A psychoanalytic analysis of Okonkwo in things fall apart

Abstract

African literature has a unique aspect of radiating an ancient vibe but at the same time, it's also new and different compared to other types of literature around the world. During the 1700s, many African people who were slaves or used to be slaves started to become writers in European languages. Things Fall Apart was written in response to and as a record of the negative impacts of economic colonization by the West. By releasing Things Fall Apart and highlighting the importance of indigenous elements in Nigerian and African literature, Achebe was able to fully recover the African identity that had been severely impacted and diminished by the European writers. Achebe shows that how there occurs a pattern of disastrous outcomes by a leader, like Okonkwo, who exhibits an excessive amount of strength and pride. Throughout the novel the protagonist has been seen as intolerant, cruel and aggressive to everyone around him. Upon careful analysis of different viewpoints, this paper aims to analyze the key circumstances that played a significant role in forming or shaping the protagonist's character and to reveal through arguments the underlying causes for his behavioral transformation. Aside from the main text, theories from Jungian anima and Freud's id, ego, and superego have also been utilized to achieve this. According to the research, Okonkwo followed the path of the Freudian ego and repressed his anima from childhood onwards in an effort to fit in with society. However, as the story progressed, he began to see the protagonist's fundamental desires, or Id, as the driving force. The protagonists' failure to grow as characters is a result of these psychological conditions. Using these theories of personality and the text itself, this study argues against other causes that are presumed to be behind Okonkwo's toxic masculine behavior.