Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Things Fall Apart: Chapter 4
Chapter four starts off telling about Ikemefuna, and how Okonkwo secretly starts to like the boy. In this chapter it also shows how passionate Okonkwo is to his fields. He is a very stern character and he feels that when a man shows affection that it shows weakness and that the only thing worth showing is strength. He is very hard on his two sons about planting yams and he is this way because he does not want them to grow up like he had to. I believe that quite a bit of people these days are kind of like Okonkwo. In the fact that they want their children to grow up and not have any debts and to be successful in life. And possibly the only way to make that happen is working hard as a teenager and earning your own money. Like learning how to save up money and not to get your self involved in things you do not want to be involved in. Okonkwo is trying to straighten them out and make them good hard workers and not lazy like his father. Okonkwo's father must of had a massive impact on his life because he is almost the exact opposite of his father and just about everything he does is because he does not want to become his father. This chapter is a little bit confusing because in the beginning it shows that Okonkwo has an affectionate side to him, but then later in the book he beats his wife for not having lunch ready. Back then that might of been acceptable but definitely not in a the week of peace which was a very import holiday fortheir tribe. I believed that showed he has no self-control. I am also getting a little confused because I have no idea where this book is going, it just keeps talking about Okonkwo and his struggles. Hopefully I will find out soon where the book is going.
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4 comments:
I feel that Okonkwo is just obsessed with success and does not see his faults, only sees others. I also feel that showing his faults and struggles are part of the book, and while doing this it tells about the African culture.
Okonkwo is a difficult character to pin down at at times. We see a couple different sides of him, but mostly the underlaying thing is "fear of weakness". This drives him to an almost sort of madness. His temper is way out of line, shooting at his wife, being mean to
his son, etc.
I agree with your assessment that Okonkwo has self-control issues BIGTIME! You will see this later in the book as well.
Don't think of this book as a story about him however. Think of it more as a way to peer inside tribal daily life in W.Africa. Achebe uses him to tell a story, but the real good parts about the book are the day to day customs and little things that let you learn about the tribe's workings.
Think of the novel as being a bunch of short stories, built around a madman, and you'll be ok.
Mr. Farrell
I believed that showed he has no self-control. I am also getting a little confused because I have no idea where this book is going, it just keeps talking about Okonkwo and his struggles. Hopefully I will find out soon where the book is going.
Okonkwo's father seems to have really affected his life because he is really trying to be anything but him but in reality he is pretty much turning into him even though he does not realize it. I really do not like Okonkwo very much he is too hard on his sons and thinks too highly of himslef.
I completely agree with you about Okonkwo. He is very confusing. It seems inwardly he's happy, but he never shows it to anyone else. I also never thought about what you said about straightening them out and how it could be related to people today. I think that could be a real possibility.
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