Fate and Free Will in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart...

Fate and Free Will in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart The tragic story of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart offers many examples of Igbo beliefs regarding free will and fate. Religious life for the Igbo was thoroughly intertwined with secular life. According to the text, the Igbo believed in fate; that nothing happened by chance as every happenstance was the result of Chukwu or Gods will. Yet the Igbo also believed that ancestors, lesser gods, and their own chi or personal god also influenced the lives of the living. Thus, if an individual lived in harmony with his ancestors, lesser gods and ultimately Chukwu, that individual would be blessed with good fortune, health and an abundance of children. If,†¦show more content†¦What part of their decimation was the result of spiritual and secular disharmony among the Igbo, and what part was the result of fate? Okonkwos own struggle with free will and fate may symbolize this question. Okonkwo is initially introduced as a proud, hardworking, successful warrior. He is described as clearly cut out for great things (6). But he is the son of a neer-do-well father; though genial and inoffensive, Unoka must certainly have been considered a failure. He is lazy and does not provide for his family. Not only is this disgraceful, but life-threatening as well. He is dependent on other members of the clan and must have been considered unsuccessful. Okonkwo chafes under such disgrace and his success is a consequence of his desire to be everything his father is not; societys vision of an exemplar citizen. The fact that Okonkwo is able to rise above his poverty and disgraceful paternity illustrates the Igbos acceptance of individual free will. But Okonkwos fate and his disharmony with his chi, family and clan are shown to cause his ultimate disgrace and death. Okonkwos early success is recognized as the result of hard work, That was not luck. At the most one could say that his chi or personal god was good (19). But Okonkwo goes too far. He is harsh and unkind to his family and less successful clansmen, thus undermining his self-made fortune.Show MoreRelated Existentialism in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay1635 Words   |  7 PagesExistentialism in Things Fall Apart      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chinua Achebe presents his audience with an interesting twist to a contemporary school of thought in his work Things Fall Apart.   This post-colonization narrative incorporates several traits that revolt against normative philosophic systems and tralititious theories and beliefs of the existence of man and his place in the universe.   Achebes efforts are characterized by a small diverse group of writers that purge realizations of predestinationRead More Okonkwos Tragic Flaws in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay3094 Words   |  13 Pagesironically leads to their personal misfortune. 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