Theory of Fernanda

What is the significance of Okonkwo’s character? What does he represent or is symbolic of?  In Things Fall Apart, the protagonist Okonkwo can be seen as representative of the conservative values of his society, its intolerance and inflexibility. Nevertheless, to go further, it can be stated that Okonkwo himself is symbolic of his Igbo society to an extent. His courage, hyper-masculinity and fear of failure are all values that have been instilled in him by his societal surroundings, they are not values that define him individually. Following the idea that Okonkwo is representative of Igbo society, it also is concluded that his weaknesses are those of his society. This is reflected in his stubbornness and inflexibility in how, for instance, he decides to go with the delegation that is to kill Ikemefuna, despite his emotional instinct and Ezeudu’s advice. This stubbornness with the ultimate purpose of not being shown as weak is also directly reflected in Igbo society with the os...

When Okonkwo kills the messenger, no one from his community backs him up and eventually, decides to hang himself This is important because contextually speaking, it reveals how the Igbo people although resented the colonists, did not dare act aggressively against them, something reflected historically. The fact that the villagers do not back Okonkwo in his decision to murder the messenger continues to build onto the thematic idea that what won't bend will break– the village is adapting to the change whilst Okonkwo isn't. The pentacle of this is reflected in how he decides to hang himself. Lastly, this is important in terms of character because it creates a paradox in the characterization of Okonkwo. Throughout the novel, he strives to not be seen as weak, strives to personalize the epitome of masculinity and to avoid at all costs resembling his father. Nevertheless, his shameful and to an extent, cowardly death shows that internally, Okonkwo is weaker than he seems. This ma...

Achebe’s choices in how he narrates Things Fall Apart result intriguing. This is because, although the novel is written about Nigeria in the eve of colonization, Achebe choses to write the novel two years before Nigeria gains its independence from Britain, in 1958. It must first be considered that Achebe was part of the movement advocating for an independent Nigeria, that he was motivated to provide an accurate representation of the complexity of his culture in English literature and he was personally concerned with exploring his hybrid identity as a proud Igbo and a Christian.  Taking these factors into consideration, first and foremost, it could be concluded that Achebe chose to write about that historical context because of the need to remind Nigerians of why they are in need of independence in the first place. The novel portrays the Igbo people as a united peoples that truly only begin to fall apart until the colonizers arrive with their new ways of living and proposi...