Okonkwo's Sense Of Identity In Things Fall Apart

Some people can be stubborn and loyal. They are good and bad traits to have together. Okonkwo is an example of this kind of person. For this reason, Okonkwo was angry at the missionaries that tried to change him. In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo’s sense of identity was challenged with the introduction of Western ideas into the Ibo culture. Okonkwo started out in the novel as a man who took pride in what he accomplished in his life and was dedicated to his lifestyle, but the cultural collision of the British colonists and Ibo people affected Okonkwo to the point of his suicide. The impact the missionaries brought to the Ibo culture, challenged Okonkwo’s sense of identity. Before the missionaries arrived Okonkwo was a
He tried very hard to keep his identity, but doing that changed his attitude and how he acted. In chapter 17, “Nwoye turned round to walk into the inner compound when his father, suddenly overcome with fury, sprang to his feet and gripped him by the neck.” (Pg. 113) Okonkwo did this because he was so angry about his own son betraying him. The missionaries coming to Umuofia caused Okonkwo to disown Nwoye. They also caused the death of Okonkwo. In chapter 25 “ The hole would not let a man through. It was to this bush that Obierika led the Commissioner and his men. They skirted round the compound, keeping close to the wall. The only sound they made was with their feet as they crushed dry leaves. Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo's body was dangling, and they stopped dead.” The thought of Okonkwo’s identity, changing pushed him overboard. His only option was to kill himself. Chinua Achebe, the author of Things Fall Apart, uses the character Okonkwo to show the negative effects of change in a religion or lifestyle. Okonkwo didn’t want to change because he loved who he was. When the missionaries tried to force Okonkwo to follow their beliefs, it drove him crazy, and eventually led him to suicide. On the other hand, change can be good for people like Nwoye. Converting to a new religion made his life