Fear in Things Fall Apart
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Fear in Things Fall Apart
Fear is one of the most prominent theme that helps in the development of characters and the plot of the novel Things Fall a Part. In many scenarios, fear is seen as a factor that dictates the actions of characters as well as their choices when subjected under pressure. According to the novel, the author notes that Okonkwo was not a cruel person, rather, his whole life was filled with fear of failure and expressing his weakness. Achebe asserts that “It was not external but lay deep within himself lest he should be found to resemble his father.” (13). In the novel, it is noted that Okonkwo made a decision to improve his outside image as opposed to subscribing to the ideals of his father just in the manner that Ikemefuna believed he was. It is the fear in Okonkwo that leads the audience to understand the uncaring nature of his father owing to the fact that he lives trying to be the opposite of what his father was.
According to the novel Things Fall a Part, Okonkwo is haunted by the fear of being considered weak as well as experiencing failure in his life. The cruel nature of Okonkwo, as portrayed in the novel can be attributed to his motivation to avoid being seen as weak. Out of fear of being seen to be weak, Okonkwo acts masculine so that he can paint himself as manly to fellow villagers (Achebe, 2010). The actions of Okonkwo are basically to satisfy his conscious. Okonkwo is also viewed as a short tempered character as portrayed in the manner in which he responds to his supper being late. He had a bad temper to the extent that he beats up his wives as well as his son Nwoya because of their remarks about his hunting (Achebe, 2010). It is the desire that Okonkwo had on being viewed manly by his the villagers. After returning from exile, he came to a realization that there was a takeover of Christians in his village. Out of fear that his village will be viewed as weak, he desired to go into war with the Christians in a bid to drive them away.
Okonkwo suffers from the consequences of his fear in many instances in the novel Things Fall a Part. As a consequence of his fear, Okonkwo ends up destroying the relationship that he had with his family. Additionally, the actions of Okonkwo that are motivated by his fear of being regarded weak leads him to his death in the end. For the fear of appearing weak, Okonkwo refuses to participate in feast celebrations in the company of other people and opts to go back and work in the fields (Achebe, 2010). His actions reaffirms that the character has the fear of appearing weak as he finds enjoying festivities as a sign of weakness. There exists three circumstances in the novel that points to the fact that Okonkwo had the fear of turning out like his father. His death comes at a time when he made a decision that he would rather die than be part of a womanish village.
Okonkwo clouded his judgment by the fear of being seen to be womanlike which ended up blowing his chance of becoming the most respected and successful person in his village. Many characters demonstrate fear in Things Fall a Part. However, many characters repress their emotions owing to the fear of the consequence that may arise from their actions of revealing themselves to the others (Achebe, 2010). Some of the characters in the novel repress their fears owing to the belief that they would appear weak and effeminate in the eyes of the villagers. According to Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo’s inner struggle with repressing his emotions directs him to express himself in a manner that makes him appear cruel (Achebe, 2010). Because of fear, many of the characters in the novel have a tag-of-war with themselves to the extent that they express themselves through anger as a demonstration of their manliness.
In the novel, it is revealed that Okonkwo goes ahead to kill Ikemefuna even after being advised against it by Ezeudu owing to the fact that ‘He was afraid of being thought weak.’ (Achebe, 2010). Emotional repression by characters owing to the fear that they have is proof that the development of the theme of fear in the novel. The cruel nature of Okonkwo, as portrayed in the novel can be attributed to his motivation to avoid being seen as weak. The novel Things Fall a Part is a reflection of the how masculinity has negatively impacted the contemporary society. The actions of human beings today in the male dominated society is the reason as to why many actions by men in the society do not have a logical justification. It is the fear in Okonkwo that leads the audience to understand the uncaring nature of his father owing to the fact that he lives trying to be the opposite of what his father was.
Reference
Achebe, C. (2010). The African Trilogy: Things Fall Apart; No Longer at Ease,[and] Arrow