In their new community, these converts enjoy a more elevated status. Okonkwo's harshness drives away from the family and into the arms of the new religion. They settled on every tree on every blade of grass; they settled on the roofs and covered the bare ground. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. As a young man he went to a rich man in the village to ask for yam seeds so he could grow his own empire. And that is why we say that mother is supreme. He lives in Umuofia for three years, under Okonkwo's roof; Okonkwo looks at him as a son, and to Nwoye he becomes best friend and brother.
Symbolism shows what the characters represent and what they can relate to as a result of their actions. Fear is one of the themes that runs throughout the novel: fear of the gods which helps support the tribal superstitions ; fear of being perceived as weak which compels Okonkwo to commit both laudatory actions as well as horrific ones ; fear of the dark underbelly of the tribe which prompts Nwoye to suspect his father and draw away from him ; fear of violence which keeps the other villages in a position of inferiority with regard to Umuofia ; and fear of the alien which allows the. Their arrival is a complete shock, just like the arrival of the locusts. Since the text is on the computer, there is no excuse for not reading the text when given extra time to do so. However, if the people of Umuofia had not obeyed their gods, and had gone to war that they were told not to go, they would be defeated.
This shows that even though Ikemefuna proved to be a hard worker, Okonkwo was not emotionally bound to him. The missionaries immediately set to converting the citizens, and the government sets to making laws that don't really make a lot of sense to the native people. Just as fire feeds on itself until all that is left is a pile of ash, Okonkwo eventually succumbs to his intense rage, allowing it to rule his actions until it destroys him. The egwugwu, which are masked Umuofia elders, represent Umuofia's culture, and The Mother of the Spirits is depicted as the mother of the egwugwu. The District Commissioner A stern, stereotypical white colonial administrator of Umuofia. The Symbols, Symbolism and Setting chapter of this 'Things Fall Apart' Study Guide course is the most efficient way to study notable symbols and settings used in 'Things Fall Apart.
The mother is there to protect the child unconditionally against the father. The people of umuofia have many gods. Rather, by peppering the novel with Igbo words, Achebe shows that the Igbo language is too complex for direct translation into English. Okonkwo realizes this after gazing into the fire in his hut, and the realization depresses him all the more. Nwoye's mother Never named, Nwoye's mother is Okonkwo's first wife. His fire or anger grows throughout the novel. The fact that the Igbo eat these locusts highlights how innocuous they take them to be.
He cannot choose whether these events happen, they are destined upon him. He warns Okonkwo not to participate in Ikemefuna's death. He died when Okonkwo was very young, and he was a failure. On the other hand, ash, which is produced from lighting fire, presents emasculation and impotency as it is cold and lifeless. Later, he converts to Christianity, in part to escape his father.
The white man is very clever. It makes it easier for the reader to compare the Nigerians to themselves, and no one wants to think of themselves as primitive. The more yams a man has, the wealthier and more respected he is. On a macroscopic level, it is extremely significant that Achebe chose to write Things Fall Apart in English—he clearly intended it to be read by the West at least as much, if not more, than by his fellow Nigerians. Before the locusts have a chance to destroy all of the crops, these people collect them, roast them, and eat them. This shows that Okonkwo did care about his beliefs in his culture, and also about gaining pride amongst his fellow villagers. Okonkwo, the main character in the story, can be described as fire for various reasons.
Okonkwo symbolized fire, Nwoye symbolized wind, and Ikemefuna symbolized a witling flower. Planting and growing yams is hard work, and not everyone succeeds at it. In most societies, Locusts are seen as a bad thing, and are associated with plague. Ikemefuna Ee-keh- meh-foo-nah A boy of fourteen who is given to Umuofia by a neighboring village to avoid war. So locusts are symbolic of the differences in culture. Men and women live to learn, accomplish, and make a means for themselves.
They run rampant through fields, eating everything in sight and destroying crops. Growing older he remained successful, due to his dedication to attainment. While there are several aspects of the Umuofia clan that may be considered brutal, the breaking of the kola nut evinces a humanity within the tribe that cannot be contested. Furthermore, when a person is destined, they cannot choose the outcome, it is simply brought upon them. For example, when Okonkwo shows that he is a hard worker by his many personal achievements that bring honor to his village, he is symbolizing the birth of the flame. You need to read the material and do the questions! When Okonkwo was exiled, he went to Mabanta, his Motherland, and was accepted with open arms by Uchendu, his uncle.
Later, at Ezeudu's funeral, Okonkwo's gun explodes and kills a boy, which leads to Okonkwo's exile. Achebe commonly uses the symbol of locusts to represent and foreshadow the white men coming, and the clash of opposing cultures that takes place. Despite a growing pattern of submission to new culture within the tribe, the people never truly lost their soul. Yams Yams are symbols of masculinity, wealth, and strength in this novel. Furthermore, the locusts are so heavy they break the tree branches, which symbolizes the fracturing of Igbo traditions and culture under the onslaught of colonialism and white settlement.
Only those who have great work ethic manage to excel, which is why Okonkwo becomes so well-respected. GradeSaver, 3 March 2000 Web. When the locusts arrive in Umuofia the entire clan is full of joy because locusts are delicious to eat, however bad for the crops. In her youth, she was one of the great beauties of Umuofia. Nobody wants to read hundred page discussions of religion - much easier to use a symbol to explain a point! The coming of the white man affects the people of Umuofia's religion and cause culture conflict.