Free Sample Essays > World Literature
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Chapter 15 of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a very significant part in the story. It is important in showing how much Okonkwo has changed since being exiled from his village and going to live in his motherland. We heard in the previous chapter of his first couple of days, but this chapter is set 2 years later when he has become accustomed to the very different atmosphere of the village of Mbanta. During this chapter is his first contact with Umuofia, his old village, which comes in the form of a visit from his good friend Obierika. It is through this visit that we first hear of the white missionaries.
This passage is clearly separated into three different sections. The first is before Obierika tells the story of Abame, the second occurs during the story telling, and the third is the reactions shown by the different characters to the story. These sections are very important, as they show us how Okonkwo has changed under the supervision of Uchendu, but also how he is still the same person inside with the same natural instincts and that he cannot change them no matter what the circumstances and how hard he tries. Before the story of Abame Okonkwo greets Obierika, who has been maintaining Okonkwo’s crop of yams, and had brought the many bags of cowries they had earned. Okonkwo greets him warmly; taking a share of the load for the final part of the journey to his obi, then takes him to see Uchendu. He describes Obierika to Uchendu as his ‘great friend’, and then Uchendu refers to Okonkwo as ‘my son’. This shows us change in Okonkwo, as, previously, his greetings were not warm, even to his friends, and he would not have been willing to show enough emotion to call someone his great friend, or receive such a comment from Uchendu. His acceptance of Uchendu’s calling him son is a very significant point in showing us that Okonkwo has changed, as it would almost certainly have previously provoked thoughts of his ‘weak’ father, which plague him throughout the rest of the story. During the telling of the story Okonkwo begins to change and we see glimpses of the old him. He is inquisitive, listening intently to the story and making irregular suggestions. The fact that he did not interrupt the story, instead waited until Obierika had finished, and then until Uchendu has made his input, and then he shows his opinion shows us a side to Okonkwo that we didn’t see when he was in Umuofia. On the other hand, when he does speak we see again the old Okonkwo. He says, “They were fools. They had been warned that danger was ahead. They should have armed themselves with guns and matchets even when they went to market.” Earlier in the story, Okonkwo had been a great warrior, and his answer to everything had been violence. From this quote we see that this side to his nature had not [next page]