Why Things Fall Apart

In the novel Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo, a man who many members of his village admire, falls from a life of greatness and success to a tragic death of despair and misery. The village that Okonkwo inhabits, called Umuofia, experiences a similar downfall from the most powerful and dominant village of the area to another village taken down by the relentless European invaders. From total greatness to absolute despair, both Okonkwo and Umuofia experience a tragedy.
Okonkwo was a man that had a great fear of failure, a fear deeply rooted in him by his father’s own demise. The fear of failure dominated his life in every aspect and led him to become a successful man in his village. He first gained respect in his tribe through his athletic prowess and winning wrestling matches against many and all opponents he faced. As Okonkwo grew older and became a respectable man, he acquired three wives and had children. His life was great and he became a great leader of his clan, proving to be a fierce warrior, charismatic person, and very hard worker. By adulthood, Okonkwo had a magnificent life and through his achievements became very wealthy, soon becoming popular and loved in many villages. His fall began when he accidentally shot the son of Ezeudu during Ezeudu’s funeral. Although he had no intention to kill and the shot was completely accidental, it was still a crime against the earth goddess and Okonkwo was punished by being exiled off the village for seven years. Okonkwo leaves as told and goes to his mother’s relatives, who quickly provide Okonkwo with a hut to stay at as well as some farming land, for refuge. After living there for seven years, he is allowed to return to Umuofia and start his life again. Okonkwo now has some problems that prevent him from being able to regain a high, respectable status in his clan, one being that after the crime, Okonkwo cannot earn more titles. The second and more serious problem is that the Europeans have come to...