Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe Okonkwo's internal struggle

In Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart, one man who is both mentally and physically strong, is plagued with "failure and weakness"(p.13), which eventually causes his self-destruction. This man struggles to get through his unsolvable problems, which is a hopeless effort, that ends up killing him. The three main events that cause Okonkwo to be pushed to the limit are: the death of his adopted son Ikemefuna, his eldest son becoming a Christian, and his exile from his tribe for seven years.

The first major mishap in Okonkwo's life occurs when his adopted son, Ikemefuna, is killed. Ikemefuna is taken from his home village and forced to live in Umuofia, Okonkwo's village. This happens because Ikemefuna's father murders a girl from Okonkwo's tribe and this is Ikemefuna's fathers punishment, to lose his son. Ikemefuna lives with Okonkwo and becomes close to all the members of Okonkwo's family.

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Ch...

James Baldwin (1955), Angelou's friend and mentor,...

A spiral stack of copies of the 1994 Anchor Books ...

During the three years Ikemefuna lives with Okonkwo, he is treated as a member of the family. One day the oracle speaks of Ikemefuna's fate, his impending death. When the news is brought to Okonkwo, the high members of the tribe suggest that Okonkwo should "have nothing to do with"(p.57) the death of Ikemefuna because he is like a "father"(p.57) to him. The next morning the high titled men of Umuofia take Ikemefuna outside the village on a long walk to kill him. At first, Ikemefuna is nervous and confused, but when Okonkwo walks behind him, he does not fear anymore. Only then does the moment of confusion hit Ikemefuna: he starts wondering why Okonkwo has moved behind him, and before he can react, he is struck down by a machete . This is when Ikemefuna's child instinct surfaces and he asks for help from...