tradition he embodies; he can participate, but he cannot find the joy of being verbose like his

compatriots." We also can consider Okonkwo's inflexibility as a reason that lets him fail. His

rigidity leads to his participation in the death of Ikemefuna. This event is considered by others

as an important point in the story. It is the path of the end. It "initiates a series of catastrophes

which end with his death" (Carroll,44). This action may have been legally correct.

Many people are asking if "Thing Fall Apart" is a tragic story or not. Actually it is a classic

story of transformation and tragedy. The event in this novel shows the view of Africa like

a continent. It shows the impact of the colonization and the power of force that leads

the British colonialists to seizure Nigeria. However, it has also become a symbol of post-

colonial possibility. The main feature in the novel is to show the conventional cultures of the

villages in Africa in a pity and complex view. Achebe is trying not only to inform the outside

world about Ibo cultural traditions, but also to remind his own people of their past and to assert

that it had contained much of value.

Many Africans in his time were ready to accept the European Judgment that Africa had no

History or culture worth considering. As a comparison between Shakespeare's play Hamlet and

Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart, we can discover that the two main characters are very much

similar. In each story, the character shows qualities that could make him a hero in his own

rights. However, since each story has a tragic twist involving these characters, they are more or

less considered tragic heroes. At the beginning of both stories the main characters are on top of

the world. Okonkwo, the protagonist in "Things Fall Apart", is a respectable member of the Ibo

culture. Hamlet, the main character in Hamlet, is the prince of Denmark and was loved by many.

In both stories, the reader can definitely see change in both of the main characters' status.

Certain events lead to the total fall of these once before was respectable men. Their stories are

thought to be tragic due to the fact that they completed their mission in life even if it was death

to themselves or to others. Okonkwo's tragic flaw is the equation of manliness with rashness,

angry and violence that brings his own destruction. He was gruff at times, and usually unable to

express his feelings. But his emotions are indeed quite complex, as his "manly" values conflict

with his "unmanly" ones, such as fondness for Ikemefuna and Ezinma. We may also connect

European presence in African to slavery, and so see any European political maneuvering in

Africa as necessarily contributing to a decline in the quality of the lives of those who come

before.

Work Cited: Bourenane, Heather DuBois. "Teaching Things Fall Apart In Wisconsin." University Wisconsin Madison, n.d. Web. 22 Aug. 2013. .<http://humanities.wisc.edu/assets/misc/Things_Fall_Apart_Teachers_Guide_PRINT_V ERSION.pdf> Brians, Paul. "Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart Study Guide." Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart. Washington State University, 6 June 1997. Web. 22 Aug. 2013. .<http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/anglophone/achebe.html>. "Essay on A Contrast & Comparison of the Tragic Heroes Hamlet and Okonkwo." Essay on A .Contrast & Comparison of the Tragic Heroes Hamlet and Okonkwo. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Aug. .2013. <http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper/19086.html>.

Johnson, Theresa. "Things Fall Apart." Things Fall Apart (n.d.): n. pag. Things Fall Apart. Web. 22 Aug. 2013. <http://www.wmich.edu/dialogues/texts/thingsfallapart.html>. Nosek, Lauryn. "BestEssay258." Change Is Bad: Okonkwos Resistance to Change in Things Fall Apart (2008): n. pag. BestEssay258. Dec. 2008. Web. 22 Aug. 2013.