Title

Psychological Impact in Character Okonkwo as a Result of Cultural

Changing in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart.

A. Introduction

Things Fall Apart is Novel about colonialism in African society that happens in the
past. It tells about conflict in that era when colonist first came in Africa and made major
changing in many aspects. This novel becomes portrayal of African people who suffered and
conflicted during colonialism era in the past. It tells about how African think and react that
can be seen in character Okonkwo as the major character in this novel. Okonkwo is an Igbo
person and he is respected by other people as Igbo warrior. He is proud, ambitious and ill-
tempered man. He wants to cover his father weakness and failure by his greatness so he is not
feels shame with his father name. Character Okonkwo become main subject in this
discussion because in this character, impact of colonialism is clearly seen. The main reason
choosing character Okonkwo because we can clearly see all the conflict that happen in this
novel and it help to study the impact of cultural changing as a result of colonialism.
Okonkwo also has major role to lead reader understand what happen in the novel.

This novel implied the value of civilization that brought to Africa by colonialist. It
tells about the impact of colonialism through Okonkwos behavior, how he thinks, and
situation that he face. We can also seeing the psychological impact that Okonkwo face as a
product of colonialism. Chinua Achebe seems want to show us the situation and conflict that
African people facing through this novel. As an African, the writer also want to tell us the
way his thinking about colonialism and its impact through this novel. The novel itself is
interesting to read because when we read the novel until the end we will surprised by the
ending. Through this novel the writer brings us to his point of view as colonized people that
feel about colonialism. Achebe also wants to show the reader images of African societies and
its people as they are represented in the novel which is different from point of view the
Western literary or other western author about African people's history of colonialism.

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 Problem Formulation :

1. How characters Okonkwo deliver aspect of cultural changing caused by colonialism?

2. What significant aspect of colonialism that character Okonkwo facing?
3. What the relation of authors social background in psychological impact that character
Okonkwo dealing?

B. Review of Related Studies

Chinua Achebe is an African writer who consider as important person in founding

and development of African literature and critical thinker and essayist who has written
extensively on questions of the role of culture in Africa and the social and political
significance of aesthetics and analysis of the postcolonial state in Africa
(https://brown.edu/Departments/Africana_Studies/people/achebe_chinua.html). In his novel
Things Fall Apart published in 1958, Achebe explain very well about how African people
feel and think but not ended in that, it also including custom, tradition and conflict like
mention in Gluckmans Custom and Conflict in Africa:

Anyone reading a book about an African society must be struck with the number of
special customs and taboos which attach to the relations between spouses, and
between parents and their children. African domestic life, in anthropological
summaries, seems to be full of special observances, and of ceremonies to mark the
advancement of individuals from birth, through weaning and puberty, to maturity and
old age. (Gluckman, 1955; 54)

But in Achebes novel it seem more deeper explaining about the situation that really happen
in there and somehow it also express African peoples feeling that clearly seen in character
Okonkwo. in this novel Achebes also put his point of view as African people and make it
novel become more realistic like we feel itself inside this novel.

In his novel Achebe not just brings conflict but impact of colonialism itself where
modern culture tried to replace the old ones. As it seen in character Okonkwo who tried to
defend his faith in his tradition through his suffer and alienating but in the end he still fails to
fight the modern culture and cannot follow that changing.

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 G.D. Killam said that the conflict of the novel, vested in Okonkwo, derives from
series of crushing blows which are leveled at traditional values by an alien and more
powerful culture causing, in the end, the traditional society to fall apart. He noted
that, in showing Ibo society before and after the coming of the white man, Achebe
avoids the temptation to present the past as idealized and the present as ugly and
unsatisfactory. (http://www.landow.stg.brown.edu/post/achebe/things/html)

In that conflict caused by colonialism which is made by colonist in the past, it is still giving
its influence even after the colony gets their freedom. According to a critic Shatto Arthur
Gakwandi, a comment taken from A Man of the People: Commentary,

the novel demonstrates how the society has been invaded by a wide range of
values which have destroyed the traditional balance between the material and the
spiritual spheres of life, which has lead inevitably to the hypocrisy of double
standards. (http://www.landow.stg.brown.edu/post/achebe/people.html)

It means colonialism made many changes in society where it happen and also it is give after
effect of colonialism in material and spiritual aspect of the people in that area even after
colonialism ended.

Writer in this study not just focus on the conflict of colonialism, but in this study
writer want to show impact of colonialism that caused culture changing in the spiritual aspect
which is showed in this novel. By focusing on character Okonkwo writer aim to reveal the
impact of colonialism which is shows in spiritual aspect that character Okonkwo dealing.
Writer thinks that impact of colonial and culture changing bringing some developments to
character Okonkwo. In this study writer stated about conflict is just to help to related the
impact of colonialism and culture changing that happen in the novel, so we can seen
psychological impact that happen in character Okonkwo. Moreover conflict and
psychological impact as result of colonialism and culture changing makes story flows and
interesting, bring development and also give surprise to the reader.

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C. Theoretical Ground

This chapter will explain and discuss some basic theories that writer uses to help
analyze the problem formulation.

Character

Character is one of important part from literary work. It has function to helps people
enter the story and imagining situation and also the atmosphere of the story.

Characters are the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are
interpreted by the reader as being endowed with particular moral, intellectual, and
emotional qualities by inferences from what the persons say and their distinctive
ways of saying it the dialogue- and from what they do- the action. (Abrams, 1999;
33)

Author makes characters to make story alive so the reader can more enjoying when
read the story like Eastman says,

A fictional character has more commission than to be merely alive. He is also an

apparatus, a mechanism, a device planned by his maker to help power the complete
operation of the novel upon the reader(1965; 17)

In a same book A Glossary of Literary Term 7th edition, character is divided into flat
character and round character.
Flat character
Flat character also called a type or two dimensional is built around a single idea or
quality and it is not represent individualizing detail, so it can described in a single phrase or
sentence. Flat character is a static character, so they tend to be static and not likely changing
through the story. Somehow flat character is symbolizing a social or economic class. The
action and the way of thinking flat characters are easy to be guessed because their responses
are predictable.
Round character
Round character is complex character in temperament and motivation, so it is difficult
to describe as a person in real life. They have their own nature so difficult to be predicted.

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Round character is dynamic character which means they capable to changing into new kind
behavior under development of the story.

Culture and Identity

In Murrays Introductory Sociology, E.B. Taylor define culture as complex whole

which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and
habits acquired by man as a member of the society (1946, 163-164). Culture is inherited from
ancestors from generation to generation and become foundation of society. Since culture
inherited from previous generation, people think that their culture is better that the other
culture. They also see other culture is unnatural and judges other culture subjectively. In
colonialism, problem about culture is clearly seen. In Social Science: An Introduction to the
Study of Society said that when two different cultures come into contact they will collide,
which then will come into conflict. . . . The conflict when two cultures collide is not always a
physical conflict. (Hunt, 1955; 31-32). It same in the colonialism that there is a problem of
cultural changing when colonialism happen and it makes physical and also psychological
conflict.

We cannot separate identity and culture because culture is proving of identity.

Everyone have their identity and it is differentiating one from another one like in culture.
Culture and identity is related each other so if one of them disappear it would be problem for
its society. When colonialism happens that problem is clearly seen because two cultures
collide and as result the people in colonialism era lost their identity.

Conflict

Conflict define by Oxford Learners Pocket Dictionary is struggle, fight or serious

disagreement, opposition, different and in the literary work conflict define by Holman and
Harmon as the struggle that grows out of the interplay of the two opposing force in a plot
(1986; 107). It means there are two forces which are opposing each other to create conflict.
Conflict itself has important role in a literary work. It creates tension for reader so they can
interest in a plot or story that literary work give.

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 Conflict need to be solved by protagonist or main character so story can come to
ending. According to Redman conflict can divide into two inner conflict and external
conflict. Inner conflict does not show physical struggle because it happen inside the heart or
mind of character, but external conflict is struggle between character and an outside force
like one character against other character. Overall conflict is made by author to bring story to
its conclusion.

Psychoanalytic

Psychoanalytis criticism is a one of criticism that use psychoanalysis techniques to

analyze character in literary work.

Psychoanalysis itself is a form of therapy which aims to cure mental disorders by

investigating the interaction of conscious elements in the mind. (Barry, 2002; 96)

This criticism can project an aspect inside ourself from our mind. Even though this criticism
is a form of therapy it can be use to investigate conscious element from character in the
novel.

There is developed theory made by Sigmund Freud which is called Freudian

interpretation. This interpretation is popular with attributing sexual connotations to objects.
In Barrys Beginning Theory said that All of Freuds work depends upon the notion of
unconscious, which is part of the mind beyond consciousness which is nevertheless has a
strong influence upon our action. So basically there is unconscious desire or motivation
that influence in our actions. It is same in any literary work, it cannot speak directly about the
message inside its body but we need to seek through images, symbols, and metaphors.

In Barrys Beginning Theory tells what Freudian psychoanalytic do are: 1. the

distinction between conscious and unconscious, 2. uncovering the unconscious motives of
characters, and 3. seeing in the literary work an embodiment of classic psychoanalytic
conditions. From that it can be conclude that Freud interpretation in focusing in character of
literary work and also it author.

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 My object of study is showing psychological impact in character Okonkwo as a result
of cultural changing and colonialism. In this study writer want to deliver three objectives to
achieve. First is to understand Okonkwo characteristic when dealing with conflict that he
face. Second is finding out impact of colonialism for character Okonkwo. Third is observing
the relation of psychological impact happened in character Okonkwo by relating with
authors social background as result of culture changing.

In order to analyze the problem, writer use psychoanalytic theory combines by

postcolonial theory. Both theories used because it helps to achieve writer objective from this
novel. In this study writer also relating the impact of colonialism that Okonkwo face with
authors social background because Okonkwos character somehow is influenced by author
thought and experiences about colonialism. The theories explained above will be applied
according its focus. These two theories will help to see effect of colonialism to character
Okonkwo and also how the mental state of Okonkwo when he dealing with the problem that
he face. Based on that two theory writer hope to see the cultural changing and colonialism
affecting character Okonkwo psychology and develop the story.

Writer mention about character, culture and also identity because its help to
understand the character Okonkwo and to see the relation between colonialism and culture
changing. Basically all of them are related each other. In culture changing there is a problem
about identity and it is related to character Okonkwos case. Okonkwo forced to be a man
with new identity because cultural changing but he cant keep up with the changing as an
impact of colonialism. Writer also mention about conflict because it has relation with writer
topic. Character Okonkwo affected by psychological impact of colonialism because he
struggle with inner and external conflict, which is caused by cultural changing. By using
theory of conflict it can be help to identify the impact for character Okonkwo. So basically
all of the theories above are needed to achieve the understanding of study.

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D. Bibliography
Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Term. Third edition. New York: Holt, Rinehart and
Winston, Inc, 1981.

Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Term. Sixth edition. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich College Publisher, 1993.

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, Random House Inc,
1994.

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory, An Introduction to Literary and Cultural History.

Second edition. New York: Manchester University Press, 2002

Carol, David. Chinua Achebe and Things Fall Apart.

http://www.landow.stg.brown.edu/post/achebe/things/html

Culross, Melissa. A Man of the People: Commentary.

http://landow.stg.brown.edu/post/achebe/people.html

Eastman, Richard M. A Guide to the Novel. California: Chandler Publishing Company,

1965.

Gluckman, Max. Custom and Conflict in Africa. Oxford: Basil and Blackwell, 1965.

Holman, C. Hugh and William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. Fifth edition. New
York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1986.

Hunt, Elgin F. Social Science: An Introduction to the Study of Society. New York: The
Macmillan Company, 1955.

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Murray, Raymond W. Introductory Sociology. New York: Appleton Century Crofts,
Inc, 1946.

Oxford Learner's Pocket Dictionary. Fourth edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2008

Redman, Crosby E. A Second Book of Plays. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1962.