Theme of Fear in Things Fall Apart Review Assignment (Book Review Sample)

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Theme of Fear in Things Fall Apart.
In the modern society, people develop the fear of various kinds. In a family setup, for instance, family members may be having fears of different kinds. Death, snakes, flying, needles, spiders, and public speaking among many others are the most common types of fears. As such, the book Things Fall Apart would not have been complete without an exhibition of the subject of fear. Okonkwo as the central personality in the book is described as a strong person physically, but he is weak mentally. Consequently, Okonkwo shows three kinds of fears throughout the novel.
The fears that Okonkwo exhibits in the novel are the fear of failure, the fear of being weak and finally, the fear of change. Okonkwo grew up in a family that was struggling in its efforts to make ends meet. His father was considered a failure in that he could not provide for all his family’s needs. As a result, Okonkwo grew up having that fear of being like his father. He never wanted to be associated with failure the way his father was branded. Okonkwo thus promised himself never to be lazy as that was a direct entry into failing. As a challenge to himself, he works extremely hard so that he could provide for the needs of his family and thus evades the failure tag that had been given to his father. The things that motivated Okonkwo not to be like his father were the abuses he used to receive as a young boy. He remembers the day a playmate called him the son of an agbala, meaning he had no title (Lovesey 130)
Okonkwo also gripes with the fear of being weak. He struggles to shed it off being the strong guy that he is physical. He wrestles his opponents and even challenges greater wrestlers of his time. Okonkwo kills Ikefemuna as a sign of being strong even after being persuaded not to. He thinks that by not doing so, he will be considered weak. Another weakness that Okonkwo struggles to overcome is that of women. His father was believed to be womanly, something that Okonkwo never wanted to inherit. He fights off such vices by ensuring that he is not idle to think of such and most importantly, being a gentleman (Chinua 21).
The last fear is that of change. Okonkwo loves his tribe and customs so much that he fears for the change that the British colonists bring as they invaded Umofia. The way Okonkwo understands the colonist is that they are on a mission to change their culture. His love for their traditions and culture drives him into killing himself because he does not imagine living in a world of a different culture. Okonkwo sticks firm to the ways of ...