Okonkwo's suicide in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart has been a much-debated topic.
To me personally,this act reminded of Hitler's Suicide...at last when nothing remained in Okonkwo's control,he ended up his own life instead of being punished by the whites.
So in my opinion his suicide was an act of self assertion.
Do you too think it was an act of self assertion???do you feel it was too cowardly an act???
Would be happy to hear from you
Thank you.
Spoiler!
Tragedy is at the heart of this topic and suicide is one of them.Originally Posted by Yami
That remains to be proven.To me personally,this act reminded of Hitler's Suicide...
If that was the last resort then is it really suicide? Given the circumstances and what was left to Okonkwo one could say this:at last when nothing remained in Okonkwo's control,he ended up his own life instead of being punished by the whites.
Either suffer at the hands of others of take an own life then it is a 50/60 situation. Suffer more of die quick. So really it is more of no choice left and so it is kind of understandable. The quickest exit the better.
There is no assertion here but more what is the quickest and the less painful.So in my opinion his suicide was an act of self assertion.
It is neither because in this situation only this is not suicide but more a another only way of dealing with sufferance. Again this is a book and a reader is to interpret the events as they see fit.Do you too think it was an act of self assertion???do you feel it was too cowardly an act???
Last edited by cacian; 12-11-2012 at 04:00 PM.
it may never try
but when it does it sigh
it is just that
good
it fly
You are absolutely correct, Yami. Forget the entanglement and the ridiculous nonsense.
Thanx Cafolini
I welcome all your opinions...
"If that was the last resort then is it really suicide? Given the circumstances and what was left to Okonkwo one could say this:
Either suffer at the hands of others of take an own life then it is a 50/60 situation. Suffer more of die quick. So really it is more of no choice left and so it is kind of understandable. The quickest exit the better."
Cacian I feel suicide was not the only option left with him...I mean throughout the novel there is a lot of description of Okonkwo's masculinity, his talent, how he won wrestling matches and how he rose to glory...so should'nt he have proven himself when it it was required the most???
"It is neither because in this situation only this is not suicide but more a another only way of dealing with sufferance. Again this is a book and a reader is to interpret the events as they see fit."[/QUOTE]
Why such a cowardly way of dealing with sufferance???where is his masculinity gone???
Yes true the reader is to interpret and everyone has his/her own view...
It is symbolic of Judas, not much more you can say then that, and what that itself implies.
Ugh, I have to say that's pretty off base if you think Okonkwo kills himself to avoid punishment.
Okonkwo is from the beginning a character who willingly submits to the punishments expected of his society. He, reminiscent of Abraham, willingly kills his foster-son, who he loves. He willingly submits to exile and loses all his wealth after he accidentally shoots someone. And when he gets back from exile he acts in defiance of the new Western traditions being introduced to his village.
Okonkwo is a tragic figure, he is heroic in his devotion to the traditions of his culture (both the good and bad). Yet, we all know that his devotion can not end well in a world where those traditions are slipping away. He definitely does not kill himself to avoid punishment (the punishment from the British would have been execution, and that would have been a heroic end!). Instead, when Okonkwo is finally defeated, when his community loses the will to fight, he sees the tradition of the Igbo as over, everything he has most believed in has been rendered meaningless. And in the final moment he commits an act that is forbidden in Igbo culture, he commits suicide.
"If the national mental illness of the United States is megalomania, that of Canada is paranoid schizophrenia."
- Margaret Atwood
The meaning of Okonkwo's suicide in Things Fall Apart is remarkably similar to the cryptic suicide of unyielding Hjordis in Ibsen's play, The Warriors at Helgeland.
Living in early medieval Norway, newly-wed Hjordis is ruthless, aggressive and as ideologically pure as her revered Viking ancestors, and the gods they worshipped. The times have, in a sense, left her behind - Christianity is encroaching from the south. Everyone treats her with, not just respect, but veneration because she epitomises the fabled, but fading, spirit of the old Norse gods. In a marvellously cryptic ending, she suicides by jumping off a cliff into the depths of the ocean below, in a vain attempt, to avoid assimilation with these diminished gods. She stands alone, heroic to the end - the stuff of legends.
Similarly with Okonkwo.
"Love does not alter the beloved, it alters itself"
I appreciate your views...actually just completed the novel and thought to have others' thoughts on his suicide, here...yes when he sees the tradition of the Igbo as over he does commit suicide and I think I seem to have changed my views on his act now...
I would love to have more discussion on the novel...you said he willingly submits to the punishments...yes but at times does not follow Igbo's norms...You gave the example of Ikemefuna's killing...I feel it was more of a digression than submitting...I mean he was asked by the elder of the village not to particiate in the killing as Ikemefuna called him his father, yet merely to display his masculinity(as suggested by the narrative) Okonkwo kills him...also during the week of Peace he beats up his wife (something that is forbidden )Whats your take on this??
Thanx Clovis for providing a parallel.
Thanx Gladys for another parallelit can be of great help to me while framing an answer
Last edited by Yami; 12-13-2012 at 10:19 AM.
I once asked several readers about the ending, and strangely enough they sided with the women and children who were becoming part of a secular world.
Achebe is also sustaining a critique against aspects of the traditional Igbo culture. Okonkwo is a tragic hero, but he is a modern tragic hero, so we are called on to question his devotion as much as we are to recognize the heroism of it. The key point is that Okonkwo isn't a perfect adherent to his culture's value, he is perhaps too dedicated to them, and in the wrong ways (he thinks everything comes down to being manly). What is important is that Okonkwo, more than anyone, measures the value of his life on the basis of Igbo traditions.
Likewise, we're not meant to read the British as all bad. Some of them are ignorant and racist, but they also put a stop to killing twins and allow the outcasts to participate in society.
"If the national mental illness of the United States is megalomania, that of Canada is paranoid schizophrenia."
- Margaret Atwood
@ Ralfyman Well on this I would say that Nwoye would have grown up to become a responsible man and done enough to take care of his family
@ OrphanPip Yes true and I would say that till Mr.Brown was there everything was going quite well, as you said outcasts and twins were accepted, but things began to get worse only after coming of Mr. Smith.
I agree with Orphanpip. His suicide is st heroic . I think it's also addressed towards his tribe which failed him and refused to fight the colonizer. His suicide is a sin , he won't be burried as a warrier or even touched by anyone of his tribe. But he did it and that was so courageous not an act of running out of punishment. Okonkwo is the last warrior among cowards.That's why he committed suicide.
Wow, spoilers dude. What the ****?
[QUOTE]Thanx Cafolini
I welcome all your opinions...
"If that was the last resort then is it really suicide? Given the circumstances and what was left to Okonkwo one could say this:
Either suffer at the hands of others of take an own life then it is a 50/60 situation. Suffer more of die quick. So really it is more of no choice left and so it is kind of understandable. The quickest exit the better."
Cacian I feel suicide was not the only option left with him...I mean throughout the novel there is a lot of description of Okonkwo's masculinity, his talent, how he won wrestling matches and how he rose to glory...so should'nt he have proven himself when it it was required the most???"It is neither because in this situation only this is not suicide but more a another only way of dealing with sufferance. Again this is a book and a reader is to interpret the events as they see fit."What is a coward way of dealing with sufferance?Why such a cowardly way of dealing with sufferance???where is his masculinity gone???
Yes true the reader is to interpret and everyone has his/her own view...
Masculinity and dying is a myth invigorated in films and books.
it may never try
but when it does it sigh
it is just that
good
it fly
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