"Things Fall Apart" is a fascinating book by Chinua Achebe. This is a simple story of a "strong man" whose life is controlled by anger and fear. Things Fall Apart is about the tragic fall of a great warrior, Okonkwo, and the Igbo culture. Okonkwo is a respected and influential leader within the Igbo community of Umuofia in east Nigeria. He first earns his personal fame, and brings honor to his village, when he defeats Amalinze a.k.a "the Cat" in a wrestling match. Okonkwo is determine to gain titles for himself and become a powerful and wealthy man in spite of his father's weaknesses. Okonkwo was a very cold-hearted man in the beginning, but becomes kinder throughout the story (Thesis).
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As we can see in the novel, Okonkwo isn't the nicest man in the Ibo tribe. For example, he always tried to be tough and strong ("" ask my dead father if he ever had a foul when he was alive." Everybody laughed heartily except for Okonkwo, who laughed uneasily because, as the saying goes, an old woman I always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb. Okonkwo remembered his own father- Pg. 21 1st ). Okonkwo always thought that his father was a weak person and that no one should be like him. Okonkwo also belives that people should look out for them selves and shows little mercy on their wrong doings. In addition, During the Week of Peace, Okonkwo notices that his youngest wife, Ojiugo has left her hut to have her hair braided with out having cooked dinner. He then beats her for her negligence. After shamefully breaking the peace of the sacred week he must pay heavy fines for his sins (" No work was done on the Week of Peace. People called on their neighbors and drank palm wine. This year they all talked of nothing else but the nso-ani, which Okonkwo had committed. It was the first time in many years that a man had broken the sacred peace- Pg. 31 3rd). After this incident members of the Igbo tribe think he is a disgrace to the tribe and community.
