things fall apart analysis

Thesis: Although Okonkwo’s determination to not end up a failure like his father comes off as strength in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, his severity and detachment from his emotions reveal how truly weak he is as his actions are controlled by fear and perceptions of his past.    

Paragraph: Okonkwo’s detachment from his emotions and his stoic nature are not what they seem however. His actions prove to be detrimental to not only his own life but the state of his family, and a product of his hidden emotions, leading to the destruction of his gained respect and wealth. Okonkwo’s exile, a result of his accidental and violent murder of a young member of his clan, started with the “cleansing of the land which Okonkwo had polluted with the blood of a clansman” (Achebe 125) and “before the cock crowed Okonkwo and his family were fleeing to his motherland” (Achebe 124). The toxicity relayed through this methodical “cleansing” imagery reveals just how serious the clansmen take his sin and the nature of punishments in Nigerian culture. The detail of the cock crowing draws a recognizable parallel to Judas from the Bible, who was known for being a traitor. This parallel unveils the deepening chaos of Okonkwo’s world that is steadily falling apart as he becomes the man he feared. This severe but traditional consequence, exile for seven years, was not brought upon by hatred, but rather “the justice of the earth goddess” but Okonkwo became filled with hatred all the same. He did not try to make the best of his exile. Instead he let his emotions take control of him, and fear continued to dictate his life. After building a negative stigma around femininity apparent in Umuofia, Achebe specifically uses the word “motherland” and clear feminine details when describing Okonkwo’s exile to impart the severity of Okonkwo’s aversion to his idea of weakness and gender roles. Okonkwo’s crime proves to be his undoing as he leaves the land that he prospered in and grew his wealth. His losses made him lose sight of all importance and his mind narrowed in on keeping up his appearance instead of supporting his family and working hard to make the best out of his new life outside of Umuofia, unveiling his lack of strength and resilience.

Analysis: The use of the evidence, “cleansing of the land which Okonkwo had polluted with the blood of a clansmen” supports the motif of detachment in Things Fall Apart while also  proving Okonkwo’s failures, increasingly evident. Okonkwo also shows signs of weakness, this being highlighted through the use of “motherland” and the Biblical allusion to the cock-crowing. The cock-crowing was a memorable moment in a story of weakness and denial which led me to draw the connection to Okonkwo’s weakness and prove that he is controlled through fear alone.