Write an essay about the impact of the various settings on the development of

Okonkwos character. To what extend is this relevant today?

The novel Things Fall Apart evolves around Okonkwo who is the protagonist in the
novel. The novel is divided into three parts. Setting plays an important role in this novel.
Setting is the background against which action takes place. The elements making up
setting are the geographical location, the occupational, the time or period on which the
action takes place and the general environment of the character. (Harmon, 2003).
The setting in the novel begins in Umuofia and moves to Mbanta. It finally returns to a
changed Umuofia. The character of Okonkwo changes as he moves from one setting to
another.
Okonkwo is a man of action, a man of war and a member of high status in the Igbo
traditional village. He holds the prominent position of village clansman. He is being
respected by all the villagers in Umuofia. Therefore, he is being ordered to send the
clans message to Mbaino. To crown it all he had taken two titles and has shown
incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars. And so although Okonkwo was still young, he
was already one of the greatest men of his time. Age was respected, but achievement
was revered.(pg 8). Thus, he has earned good reputation from his kinsmen.
Okonkwos father, Unoka has never taught him the right meaning of a man. Therefore,
through Okonkwos self-interpretation he concludes that a good man is someone who is
exactly opposite to his father. He works hard to achieve fame and titles in his clan. Most
importantly, Okonkwo is feared to resemble any weakness and failure of his father as he
hates his father. his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and
weaknessIt was not external by lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest
he should be found to resemble his father.(pg 13). Due to fear, he treats his family
members harshly especially to Nwoye. For him, to show affection is a sign of weakness.
With his harsh behaviour, he hopes to control his family and maintain his position in the
village.
In the traditional Umuofia, Okonkwos aggressiveness indirectly shows his personal
pride. Okonkwo is proud of his success and his own reputation. With the reputation he
has built, he becomes a role model of a real man in the traditional village.

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The seven years exile to Mbanta has demoralised him. He feels that he has lost
everything in his life. He works hard in Mbanta but without any enthusiasm. But it was
like beginning life anew without the vigour and enthusiasm of youth, like learning to be
left-handed in old age. (pg 131). He is also feeling lonely as he is not the leader in
Mbanta. During the lonely period, Okonkwo realises that Mother is Supreme. He
changes his character from an arrogant leader to a gratitude fugitive. He learns the value
of showing gratitude. Thus, he shows his appreciation through the big feast he throws in
Mbanta. However, he is saddened by Nwoyes conversion to Christian. Why, he cried in
his heart, should he, Okonkwo, of all people, be cursed with such a son? (pg 152). For
him, Nwoye has thrown his pride as a leader of the clan when he joins Christianity. A
leaders son should be the one who is very strong with the ancestral religions.
Furthermore, he who is a leader in exile cannot do anything to help his clan from falling
apart. When he knows that the missionaries have arrived in Umuofia, he has no power
to do anything. He is only able to lend his ears to hear what is happening back in his
fatherland. However, when the rare incident of killing the royal python in Mbanta,
Okonkwo suggests, until the abominable gang was chased out of the village with whips
there would be no peace. (pg 158). This line shows that Okonkwo is going to take this
action if he is there in Umuofia during the coming of white missionaries. However, all
these are in vain as Okonkwo is not at Umoufia at that time to stop the spreading of
Christianity.
The changing of setting from Umuofia to Mbanta shows the development of Okonkwos
characters. He changes from a proud and arrogant leader in Umuofia into a demoralised
leader in Mbanta. He too changes from an autocratic family leader to a gratitude son to
his mothers kinsmen.
After the seven years of exile, he returns to Umuofia. Umuofia is no more alike. People
are forgetting the return of Okonkwo. There is no welcoming ceremony for the former
leader of Umuofia. Indirectly, it shows that Okonkwo has lost his reputation as a warrior
and a leader among the villagers. Thus, Okonkwo wants to rebuild his fame. However,
things are not as smooth as planned.
Umuofia is not longer upholding traditions. The ancestral values are changing.
Umuofians are no longer united. Our own men and our sons have joined the ranks of
the stranger. They have joined his relgions and they help to uphold his
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government.The white man is very clever He has put a knife on the things that held
us together and we have fallen apart. (pg 176). Okonkwo mourns for the condition of his
fatherland. Okonkwo was deeply grieved. And it was not just personal grief. He
mourned for the clan, which he saw the breaking up and falling apart and he mourned
for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women.
(pg 183).Thus, he wants very much to reunite his kinsmen. This can only happen when
he has power in his village. With power, he can unite his kinsmen to wage a war with the
white missionaries in order to chase them away.
However, things happen the other way. When Okonkwo kills the messenger, he hears of
voices questioning the rationale of him to do the killing. From that point onward, he
knows that no one is on his side supporting his action. He feels that everything he has
done is a waste. He gains no respect and reputation from the changed Umuofia. He is
saddened of the new perception of Umuofian about him. He finally kills himself when he
cannot unite his clan so that he will not see more dishearten changes in Umuofian
brought by white missionaries. He rather dies in grieve that in respect as Umuofia has
changed to a place he does not want to stay.
From the three parts of the novel, we can see clearly development of Okonkwos
character in three different settings. He changes from a proud leader in part one into a
demoralised leader and a grieved leader in part two and three respectively.
In today context, when an east Malaysian comes to pursue his study in Peninsular
Malaysian, he will experience culture shock. Peninsular people are already acculturated
with west culture. For instance, kissing in the public is a rare scene in Borneo but in
metropolitan city such as Kuala Lumpur is a normal phenomenon. The advancement of
technology and the readiness to accept the new culture make it spread widely among
Peninsular Malaysian. Nowadays, with internet, culture can be transferred easily. When
a traditional Borneo person who has experienced culture shock in Kuala Lumpur returns
to his hometown, he will also be surprised with the changes that the technology has
brought to the traditional culture. Not surprise that kissing in public will be a common
scene in Borneo in the coming years. If the person cannot accept the changes that are
brought by modernisation, he will have his hard time back in his transformed
hometown.

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Imelda Marcos, the former First Lady of Philippines lived in prosperity when her husband
held the government. She had several government positions when Ferdinand Marcos
was the prime minister. She is an extravagant person who spent countrys money to buy
her personal jewellery. She fled to Hawaii (Okonkwo in Mbanta) when she was being
thrown down by the people. In 1991, she returned to Philippines. She was allowed to
return to her native land because the government hoped to recoup some lost fund held
by her. Imelda Marcos rebuilt her images in Philippines by entering politics again
(Okonkwo when he goes back to Umuofia). She won the election in 2010 to become
representative for Ilocos Norte province. However, she had to face the corruptions
charge and trial on court. She changed from a wasteful person to determined people
who built her image again after her exile.

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(1242 words)