Change In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

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Change occurs throughout everyone’s life and seems to come at the worst times. In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo endures changes in his life that cause it to turn upside down. He leads as a warrior and is cast out as a criminal. Okonkwo becomes angry and sad; he does not understand why any of this happens to him. He must learn to accept change and that he is not strong enough to stop it. The realization sets in that he can’t avoid this, making fear grow inside of him. As the fear grows life starts to fall apart. Change is difficult to accept, for with change comes fear, and with fear comes possible destruction. Everyone starts at square one, and from there builds up to where they want to be. Okonkwo’s start is more complex than most because he has no support system. “Okonkwo was still young, he was already one of the greatest men …show more content…
Some take change in and shut out the fear, while others focus only on the fear. Okonkwo makes it to the time that he can return the his village and he leaves for home at first chance. In doing this he casts aside the excellence he has in his mother’s village. His return leaves him depressed and sad due to him not being greeted as a warrior and he is hit with even more change. The beliefs and culture that were once there are now gone, leaving him with nothing. “The village ilo where they always gathered for a moon-play was empty” (Achebe 120). The fear that is felt with change stays. Fear isn’t something that comes and goes, it is something that is either weak or strong. Everyone is afraid of change. Okonkwo is scared to alter the life he built for himself and he let fear rule his decisions. He can no longer see any good. Fear takes over and ruins what could have been good. This cannot be avoided, it is to be expected. Change is not always bad, and it is not always good. There is nothing that can be done to change this. Change will never

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