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Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, analyzes the destruction of African culture by the appearance of the white man in terms of the destruction of the bonds between individuals and their society. In the novel Okonkwo is a defiant figure that resists the attempts of the white colonizers to impose on his clan a new religion and social order. Okonkwo's fear is presented when he first encounters the missionaries of the new religion in the village of Meant. This fear compels Okonkwo to stay, in hopes of chasing the missionaries out of the village. Okonkwo is fearful and violently resistant to the new religion because it has the potential of undermining the life long work of the clan trying to please the gods of its ancestors. If Okonkwo were to accept the new religion, his sacrifices to the gods, like the killing of Ikemfuna, who Okonkwo loved as a son, would have been done in vain.
One of Okonkwo's greatest fears about the new religion is that it could destroy the social hierarchy of the clan. By joining the new religion, these worthless men are dismissing the social order of the clan, and gaining respect and power in the new society. If the social hierarchy of the clan no longer existed, Okonkwo would lose his status and respect among the clan. By the end of the novel, many of Okonkwo's fears have been realized, and the social order of the clan is falling apart. The fear of the new religion and government, which causes Okonkwo to take the life of a white official, also causes him to take his own life. It seems that the two sides lived together rather peacefully for quite some time.
I believe the natives and the white man could have lived peacefully side-by-side without conflict. I can see how members of the clan would be insulted when their own turn to the white mans religion. But if neither is hurting each other I think the two beliefs can cohabitants. In keeping with the Ibo view of female nature, the tribe allowed wife beating. The novel describes two instances when Okonkwo beats his second wife, once when she did not come home to make his meal, he beat her severely and was punished only because he beat her during the Week of Peace.
Achebe shows nonetheless, that there are important roles for women. The first wife of a man in the Ibo society is paid some respect. Also, when a man is exiled he goes to his motherland not his fatherland. I dont think this certain cultural conflict could be resolved in that these are the beliefs of the clansmen for a long time and are not easily contested.
In Civil Peace also by Achebe, Jonathon Iwegbu lost so much (a child, most of the family's possessions, the windows, doors and part of the roof of the house). Yet he chooses not to concentrate on what he lost but rather what blessings he has remaining (3 of his 4 children, his wife, his old bicycle, and the walls of the house). Even after the bandits steal his ex-gratia, he feels fortunate, he didnt have the money before and hes thankful thats all hes lost in this frightening encounter. It seems that in this story, which takes place in an area that has recently overcome a terrible war, each person must fend for himself.
Although he screams and shouts for the police no one comes because there is nothing to be done in a place where people struggle for monetary balance. Amichai addresses the issues of the Palestine-Israeli conflict in his poems, Jerusalem and Sort of an Apocalypse. In Jerusalem, this political conflict is divided by a wall, not allowing one side to see the other. The only things that can be seen are the flags, which convey to each side they are happy, masking the true feelings of the residents. We can still see these conflicts today, with no resolutions in sight.
It seems that every day we hear of another shooting or bombing happening there. Nomad and Viper, by Amos Oz, is another story that reflects the conflicts of the Arab-Israeli relationship. The drought in the area brought the nomads to their village. Soon after pilfering, disease and damage to crops took place.
With these actions the social division between the two groups increased. Since the police proved to be inadequate some individuals believed it would be better if they took matters into their own hands. Here we recognize the conflict between the individual and the community. These concerns refer to the same ones discussed in Amichai's work. The disputes in the Middle East, in my opinion, will take a very long time to resolve. There have been numerous attempts to make peace with little success.
Naguib Mahfuzs The Happy Man, is about the social conflicts in one man. This mans life is filled with things that would cause great sorrow such as resulting from the death of his wife, his son moving far away, a bitter enemy in the workplace and residing in a place during a time of great political turmoil. All this distress has caused this sudden onset of happiness beyond comprehension. He is so overwhelmed with this feeling of happiness that nothing can bring him down. Concerned about the origin of this emotion, he consults numerous doctors but they tell him that he is perfectly healthy. However upon his visit to a psychiatrist his mood rapidly changes and he cannot stop the tears from coming.
I think the extreme happiness brought out the intense sadness; his body cannot handle the intensity of emotions. This conflict can eventually be resolved through time, for as points of joy come into his life he will again regain the balance in his conflicts. Bibliography Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1959. Lim, Shirley, and Norman Spencer, eds.
One World of Literature. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Achebe, Chinua. Civil Peace.
Lim and Spencer 129 - 133. Amichai, Yehuda. Jerusalem. Lim and Spencer 75 - 76.
Amichai, Yehuda. Sort of an Apocalypse. Lim and Spencer 76. Mahfuz, Naguib. The Happy Man.
Lim and Spencer 47 - 52. Oz, Amos. Nomad and Viper. Lim and Spencer 77 - 90.
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