Nwoye is a character in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. He is the son of Okonkwo, the protagonist, and plays a significant role in the story as he eventually turns away from his father's traditional ways and embraces the new religion and culture brought by the colonizers.
Throughout the novel, Nwoye is depicted as sensitive and emotional, traits that are traditionally seen as feminine in the Igbo culture in which the story is set. Okonkwo frequently scorns Nwoye for these qualities and wishes that his son were more like him - strong, aggressive, and unemotional.
However, it is Nwoye's sensitivity and emotional depth that ultimately allow him to connect with the colonizers and their religion, Christianity. He is drawn to the compassionate and loving teachings of the missionaries and finds solace in their message of forgiveness and redemption.
One quote that exemplifies Nwoye's feminine traits is when he says, "I have heard them [the missionaries] say that a man who has two wives is like a man who has two heads. They say that a man should love one woman and be faithful to her." This quote shows Nwoye's sensitivity and empathy, as he is troubled by the concept of polygamy and the pain it can cause to the women involved.
Another quote that highlights Nwoye's feminine qualities is when he says, "I am ashamed of the way we behave. Our fathers were fools, and so are we." This quote reveals Nwoye's self-reflection and introspection, as well as his desire for change and progress.
In conclusion, Nwoye's feminine traits of sensitivity, emotionality, and compassion are ultimately what allow him to connect with the colonizers and embrace their culture and religion. These traits, which are traditionally seen as weaknesses in the Igbo culture, ultimately prove to be strengths for Nwoye as he breaks away from the traditional ways of his society and charts his own path.
Things Fall Apart: Ikemefuna Quotes
In addition to Nwoye leaving his father, he separates from his culture and tribe. Throughout Things Fall Apart, Achebe portrayed both men such as Okonkwo, Nwoye, and women such as Ezinma, as someone who was unnecessarily transcended to their traditional role of gender. We were supposed to speak directly about our feelings without appearing ungrateful, no-account, or unfilial. Even though Ezinma wanted to have a nontraditional path of life, she was destined to follow the traditional life of a Umuofian woman. Chapter sixteen of Things Fall Apart shares that Nwoye has left his family and turned away from Okonkwo.
Nwoye Identity Quotes
Okonkwo pushes Nwoye away by not being patient and loving because Okonkwo believes that men should be fierce and tough. However, his fear of weakness and failure also was his tragic flaw. . The fear of failure, weakness, and the fear of being feminine that Unoka brought to Okonkwo also lead to Okonkwo's success, it lives off Okonkwo's hard work, charity, and also masculinity. On the other hand, women should be submissive, bear many children and take pride in men, which is considered feminine. One of the deepest feminine pleasures is when a man stands full, present, and unreactive in the midst of his woman's emotional storms.
Feminine Quotes (314 quotes)
Nwoye is too sensitive for this behavior, however, and this causes him to leave the village and convert to Christianity. This issue comes up again when Ikemefuna, a young man who was taken as ransom from another tribe to avoid a war, comes to live with Nwoye and his family. The book Things Fall Apart is a fiction novel written by Chinua Achebe in 1958. Here, a group of men pretend to escort Ikemefuna back to his home village, all the while planning to execute him on the way. . He is trying to show his strength and ensure he is not portrayed to be like his father: powerless and incapable.
