Chinua Achebe's Novel, Things Fall Essay

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These converts become zealots and actually kill the village's sacred python. We read no one believed "such a thing could happen" (158). The violence shocks some in the community but not in the way we might expect. Okonkwo wants to chase the missionaries away but the clan overrules his idea is overruled and ostracizes him. This is interesting human behavior. Some clansmen are opposed and others are not and we can only chalk it up to the imperceptible differences of man as to why. In addition, membership to the church continues to grow as the old ways of the clan are seemingly left behind. The Igbo tribe was beginning to blend new ideas with old ones. Their changing attitude toward the missionaries is interesting to study. Their resistance wanes over time and we must ask if this is simply human nature. Like overwhelmed, tired parents, the Igbo tribe finally broke down and gave in. They are no different from people in a supposedly more advanced civilization in this respect. The truth is that people are weaker than they would like to believe.

Real strength and courage takes guts and, at times, it is difficult. Okonkwo felt compelled to remain true to his beliefs but his actions were not praised. Instead, his fellow tribesmen saw him as a troublemaker. At one point, Okonkwo believes "real men are no more" (200) and he is right to think this. After all, he has witnessed the destruction of his community.

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The conflict between the "right" thing to do is not that simple because change is inevitable. In our society, we would like to believe we are strong enough to resist outside forces. We want to believe we could withstand pressure to change but realistically, we have to admit we do not know how we would respond to a similar situation. The truth is some would succumb to outside forces while others would not, just like in the Igbo tribe.

Change is inevitable. At times, we should welcome it but at others it seems the best thing to do is resist it. The Igbo tribe faces this conundrum in Achebe's novel and they demonstrate how difficult change can be from both sides of the argument. Okonkwo resists change and pays the ultimate price for it. His fight does not gain him or anyone else anything. The Igbo tribe is more open to change and yet we do not see any positive results. Their problematic circumstance illustrates how man cannot win for losing sometimes. They leave us with the question of who was more right and in the end, the answer is not as clear as we would like it to be.

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