Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

Our book, Things Fall Apart, is a book that I am really enjoying so far. One of the most shocking moments to me was the part when Ikemefuna was murdered and Okonkwo never tried to help him. Instead, he took part in the killing of Ikemefuna even though he had a bond with him. To me that was a very difficult part because it showed that even though Okonkwo cared for Ikemefuna he cared much more about not seeming weak to everyone else. Which is why he had to take part in the killing of Ikemefuna. I also really like how Achebe focuses on the idea of what weakness and masculinity was like back then. It is really interesting to see how things were between man and woman in comparison to how they are now. Masculinity is mainly seen in Okonkwo and the way he thinks masculinity should be, that every man should be strong and provide for everyone. That one thing seems really interesting to me and I think it is what I most enjoy of the book. I would really like to see how this idea of masculinity and weakness develops throughout the story. Maybe it will change or it might not and it might stay the same. I have so far really enjoyed this book and how it portrays what the Igbo society is like and hopefully the rest of it is just as good as what I have read.