Zach Gardner

Mr. Cheng

4^th Hour

Things Fall Apart

            How do you want to live your life? Will you live it by someone else’s standards or your own? How will it compare to others around you? The book Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, is about a man and his success and failure in living an exemplary life. In Things Fall Apart, the main character, Okonkwo, thinks he is a perfect man by being strong and determined, and not showing compassion or other feminine traits, which eventually leads to his tragic ending.

            Okonkwo is the perfect man, according to his standards. Of all of the people in his Nigerian village, Umuofia, and all of the other eight villages, Okonkwo was the most exemplary figure of all. The following quote provides perspective on how ‘perfect’ he is by his standards. “Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things. He was still young but he had won fame as the greatest wrestler in the nine villages. He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife. To crown it all, he had taken two titles and had 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” (pg. 8). The next quote describes how his achievements have affected his life, politically and socially. “His fame rested on solid personal achievements. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat” (pg. 3). Because of all of these achievements at such a young age, Okonkwo lives a very successful life. Throughout the story, Okonkwo thinks very highly of himself and has the idea that because of his achievements, he is the most exemplary and perfect person throughout all nine villages, according to his standards.

            Secondly, besides lots of great achievements, Okonkwo is very strong and determined, and this makes him a popular leader of Umuofia. The first quote describes Okonkwo’s  popularity, while the second explains what he is determined to in life. “Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond” (pg. 3). “His life had been ruled by a great passion – to become one of the lords of the clan. That had been his life spring. And he had all but achieved it” (pg. 131). The first quote illustrates