The African Literature

Sem : 4
Okonkwo's Suicide : The
Aftermath Of an
Existential Crisis

Prepared by :- Ravina Parmar

Department of English, M.K.
Bhavnagar University
 --: Table of content:---
● Research Objective
● Introduction of Author
● Introduction of Text “Things Fall Apart"
● Who is Okonkwo ?
● What is Chi in Igbo Culture ?
● The Aftermath Of existential crisis
● How can we define Okonkwo's Suicide ?
● How Chinua Achebe discribe Okonkwo's
Suicide :
● Conclusion:
● Citation :
--: Research Objectives :---

● What is Chi in Igbo culture ?

● What is the reason behind Okonkwo's suicide?

● Is he cowardly ?

● Which type of existential crisis Okonkwo faces ?

● In “Things Fall Apart” , who falls apart ?

 Chinua Achebe
● Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) is an
established figure in the canon of
African and world literature.

● He was the father of modern

African Literature literature )Ben
Frederick)

● Achebe focuses his novels on the

traditions of Igbo society, the
effect of Christian influences, and
the clash of Western and
traditional African values during
and after the colonial era .
● Things Fall Apart is published in (1958)

● It is considered Achebe’s masterpiece (Ruth Franklin)

● The most widely read book in modern African literature.

● The work is split into three parts,

● first describing Okonkwo's family, personal history, and

the customs and society of the Igbo,

● The second and third sections introducing the influence of

European colonialism and Christian missionaries on
Okonkwo, his family, and the wider Igbo community.
 Who is okonkwo ?
“ Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even
beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements. As a young
man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing
Amalinze the Cat. ” ( Things Fall Apart)

● Protagonist of the novel ‘Things Fall Apart’.

● He was tall and huge, and his bushy eyebrows and wide
nose gave him a very severe look.

● Strongly believe in religion practices ( strictly followed

tradition of the culture)

● He beats his wife, kills Ikmefuna.

 What is ‘Chi' in Igbo Culture :--
● The Igbo community believed in the notion of chi, which would stand in for one’s
fate or personal god. Chi, according to Ebeogu, can be manipulated (Friesen 1).

● Chi is the personal spirit of a person. "If a person agrees to a thing, his spirit
agrees also". Culturally, people are seen as the creators or makers of their own
destiny. ( Kwesi Wiredu )

● Okonkwo’s chi is quite strong, and gives him an aura of a demigod.

● Okonkwo’s chi can be seen from the perspectives of his culture and his existential
anxiety, and how he conforms to it or rebels against it.

● Okonkwo states “…I survived that year, I shall survive anything” (Achebe 27). It is
possible that although Okonkwo’s conscious mind thought of his future in the
context of his culture and tradition.
 How can we define Okonkwo's suicide ?
“ He Knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He knew because
they had, let the other messengers escape. They had broken into tumult
instead of action. He discerned fright in that tumult. He heard voices
asking: "Why did he do it?"( Things Fall Apart)

“Okonkwo's return to his native land was not as memorable

as he had hoped"(Things Fall Apart)

"Unoufia did not appear to have taken any special notice to the
warriors' return." ( Things Fall Apart)
The aftermath of existential crisis :--

● Okonkwo came after seven year in his clan

● Now he was powerless
● He can't lead his clan( he is not able to convince his own
community members)
● Their is new religion and new tradition sets by
colonizers
● His own family members accepted Christian religion.
(Nwoye became Issac)
How Chinua Achebe
discribe his suicide
:--
 Conclusion :-
● “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is
suicide." ( Albert Camus ) He realized a feeling of absurdity in life.

● He doesn't want to live like a cowardly man.

● What he is living and what he was living, there is vast difference. He

can't live this type of life.

● Okonkwo's death comes because he realizes that he has failed both the
people and their goddess, Ani.

● Though he has the spirit to endure misfortunes such as the loss of

his yams during the drought that hit Umuofia, the traumas of exile,
and the humiliation of imprisonment. But he is can't able to see the
cowardness of the clan.
 --: Citation :---
● Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Penguin Publishing Group, 2019.

● Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays. Trans. Justin O’Brien. New York:
Vintage Books, 1991.

● Franklin, Ruth. "After Empire: Chinua Achebe and the Great African Novel".
The New Yorker, 26 May 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2010.

● Frederick, Ben. "Chinua Achebe is remembered as the 'father of modern

African literature'", The Christian Science Monitor.(22 March 2013).

● Friesen, Alan R. “Okonkwo’s Suicide as an Affirmative Act: Do Things Really Fall

Apart?” Postcolonial Text, Vol. 02, No. 04 (2006).

● Wiredu, Kwesi. A Companion to African Philosophy. John Wiley & Sons. p. 420. ISBN
978-0470997376.(2008).
 Thank you !
ravinaparmar827@gmail.com