Things Fall Apart :: essays research papers

aft(prenominal) the stock market crash of 1929, hundreds of people deathed their lives because they just couldnt sleep with with the fact that they had lost such a great deal of money. roughly had lost their life savings - but near hadnt. In fact, most of them still had enough to livebetter than a lot of wage-earning families. But why had they relyted self-destruction? some(prenominal) prisoners who have been send for thirty or forty years have been known to commit suicide not long after they are released. Why? Isnt granting immunity a better alternativethan imprisonment? The answer to both these questions is the aforementioned(prenominal) CHANGE. Even if the change is for the better, a good number of people cant divvy up it. In the novel Things f any Apart, the main character Okonkwo is driven to suicide by change he cant handle. The book is written by Cinua Achebe, a twentieth century author. Born in Nigeria, Achebe grew up in a transitional culture much resembling th e one described in the book. He is currently a professor of literature at the University of Nigeria. Many factors can beattributed to the cause of Okonkwos demise, But the three most forceful ones are hissons conversion to Christianity, the change in daily life the vernal trust brings, and his frustration caused by his apathetic clansmen. Nwoyes conversion to Christianity was a neat blow to Okonkwo because the Christians are looked down upon as being insane. The missionary tells them that all of the Ibos gods are false images of wood and stone, and can do them no harm. Upon earreachthis, the men of Mbanta decide that these men must be mad for how else could they saythat Ani and Amadiora were virtuous? And Idemili and Ogwugwo too?(146) The missionary goes on to tell them about the Holy Trinity. At the end of it Okonkwo is fully convinced that the man is mad.(147) Also, the first members of the new churchwere the clans rejects, like Nnka who has had four previous pregnancies and childbirths. but each time she bears twins, and they had been immediately thrown and twisted away. Her husband and his family were already becoming highly critical of such a woman and are not unduly perturbed when they find that she has fled to join the Christians. It is a good riddance.(151) The some other group of people that join are the osu, or outcasts. The changes the new religion brings almost pushes Okonkwo to the edge.