Nwoye’s Identity
One day, a stranger that speaks in a foreign tongue wears different clothing, and has a religion based on only one god, walks into town. One must decide whether to accept and make peace with the foreigner or to drive him out of town. In the book Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe presents this situation, as a group of white men bring in western ideas into Ibo society, causing a cultural collision. The cultural collision has positive and negative aspects. For instance, it brings education and advance technology, but it also brings violence and destruction to the Ibo culture. Some people accept the new culture, whereas, some people completely repudiate the new presence in their society. Ultimately, the response of the individual …show more content…
As Ikemefuna teaches Nwoye how to please his father, he starts to gain approval from Okonkwo but, “Nwoye knew [knows] that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred [prefers] the stories that his mother used to tell, and which she no doubt still told [tells] to her younger children...” (Achebe 53). When Nwoye starts showing signs of weakness, Okonkwo beats and rebukes Nwoye for feminine qualities which leads Nwoye to learn to please his father by listening to his war stories, complaining about women and hiding his true self identity. Okonkwo always enforces masculine qualities onto his children such as Nwoye. Therefore, Okonkwo despises “women 's stories” because they do not enforce the masculine traits like violence, strength, leadership, protecting one’s family, and hardworking. Most of all, he believes that a man needs to show his strength in order to gain respect. Although, after Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna, Nwoye is put at odds with his father resulting, in Nwoye despising his father, which leads him to not try to please him with violence and strength. In addition, it causes Nwoye to look elsewhere to fulfill his needs of happiness. As Okonkwo returns home from killing Ikemefuna, “Nwoye knew [knows] that Ikemefuna had been killed, and something seemed to give way inside him, like the snapping of a tightened …show more content…
After Okonkwo and his family returns to Umuofia, and Nwoye has been gone for several months, a missionary comes to Okonkwo saying “He had just sent Okonkwo’s son, Nwoye, who was now called Isaac, to the new training college for teachers in Umurur. He had hoped [hopes] that Okonkwo would be [is] happy to hear of it” (Achebe 182). Nwoye changes completely since the last time the author spoke of him. He changes his name to be more a part of his new identity. He is educated and informed of different perspectives of the world, not just the Ibo people. Overall, Nwoye gains greatly from the cultural collision because he learns and understands a different society . In the end he find it is better and more sensible than his own philosophies. Whereas, Okonkwo did not even consider the culture colliding with his own. After Okonkwo, was left alone killing a white man, “Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was [is] dangling, and they stopped [stop] dead” (Achebe 207). Okonkwo never considers the white man’s ways. As soon as the white men came into town, he wants to run them out of the clan. Although, if he considers their culture, outlook and seen how he could benefit from the collision, Okonkwo may have had a better outcome. Therefore, since Achebe juxtaposes Okonkwo and Nwoye’s reactions,
One day, a stranger that speaks in a foreign tongue wears different clothing, and has a religion based on only one god, walks into town. One must decide whether to accept and make peace with the foreigner or to drive him out of town. In the book Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe presents this situation, as a group of white men bring in western ideas into Ibo society, causing a cultural collision. The cultural collision has positive and negative aspects. For instance, it brings education and advance technology, but it also brings violence and destruction to the Ibo culture. Some people accept the new culture, whereas, some people completely repudiate the new presence in their society. Ultimately, the response of the individual …show more content…
As Ikemefuna teaches Nwoye how to please his father, he starts to gain approval from Okonkwo but, “Nwoye knew [knows] that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred [prefers] the stories that his mother used to tell, and which she no doubt still told [tells] to her younger children...” (Achebe 53). When Nwoye starts showing signs of weakness, Okonkwo beats and rebukes Nwoye for feminine qualities which leads Nwoye to learn to please his father by listening to his war stories, complaining about women and hiding his true self identity. Okonkwo always enforces masculine qualities onto his children such as Nwoye. Therefore, Okonkwo despises “women 's stories” because they do not enforce the masculine traits like violence, strength, leadership, protecting one’s family, and hardworking. Most of all, he believes that a man needs to show his strength in order to gain respect. Although, after Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna, Nwoye is put at odds with his father resulting, in Nwoye despising his father, which leads him to not try to please him with violence and strength. In addition, it causes Nwoye to look elsewhere to fulfill his needs of happiness. As Okonkwo returns home from killing Ikemefuna, “Nwoye knew [knows] that Ikemefuna had been killed, and something seemed to give way inside him, like the snapping of a tightened …show more content…
After Okonkwo and his family returns to Umuofia, and Nwoye has been gone for several months, a missionary comes to Okonkwo saying “He had just sent Okonkwo’s son, Nwoye, who was now called Isaac, to the new training college for teachers in Umurur. He had hoped [hopes] that Okonkwo would be [is] happy to hear of it” (Achebe 182). Nwoye changes completely since the last time the author spoke of him. He changes his name to be more a part of his new identity. He is educated and informed of different perspectives of the world, not just the Ibo people. Overall, Nwoye gains greatly from the cultural collision because he learns and understands a different society . In the end he find it is better and more sensible than his own philosophies. Whereas, Okonkwo did not even consider the culture colliding with his own. After Okonkwo, was left alone killing a white man, “Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was [is] dangling, and they stopped [stop] dead” (Achebe 207). Okonkwo never considers the white man’s ways. As soon as the white men came into town, he wants to run them out of the clan. Although, if he considers their culture, outlook and seen how he could benefit from the collision, Okonkwo may have had a better outcome. Therefore, since Achebe juxtaposes Okonkwo and Nwoye’s reactions,