Themes In Things Fall Apart Varying Interpretations of Masculinity Okonkwo’s relationship with his late father shapes much of his violent and ambitious demeanor. He wants to rise above his father’s legacy of spendthrift‚ indolent behavior‚ which he views as weak and therefore effeminate. He associates masculinity with aggression and feels that anger is the only emotion that he should display. For this reason‚ he frequently beats his wives‚ even threatening to kill them from time to time. We are
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Custom and Tradition Okonkwo’s struggle to live up to what he perceives as "traditional" standards of masculinity‚ and his failure adapt to a changing world‚ help point out the importance of custom and tradition in the novel. The Ibo tribe defines itself through the age-old traditions it practices in Things Fall Apart. While some habits mold tribe members’ daily lives‚ other customs are reserved for special ceremonies. For example‚ the head of a household honors any male guest by praying over and
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colonialism throughout the novel Things Fall Apart by becoming more fearful of the change of traditions‚ gaining a desire for change‚ and gaining a feeling of having their traditions destroyed. Umuofia was a village that had strong ideas of masculinity‚ tradition‚ and very strict gender roles. The novel is set during the late 1800s to early 1900s when the British were expanding their influence in Africa; economically‚ culturally‚ religiously‚ and politically. Things Fall Apart shows the colonization of
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in Things Fall Apart‚ the characters must abide by the strict and gender specific regulations of Umuofia‚ their West African village. However‚ in spite of these subjective and demeaning laws‚ citizens are expected to behave or live a certain way based on society’s stereotypical beliefs of each gender. Evidently‚ this results in men displaying their authority over women through acts of abuse‚ while women are forced to remain subservient and obedient to their male counterparts. In Things Fall Apart
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Masculinity in Things Fall Apart In Things Fall Apart‚ the theme of masculinity is shown through Okonkwo and the relationship he has shared with his father as well as the contrast of how the clan views masculinity. His view of being masculine is shaped by his relationship with his father and carries on to how he leads the village. The relationship between Okonkwo and his father Unoka shaped his view on how he should act; not wanting to be anything like his father. He wants to usurp his father’s
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of gender and power or society in ‘Othello’ and ‘Things Fall Apart’. The use of gender and power in both‚ ‘Othello’ and ‘Things Fall Apart’ is very significant. In Othello men have more personal freedom and women are judged by them in relation to them‚ where as in Things Fall Apart‚ women do not have any power in the society since a man is considered wealthy if a man has three wives which the protagonist of things fall apart‚ Okonkwo did. In Othello‚ the relationship between
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THINGS FALL APART Symbols Symbols are objects‚ characters‚ figures‚ or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. Locusts Achebe depicts the locusts that descend upon the village in highly allegorical terms that prefigure the arrival of the white settlers‚ who will feast on and exploit the resources of the Igbo. The fact that the Igbo eat these locusts highlights how innocuous they take them to be. Similarly‚ those who convert to Christianity fail to realize the damage that the culture
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After reading the end of Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart‚ I had sympathy for the main character of the story; Okonkwo‚ who represents the vulnerability of a tribe by the coming of the Europeans and their Christianity rules‚ and the abuse of power and violence that the officials in the jail used to dehumanize the leaders of Umofia in the last chapters on the novel. An unexpected ending of the novel took me by surprise‚ I believe Okonkwo is a victim from his own destiny and the circumstances
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“Things Fall Apart” a novel shown to the world describing the exciting world and cultural diversity of Nigeria. The Igbo tribe is a strong thriving community in the depths of Africa. Okonkwo a strong tribal warrior‚ shows his commitment to the Igbo tribe along with the traditions he teaches his son Nwoye. In the novel “Things Fall Apart” Chinue Achebe guides the reader through the diverse region of Nigeria. As the reader learns the traditions of the Igbo people the reader also learns the adversity
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African Tragedy In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart‚ Okonkwo is a tragic hero. Aristotle’s Poetics defines a Tragic Hero as a good man of high status who displays a tragic flaw (“hamartia”) and experiences a dramatic reversal (“peripeteia”)‚ as well as an intense moment of recognition (“anagnorisis”). Okonkwo is a leader and hardworking member of the Igbo community of Umuofia whose tragic flaw is his great fear of weakness and failure. Okonkwo’s fall from grace in the Igbo community and eventual
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