Fallen Tree

At the end of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo killed himself by hanging himself on a tree. From the reader’s view, the first thought of what cause Okonkwo’s death would probably be the arrival of Christianity and the white government. However, when analyzed more in depth, the reason behind his suicide may ultimately be from the disruption of his lifestyle. The arrival of white men and their new religion could be seen only as a factor to what the whole problem is.

Okonkwo had started out with a distasteful man as a father. He was able to gain a good reputation after defeating Amalinze the Cat. However, things went downside for him once again after the period of peace, just as the book title implies. Although some may argue that it’s because of the things that happened around him that cause his death, I think his response to the events around him affected the reason of his downfall. For example, he did not have to participate in the killing of Ikemefuma, yet he decided to in order to look strong. This causes his son Nwoye to fear him even more. Later on, we can see how much of a factor Nwoye is to Okonkwo. Okonkwo held such expectation from him, but only to have Nwoye walk out of the family forever. Like tree that stands alone in a thunderstorm, Okonkwo face difficulties and finally meets his tragic end.