English language and literature blog

What is the  significance of Okonkwo’s character?  What does he   represent   or is   symbolic   of? Okonkwo is the protagonist of Things Fall Apart, where he is known for his fear of becoming his father whom he was embarrassed by because of his laziness and feminine characteristics. This fear made Okonkwo show no kindness or respect towards those with no title and made him treat his wife and children in an abusive way to ensure that no one considered him as weak or feminine. Additionally, Okonkow is known for winning a wrestling match against the cat which allowed him to earn his respect among the villagers, he is also known for his large yam harvest and having three wives. Achebe uses Okonkwo to explore and represent the different aspects of the Igbo culture, showing both the good and bad through the traditions and customs that they follow. Okonkwo's attitude towards life contributes to his fatal death which symbolizes the effects of colonization on the...

In my opinion, one of the most important events from things fall apart is the death of Okonkwo at the end of the novel and this is because the death of the protagonist symbolizes Achebe's main reason for writing the novel which is colonization from another point of view. This suicide shows how cultures and systems are taken over as it starts to fall apart and the effects it has on the people it is being inflicted upon. It also reflects Okonwo's weakness and failure and how it took over his pride as he was no longer the leader of his village so he decides to kill himself which creates a conflict within the novel. The second most important part would be Nwoye joining the church because this foreshadows the falling apart of the Umofia since it shows how Nwoye fell apart and decided to join the church which symbolizes the weakness of the tribe. This event is important to the conflict because it shows how Umofia is falling apart and characterizes Nwoye as a parallel to his father...

Why would Achebe choose to set his novel prior to and during the arrival of the colonial administration as opposed to during the context of production? The reason for Achebe choosing to set his novel prior to and during the arrival of the colonial administration  as opposed to during the context of production would be that he is part of the movement for an independent Nigeria. All stories about the colonization of Nigeria were told by the British who portrayed them as savages and living amongst each other and the British presented themselves as having a moral obligation  of civilizing the Africans because they would have not been able to do it themselves. Since Achebe's reasoning behind the book is to tell the story of the civilization and independence of Nigeria from his peoples perspective, it makes sense to set the novel back to the very beginning  of the colonization by the British which then gives  justice to the  existing  customs, and flaws o...