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Okonkwo's Suicide Essay

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Given all the different outlets Okonkwo could have chosen, why did he commit suicide? Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, narrates the struggles and changes due to the white colonials that Okonkwo faces in his village, Umuofia,. Okonkwo strives to be the opposite of his weak and selfish father. As Okonkwo’s values grow outdated due to the new generation of weak men who betray their ancestor’s, he battles to stop the change and return to the comfort of the old customs. The continual friction between Okonkwo and the new religion, people, and values adopted by his society contributes to his downward spiral. At the conclusion of the novel, Okonkwo hangs himself; the suicide of Okonkwo was the result of Okonkwo’s struggle with the changes taking place, the loss of his status in his culture, and the fears he possessed. …show more content…
During a conversation between Okonkwo and Obierika, Obierika points out the impossibility of the colonialists understanding anything about the Umuofians. Obierika states, “The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart” (Achebe 100). By the end of the novel, Okonkwo has tried to remain strong against the tide of change, but he appears to be the only one. Okonkwo kills the colonial official as a final attempt to save his tribe from the influences of the White Christian men without support from anyone else in the village. In desperation, Okonkwo commits suicide, the most dishonorable death possible, instead of allowing himself to be handed over to the white men. His suicide was a result of his inability to adapt to

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