Fear In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

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The majority of us, people believe that fear is a threatening emotion that a person receives in a negative way. Fear is usually seen as a weakness that causes us to respond to danger and fight in response. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo’s fear of weakness, failure, and becoming like his father, woman like, he calls it, lazy and full of debts dominate him to become who he is, a man who doesn’t tolerate idleness or gentleness. In addition to Ekwefi, Ezinma’s daughter faces fear of losing her only daughter as well as the darkness. People shouldn’t be controlled by the fear of something in specific, one should control fear in order to succeed and be a better person overall. “Okonkwo was not afraid of war. He was a man of action,…show more content…
Okonkwo fostered Ikemefuna and at first he didn’t like him and treated him like any other of his children, but then he got to meet him and decided that he liked Ikemefuna, even more than what he liked his real son Nyowe. Later on, the tribe told Okonkwo that the Oracle decreed for Ikemefuna to be killed. “As [Okonkwo] cleared his throat [he] drew up and raised his machete, Okonkwo looked away. He heard the blow.” Okonkwo killed Ikemefuna because he didn’t want his tribe to think that he was a weak man, so he raised his machete and killed Ikemefuna. Okonkwo’s fear of becoming known as weak lead him to kill a kid that was like his son. After he killed Ikemefuna Okonkwo was feared by many and nobody wanted to get on his bad side. In addition, “Okonkwo was especially fond of Ezinma. She looked very much like her mother, who was once the village beauty.” Okonkwo is afraid of showing his emotions too openly, unless they are feelings of anger or aggression. Since Okonkwo fears being effeminate and losing community respect, he shies away from showing even his favorite child…show more content…
Okonkwo doesn’t like change, so he wanted to get revenge and burned down the Christian church. Okonkwo spread the word that Christianity should be diminished from the land of Umuofia due to the fact that his fear of change was changing the Igbo community and beliefs. When Okonkwo called out that they should be “free” and the Christians should leave the Igbo community opposed him by some joining Christianity and the others upset about his decision and not following what he wanted. Okonkwo believed that everyone who changed to Christianity were traders because they left him and the common belief in many

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