Things Fall Apart

Failure and success in Nwoye’s character.

Draft/outline:

Who is Nwoye?

How is failure and success defined by Nwoye’s character? To what extent?

When does it happen?

Where do these events take place?

Why Nwoye is considered to be a failure and then turns into a successful man?

-Pee: Points, evidence, elaboration.

Essay:

Failure and success can be seen through Nwoye’s character. As the eldest son in the family, Okonkwo want him to be a masculine man and responsible man. “Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness.”Nwoye is considered to be a failure person from Okonkwo’s point of view. Okonkwo often tries to improve “feminine” traits within Nwoye by constant nagging and beating. In spite of developing his eldest son to be a successful person, Okonkwo makes Nwoye as a sensitive young boy. “And so Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced youth.” So, the conflict rises as Okonkwo, an impulsive father defines success differently from Nwoye, a thoughtful son. However, after the pre-colonisation era, which is around 19th century, Nwoye is achieving successful by insight deeply about his superstitious belief and customs that are inappropriate morally. As exemplified by the abandoned twins in the Evil Forests, he is able to argue on the inhumane custom. Why should the innocent twins abandoned in the forest? “The hymn about brothers who sat in darkness and in fear seemed to answer a vague and persistent question that haunted his young soul-the question of the twins crying in the bush and the question of Ikemefuna who was killed.”This is the event that triggers him to convert into Christianity. He is achieving success not just plainly to be escaped from the superstitious belief but also send a hidden message indirectly to Igbo citizens that one could rationalise on any inhumane practices. They are able to tolerate and accept the coming of Christianity in Umuofia. “There were many men...