Introduction
Things Fall Apart, a book by Chinua Achebe, is one of the most exceptional contents created delving into the life of the main character, Okonkwo. As a member of the Umuofia clan, Okonkwo winning a wrestling match in his youth against an undefeated contestant boosted his recognition and his recognition as a warrior of the clan since he brought honor (Achebe, 1995). The author's narration in the book revolves around Okonkwo, a leader of Igbo community, and the events occurring in his life, including his banishment from the community for killing a clansman. Okonkwo receives seven years as punishment for his actions before allowing him back to the community. Various changes occur in his family and society due to the influence of Christian missionaries and the British. The novel depicting the traditional beliefs of the Igbo community basing on the Nigerian culture, helps recognize the changes that affected Africa generally due to colonization. The social unraveling that occurs, as a result, distinguishes the instant differences in people from traditional beliefs. While formulating the book and finding a suitable title, Chinua Achebe applied his knowledge from The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats (Yeats, 1989). The name of the book Things Fall Apart is from the phrase Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; in the poem by William Butler Yeats. The paper discusses the protagonist's life before changes in his village, predictability of the outcomes, and the disintegration of his life. Also, data on personal feelings about the result is present. Besides, there is the inclusion of the way outside forces influence the events in the novel are present.
The Protagonist’s Life before Changes in the Village
The protagonist in Things Fall Apart has a different life before the changes occur in his village involving the arrival of Christian missionaries, colonization, and his banishment from the community. Before these changes, Okonkwo was a wealthy, respected, and well-known warrior of the community. His identification as a warrior started after he won a wrestling fight against an undefeated opponent bringing honor to his people (Achebe, 1995). As Okonkwo became older, his efforts in shaping his family and providing for them identified him as the exact opposite of his father. The protagonist's life was terrific since everything was always available to him due to his hard work and influence on those around him to strive for more. Okonkwo was a consistent provider to all his wives and each had her hut. Besides, to instill the importance of being hardworking, Okonkwo acts as an example and guides his children on the best ways to improve their lives. The protagonist has a fear of people viewing him as a weak individual and failing in activities he associates with through participation. Thus, his life involves ensuring that he is better than his father. As one of the most successful men in the Igbo community, Okonkwo is a hero and never shows any affection.
Disintegration of Events in Okonkwo’s Life
Things started falling apart in Okonkwo's world when he leaned vastly to his impulsive traits. His beliefs and efforts to employ perfection lead to the destruction of items in Okonkwo's life. According to the Igbo community, all members need to follow their beliefs and traditions. Okonkwo not following all the traditions of the community or respecting the gods of his clan offends the people leading to a few people supporting his leadership. The loss of support and respect increased when Okonkwo ignores the advice of people from his clan against killing Ikefemuna. The protagonist killing Ikefemina led to his banishment from the society since he had broken the traditional beliefs and attributes required from every individual (Achebe, 1995). Conversely, when white people came to Umuofia, for colonization and in the form of Christian missionaries, the new ways presented posed a challenge. Okonkwo identified that the union of individuals embracing the changes brought by taking up the culture of the Christian missionaries involved neglecting their tradition. Things fall apart completely when people fear Okonkwo's actions as he kills a messenger from the British district office. Due to fearing him, people entirely exclude themselves from Okonkwo. The experience of fear and losing the ability to protect the community from the British colonizers broke Okonkwo's world, rendering him helpless. Therefore, the absence of support and experiencing defeat led to Okonkwo following his father's patterns and committing suicide.
Predictability of the Outcome
The attained outcome in Okonkwo's life was not predictable to the extent of him committing suicide. Being a leader and a respected member of his clan at a young age, Okonkwo had the virtues required with a vast portrayal of strength. Despite not listening to his clan members and killing Ikefemuna, Okonkwo obeyed the traditional laws and upheld the banishment rules. Staying in exile identified that he was reforming and changing his ways to be an obedient member of the community leading by example. His struggle to be better than his father identified that Okonkwo would never repeat the same actions his father partook (Achebe, 1995). However, after his involvement in the death of a British messenger, his clan cut off all associations. As such, Okonkwo's life shifted from greatness to being miserable. Filled with depression due to people from his clan secluding from him, Okonkwo decided to take a similar path as his father and committed suicide. Okonkwo's life shifted from his existence as a hero to his failure and attaining banishment from his people. When one compares his life to a saying, the phrase 'from hero to zero' would fit excellently. Being hardworking and upholding the beliefs of his clan and community, one would never predict that Okonkwo would end up on the wrong side of the law and have his people reject his value.
Opinions on the Outcome of Okonkwo’s Life
I do not like the outcome of the events in Okonkwo's life. The events leading to the death of Okonkwo occur due to his clan abandoning him. Despite the views of the clan members for Okonkwo's actions, it was not wise for the members of the Igbo community to disowning and banishing Okonkwo. The actions taken by Okonkwo, which involve killing a messenger from the British district office, had a critical reason all rooting from observing traditional beliefs (Achebe, 1995). The presence of the British for colonization and Christian missionaries in Nigeria, thus, within the Igbo community, fostered the process of change. The occurrence of change identified that the traditional beliefs of the community would change while being replaced with the cultural views/opinions of the British. Therefore, Okonkwo murdered with the intent of protecting his cultural beliefs. He expected that people from his clan would support him and his actions; instead of standing by a member of their community, people rejected him and embraced the British.
The Influence of External Forces on the Events in Things Fall Apart
Outside forces have a massive influence on the events in the novel. The coming of the British and Christian missionaries and influencing the Igbo community was the beginning of the end of the Ibo culture. The cultural and traditional changes that occurred are the main events that happened due to the influence of the British. Colonization involved the British people ruling over the Igbo community and placing new laws for people to follow (Achebe, 1995). The existing social hierarchy shifted following the organizational structure of the British colony, who treated the people of the Igbo community as subjects in their land. The Christian beliefs replaced the dates, celebrations, and rituals for the Igbo tradition. Besides, the outside forces led to the increase of military forces for the Igbo community leading to the acquisition of more territories. The Igbo people believed in the existence and the power of their gods. Therefore, allowing the Christian missionaries to stay in the evil forest based on their beliefs that their gods would destroy the British if they had bad intentions towards the people of the Igbo community. As such, the survival of the Christian missionaries caused many people from Okonkwo's clan to stop believing in their traditions. As such, external forces led to the increase of the rift among the Igbo people through disunity and picking up the cultural beliefs of the colonists.
Conclusion
In summary, Things Fall Apart, a great book by Chinua Achebe, delves into the life of a protagonist, Okonkwo, a member of the Igbo community, together with the events that occur. The life of Okonkwo is that of a hero who falls later in his life. During his teen years, Okonkwo wins a wrestling match against an unbeatable opponent. His efforts in being better than his father shape him into a wealthy man. However, Okonkwo's involvement in the accidental murder of Ikefumuna and a British messenger from the district office led to his banishment and segregation by people from his community. The coming of the British colonizers and Christian missionaries to the Igbo society led to the strengthening of the community's military and the extinction of the traditional beliefs plus rituals. As such, the outside forces increased the disunity present within the Igbo people. Instead of supporting the actions of their member, Okonkwo, in efforts to preserve the beliefs of the Igbo people, the clan banished and rejected Okonkwo. The life of Okonkwo was unpredictable, and the actions of his people horrible, leading to Okonkwo's decision to commit suicide.
