Things Fall Apart

Novel | Chinua Achebe

What made Okonkwo commit suicide in Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart?

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What made Okonkwo commit suicide Okonkwo is the protagonist in Chinua Achebe s - Things Fall Apart The novel ends with the tragic death of Okonkwo His death marks both his personal fall and the downfall of Igbo society Okonkwo s suicide is the final result of fear frustration and hopelessness Collapse of His Society Okonkwo s people once lived with strength faith and unity However when the white men arrived they introduced religion laws and power that divided the clan The narrator says He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart This line shows that the arrival of the Europeans destroyed the Igbo way of life Okonkwo could not accept the loss of his people s pride and freedom Loneliness and Disappointment Okonkwo stood alone against the new forces He hoped his people would fight back but they did not

The narrator says Okonkwo was deeply grieved He mourned for the clan for the warlike men His grief shows his sorrow that the brave men of Umuofia had lost their courage When no one followed him Okonkwo felt isolated and useless Clash between Old and New Okonkwo s beliefs could not fit the changing world He was ruled by anger and by his love for tradition The narrator says Okonkwo was ruled by one passion to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved His extreme pride and strict ideas stopped him from adjusting When he saw his people obeying the British and the missionaries he felt that life had lost all meaning Act of Despair and Defeat Okonkwo killed a court messenger who tried to stop a village meeting But the clan did not support him He realized his world had fallen apart Feeling powerless he hanged himself In short Okonkwo commits suicide because he cannot live in a world that has lost its honor unity and strength His death reflects his inner defeat and the death of his culture

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