From the beginning of his life, Okonkwo is cursed by bad luck that constantly negates his attempts at building a life and reputation for himself, even though he is very talented and strong. This creates the basis for the main question that the book explores, modeled on page 131, “A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi. The saying of the elders was not true-that if a man said yea his chi also affirmed. Here was a man whose chi said nay despite his own affirmation.” Okonkwo works hard towards achieving his goals and aspirations, yet due to the circumstances of his life, he cannot achieve greatness, a situation which causes the reader to question the true worth of their own abilities.
Okonkwo is born to a lazy man named Unoka who has no rank among his people, and develops a hatred of the qualities that his father exhibits. In chapter two, Achebe writes, “… his (Okonkwo's) whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness….. It was fear of himself, less he should be found to resemble his father….. And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion-to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was gentleness and another was idleness.”(13). Because Okonkwo lives in spite of his father, and therefore in spite of idleness, and he is ruled by fear, he is driven to act impulsively and violently. This is displayed when Okonkwo's wife leaves his home without feeding her children, and he reacts as follows, “He walked back to his obi to await Ojiugo's return. And when she returned he beat her very heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace.”(29). This shows both his drive towards violence in beating Ojiugo, and his impulsiveness in forgetting the Week of Peace. As the story progresses, you see more instances like this one, and you can plainly see that through hatred of his father, Okonkwo develops fear, which leads to pain and suffering.
In chapter eight, Okonkwo undergoes a significant change in character. When Achebe writes “Okonkwo did not taste food for three days… his eyes were red and fierce like the eyes of a rat… He did not, sleep at night.”(63) he is modeling the breakdown of Okonkwo's physical self caused by internal turmoil. The death of Ikemefuna brings Okonkwo to doubt the lifestyle that has brought about great success for him, causing him to shut down like a confused animal. Further evidence of this is given on page 65; “When did you become a shivering old woman… How can a man who has killed five men in battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to their numbers… you have become a woman indeed”. Okonkwo is so lost in his uncertainty that he is even skeptical of his own self-appraisal. By going through all this, Okonkwo has reached a point in his life where he may rethink his lifestyle and undergo great changes in character. That or he may become more benevolent and insecure. Either way, Okonkwo's disposition marks a significant transition in the story.
At The end of Things Fall Apart, the main character Okonkwo is driven to suicide by his inability to adapt to a changed society. Okonkwo was raised in a violent and tribal society, where he gained prestige by managing his compound with an iron fist, fighting for glory and fame, and filling his barns to the very brim with yams. Life changes for Okonkwo on page 24 when Achebe writes, “In the center of the crowd a boy lay in a pool of blood… Okonkwo's gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pieced the boy's heart.” After this happens, Okonkwo is exiled, and loses everything he has gained in Umuofia. In the years that he is exiled, white missionaries begin to arrive in Umuofia and Mbanta, his current home. By the time Okonkwo returns to his homeland, new religion and culture brought by the white man have manifested in society and caused major changes in Umuofian life. An example is given on page 174, as follows, “Umuofia had indeed changed in the seven years Okonkwo had been in exile. The church had led many astray… apart from the church, the white men had also brought a government.”
Okonkwo resists these changes to society and holds to the ancient customs he was raised with. Okonkwo and other Umuofians rebel against the white man, but aren't able to gain any ground in their favor.. In the end when Okonkwo kills the missionary's messenger, he realized that his society has faltered, and will not fight the white men as he believes they should. Over the course of his life, Okonkwo's lifework is repeatedly shattered to pieces, by events like this. Because his lifestyle isn't socially accepted anymore, Okonkwo loses his lust for life and suicides.
All of the situations above show the destruction of Okonkwo's life, piece by piece. They show how the power of uncontrollable influences like family, culture, emotions, luck, and change are able to control one's destiny more than oneself. Despite his best efforts at succeeding in life, Okonkwo is continually shamed and diminished to the point of suicide. All in all, the point illustrated in the text is how the things that make up ones life can simply fall apart despite the intent one has in holding them together.
