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Psychological Impact in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart Revisi
Psychological Impact in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart Revisi
A. Introduction
Things Fall Apart is Novel about colonialism in African society that happens in the
past. It tells about conflict in that era when colonist first came in Africa and made major
changing in many aspects. This novel becomes portrayal of African people who suffered and
conflicted during colonialism era in the past. It tells about how African think and react that
can be seen in character Okonkwo as the major character in this novel. Okonkwo is an Igbo
person and he is respected by other people as Igbo warrior. He is proud, ambitious and ill-
tempered man. He wants to cover his father weakness and failure by his greatness so he is not
feels shame with his father name. Character Okonkwo become main subject in this
discussion because in this character, impact of colonialism is clearly seen. The main reason
choosing character Okonkwo because we can clearly see all the conflict that happen in this
novel and it help to study the impact of cultural changing as a result of colonialism.
Okonkwo also has major role to lead reader understand what happen in the novel.
This novel implied the value of civilization that brought to Africa by colonialist. It
tells about the impact of colonialism through Okonkwos behavior, how he thinks, and
situation that he face. We can also seeing the psychological impact that Okonkwo face as a
product of colonialism. Chinua Achebe seems want to show us the situation and conflict that
African people facing through this novel. As an African, the writer also want to tell us the
way his thinking about colonialism and its impact through this novel. The novel itself is
interesting to read because when we read the novel until the end we will surprised by the
ending. Through this novel the writer brings us to his point of view as colonized people that
feel about colonialism. Achebe also wants to show the reader images of African societies and
its people as they are represented in the novel which is different from point of view the
Western literary or other western author about African people's history of colonialism.
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Problem Formulation :
Anyone reading a book about an African society must be struck with the number of
special customs and taboos which attach to the relations between spouses, and
between parents and their children. African domestic life, in anthropological
summaries, seems to be full of special observances, and of ceremonies to mark the
advancement of individuals from birth, through weaning and puberty, to maturity and
old age. (Gluckman, 1955; 54)
But in Achebes novel it seem more deeper explaining about the situation that really happen
in there and somehow it also express African peoples feeling that clearly seen in character
Okonkwo. in this novel Achebes also put his point of view as African people and make it
novel become more realistic like we feel itself inside this novel.
In his novel Achebe not just brings conflict but impact of colonialism itself where
modern culture tried to replace the old ones. As it seen in character Okonkwo who tried to
defend his faith in his tradition through his suffer and alienating but in the end he still fails to
fight the modern culture and cannot follow that changing.
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G.D. Killam said that the conflict of the novel, vested in Okonkwo, derives from
series of crushing blows which are leveled at traditional values by an alien and more
powerful culture causing, in the end, the traditional society to fall apart. He noted
that, in showing Ibo society before and after the coming of the white man, Achebe
avoids the temptation to present the past as idealized and the present as ugly and
unsatisfactory. (http://www.landow.stg.brown.edu/post/achebe/things/html)
In that conflict caused by colonialism which is made by colonist in the past, it is still giving
its influence even after the colony gets their freedom. According to a critic Shatto Arthur
Gakwandi, a comment taken from A Man of the People: Commentary,
the novel demonstrates how the society has been invaded by a wide range of
values which have destroyed the traditional balance between the material and the
spiritual spheres of life, which has lead inevitably to the hypocrisy of double
standards. (http://www.landow.stg.brown.edu/post/achebe/people.html)
It means colonialism made many changes in society where it happen and also it is give after
effect of colonialism in material and spiritual aspect of the people in that area even after
colonialism ended.
Writer in this study not just focus on the conflict of colonialism, but in this study
writer want to show impact of colonialism that caused culture changing in the spiritual aspect
which is showed in this novel. By focusing on character Okonkwo writer aim to reveal the
impact of colonialism which is shows in spiritual aspect that character Okonkwo dealing.
Writer thinks that impact of colonial and culture changing bringing some developments to
character Okonkwo. In this study writer stated about conflict is just to help to related the
impact of colonialism and culture changing that happen in the novel, so we can seen
psychological impact that happen in character Okonkwo. Moreover conflict and
psychological impact as result of colonialism and culture changing makes story flows and
interesting, bring development and also give surprise to the reader.
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C. Theoretical Ground
This chapter will explain and discuss some basic theories that writer uses to help
analyze the problem formulation.
Character
Character is one of important part from literary work. It has function to helps people
enter the story and imagining situation and also the atmosphere of the story.
Characters are the persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are
interpreted by the reader as being endowed with particular moral, intellectual, and
emotional qualities by inferences from what the persons say and their distinctive
ways of saying it the dialogue- and from what they do- the action. (Abrams, 1999;
33)
Author makes characters to make story alive so the reader can more enjoying when
read the story like Eastman says,
In a same book A Glossary of Literary Term 7th edition, character is divided into flat
character and round character.
Flat character
Flat character also called a type or two dimensional is built around a single idea or
quality and it is not represent individualizing detail, so it can described in a single phrase or
sentence. Flat character is a static character, so they tend to be static and not likely changing
through the story. Somehow flat character is symbolizing a social or economic class. The
action and the way of thinking flat characters are easy to be guessed because their responses
are predictable.
Round character
Round character is complex character in temperament and motivation, so it is difficult
to describe as a person in real life. They have their own nature so difficult to be predicted.
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Round character is dynamic character which means they capable to changing into new kind
behavior under development of the story.
Conflict
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Conflict need to be solved by protagonist or main character so story can come to
ending. According to Redman conflict can divide into two inner conflict and external
conflict. Inner conflict does not show physical struggle because it happen inside the heart or
mind of character, but external conflict is struggle between character and an outside force
like one character against other character. Overall conflict is made by author to bring story to
its conclusion.
Psychoanalytic
This criticism can project an aspect inside ourself from our mind. Even though this criticism
is a form of therapy it can be use to investigate conscious element from character in the
novel.
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My object of study is showing psychological impact in character Okonkwo as a result
of cultural changing and colonialism. In this study writer want to deliver three objectives to
achieve. First is to understand Okonkwo characteristic when dealing with conflict that he
face. Second is finding out impact of colonialism for character Okonkwo. Third is observing
the relation of psychological impact happened in character Okonkwo by relating with
authors social background as result of culture changing.
Writer mention about character, culture and also identity because its help to
understand the character Okonkwo and to see the relation between colonialism and culture
changing. Basically all of them are related each other. In culture changing there is a problem
about identity and it is related to character Okonkwos case. Okonkwo forced to be a man
with new identity because cultural changing but he cant keep up with the changing as an
impact of colonialism. Writer also mention about conflict because it has relation with writer
topic. Character Okonkwo affected by psychological impact of colonialism because he
struggle with inner and external conflict, which is caused by cultural changing. By using
theory of conflict it can be help to identify the impact for character Okonkwo. So basically
all of the theories above are needed to achieve the understanding of study.
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D. Bibliography
Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Term. Third edition. New York: Holt, Rinehart and
Winston, Inc, 1981.
Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Term. Sixth edition. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich College Publisher, 1993.
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, Random House Inc,
1994.
Gluckman, Max. Custom and Conflict in Africa. Oxford: Basil and Blackwell, 1965.
Holman, C. Hugh and William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. Fifth edition. New
York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1986.
Hunt, Elgin F. Social Science: An Introduction to the Study of Society. New York: The
Macmillan Company, 1955.
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Murray, Raymond W. Introductory Sociology. New York: Appleton Century Crofts,
Inc, 1946.
Oxford Learner's Pocket Dictionary. Fourth edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2008
Redman, Crosby E. A Second Book of Plays. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1962.