Things Fall Apart Part III

Wow...I finished this book in two days. Fastest I've ever read any book. But anyhow, I enjoyed the book except I found myself a little "startled" I guess one could say through some of the scenes, scared basically.

I wondered the same thing that marrisa asked about the time period. At first, I thought it was during the times of slavery because the white man came on an "iron horse" strolling through the village. But, then I realized that the white people were missionaries spreading Christianity.

I just knew that Nwoye was going to grow up hating his father. The only reason why he was able to put up with his father was because of Ikemefuna. But now that Okonkwo slaughtered him ruthlessly, Nwoye had nobody to understand him. His father doubts his abilities as a man. Now, thanks to the missionaries, he is able to break free of his father's grasp and go on to his own path as a Christian. "'I am one of them...I don't know. He is not my father...'" (144). One can sense the hurt and tension in Nwoye's words towards his father, Okonkwo. From the beginning when Okonkwo would beat and nag at Nwoye, I already saw that the future Okonkwo had for his son was not what was going to be.

The end was a shock to me. Okonkwo, so much pride, masculinity, and determination--kill himself when all seemed to go wrong. I read that page over again to actually see if I missed something. This is one of Achebe's ironic twists. I never expected that for Okonkwo. Also, for his father, Unoka, he lived a happy life but was full of debt, yet he didn't go off and kill himself. I agree with Courtney. Yes, Okonkwo did do great things during his time, but his character was beyond that. I don't think that the tribe will bury him as a dog though. He was known as a warrior and a well respected man. I doubt that they would bury him. The tribe would probably consult the agbala for this.