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OKONKWO’S ANXIETIES AND DEFENSE

MECHANISMS IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS

FALL APART

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

ARDIAN SETIANTO

Student Number: 114214059

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERISTY

YOGYAKARTA

2017

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ii

OKONKWO’S ANXIETIES AND DEFENSE

MECHANISMS IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS

FALL APART

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

in English Letters

By

ARDIAN SETIANTO

Student Number: 114214059

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERISTY

YOGYAKARTA

2017


vii

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question

is: What are you doing for others?”

Martin Luther King Jr.

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin

with the first step.”

Lao Tzu

“ONCE WE ACCEPT OUR LIMITS, WE GO

BEYOND THEM.”

ALBERT EINSTEIN


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For

My Beloved Parents

And

My Lovely Sisters


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This page is dedicated to those who help and support me in the process of

writing this undergraduate thesis. First of all. I would like to thank Allah SWT for

His overflowing blessing and strength whenever I found difficulty. I would never

be able to finish this thesis without His help.

My second gratitude goes to my thesis advisor, Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka,

M.Hum. who sincerely help and guide me in the writing process of this thesis from

the beginning until the end. I also would like to thank my co-advisor, Dr. Gabriel

Fajar Sasmita Aji, M.Hum. and English Letter Department for giving me

knowledge and place to learn.

My special gratitude for my parents, my sisters and grandfather who always

giving me support, advice and motivation to finish this thesis. I am thankful that

you all have been there whenever I need.

Last but not least, my sincere thanks to my friends, my classmates and my

relatives who always support me from behind and make my day a lot brighter.

Ardian Setianto


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ........................................................................................................ ii

APPROVAL PAGE ............................................................................................. iii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE ........................................................................................ iv

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA

ILMIAH ................................................................................................................... v

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ................................................................... vi

MOTTO PAGE ................................................................................................... vii

DEDICATION PAGE ........................................................................................ viii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................. ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... x

ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................... xii

ABSTRAK ............................................................................................................ xiii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................... 1

A. Background of the study ................................................................................. 1

B. Problem Formulation ...................................................................................... 5

C. Objectives of the Study .................................................................................. 5

D. Definition of Terms ........................................................................................ 5

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ..................................................... 7

A. Review of Related Studies .............................................................................. 7

B. Review of Related Theory ............................................................................ 11

1. Theory of Character .................................................................................. 11

2. The Relation between Literature and Psychology .................................... 13

3. Theory of Defense Mechanism ................................................................. 15

C. Theoretical Framework ................................................................................ 19

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ................................................................... 21

A. Object of the Study ....................................................................................... 21

B. Approach of the Study .................................................................................. 22

C. Method of the Study ..................................................................................... 23

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ................................................................................ 25

A. The Depiction of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart ........................................ 25

1. Okonkwo’s Physical Appearance ............................................................. 26

2. Okonkwo’s Personality ............................................................................. 26

B. Okonkwo’s Anxieties and Defense Mechanisms ......................................... 32

1. Okonkwo’s Fear of Failure and Weakness ............................................... 33

2. Okonkwo’s Anxiety toward His Son Failure and Weakness.................... 36

3. Okonkwo’s Anxiety toward Nwoye’s Convert to Christianity ................ 38

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ........................................................................... 42


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BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................ 44

APPENDIX ........................................................................................................... 46


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ABSTRACT

SETIANTO, ARDIAN. OKONKWO’S ANXIETIES AND DEFENSE

MECHANISMS IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART.

Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma

University, 2017.

Defense mechanism is a psychological mechanism that functions to avoid

painful experience. It is used to reduce anxiety which happened in people’s mind

caused by either internal or external factor of human. One example of a

character’s defense mechanism can be found in Things Fall Apart by Chinua

Achebe, a novel about African people in colonial era. This novel narrates

Okonkwo’s life with many conflicts related to colonialism. Okonkwo’s main

problem is his fear to become similar to his father which lead some defense

mechanisms to be used. Through the story, Okonkwo did some defense

mechanisms to relieve anxieties caused by the problems that he deal with.

The objectives of writing this thesis are to find Okonkwo’s traits and

personalities being described in novel and what Okonkwo’s defense mechanisms

is. For the first objective, the writer applied character and characterization theory

to see how Okonkwo was described and pictured in the novel. For the second

objective, the writer made list of defense mechanisms that Okonkwo experienced.

The method of this study is library research. The writer uses some journals

and textbooks as the sources. The primary source of this research is the novel

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The secondary sources of the research are

compiled from journals, textbooks and internet source about literature and

psychology. Regarding the approach, this research applies psychoanalytic

approach.

The research found that Okonkwo being described as tall and huge person

with bushy eyebrows and wide nose. Furthermore, he is characterized as famous,

bad tempered, ambitious, intolerant, optimistic, conceited and hardworking

person. Moving into the second objective, this research found out several of

Okonkwo’s defense mechanisms, mainly: repression, projection, regression,

displacement, and reaction formation.


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ABSTRAK

SETIANTO, ARDIAN. OKONKWO’S ANXIETIES AND DEFENSE

MECHANISMS IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART.

Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata

Dharma, 2017.

Mekanisme pertahanan adalah sebuah mekanisme psikologis untuk

menghindari pengalaman yang menyakitkan. Hal tersebut digunakan untuk

mengurangi kegelisahan yang terjadi di dalam pikiran manusia yang disebabkan

oleh faktor dari dalam maupun luar manusia. Things Fall Apart karya Chinua

Achebe, adalah sebuah novel tentang orang Afrika di zaman kolonial. Novel ini

bercerita tentang kehidupan Okonkwo dengan beragam konflik yang berhubungan

dengan kolonialisme. Permasalahan utama Okonkwo adalah ketakutannya

menjadi orang seperti ayahnya yang kemudian mendorong ia melakukan

mekanisme pertahanan. Di dalam cerita, Okonkwo melakukan beberapa

mekanisme pertahanan untuk meringankan kegelisahan yang disebabkan oleh

masalah yang ia hadapi.

Tujuan penulisan skripsi ini bertujuan untuk mencermati sifat dan perilaku

Okonkwo dideskripsikan di novel dan apa saja mekanisme pertahanan yang

dijalani Okonkwo. Tujuan pertama, peneliti menggunakan teori karakter dan

karakterisasi untuk melihat bagaimana Okonkwo dideskripsikan dan digambarkan

dalam novel. Tujuan kedua, peneliti membuat daftar mekanisme pertahanan yang

dijalani Okonkwo.

Metode studi ini adalah riset perpustakaan. Peneliti menggunakan

beberapa jurnal dan buku teks sebagai sumber. Sumber utama dari penelitian ini

adalah novel Things Fall Apart karya Chinua Achebe. Sumber sekunder

penelitian ini adalah kompilasi berbagai jurnal, buku teks dan sumber dari internet

seputar literatur dan psikologi. Pendekatan psikoanalisis digunakan dalam

penelitian ini.

Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa Okonkwo dideskripsikan sebagai orang

yang tinggi dan besar dengan alis tebal dan hidung yang lebar. Dia adalah orang

yang terkenal, berperangai buruk, ambisius, tidak bertoleransi, optimis, angkuh

dan pekerja keras. Mekanisme pertahanan Okonkwo diketahui sebagai berikut:

penekanan ingatan (repression), proyeksi (projection), kembali ke awal

(regression), pemindahan (displacement), and pembentukan reaksi (reaction

formation).


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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

People always have some problems in life. Their problems can be

caused by their own or people around them. It becomes interesting when the

problem happens inside our mind, which can be in the form of anxiety, fear,

unpleasant and obsession. Things Fall Apart is a novel about colonialism in

African society about the conflicts that happen when colonists come to Africa

and makes major changes in many aspects. The changes are included religion,

law, tradition and many others, which make society become troubled since they

are forced to follow up the flows of changing. It becomes a serious problem

since cultural changes caused by colonialism make society lose their identity.

Even though the change is only a little thing but it is still considered as

changing the whole society. The change itself can be in the form of values,

belief, and art.

Okonkwo is the main character in this novel. He has many problems

and conflicts that are caused by the circumstances around him. He has his own

conflict inside his mind and also conflicts with the environment around him

caused by the negative image of his father. Okonkwo’s life is complicated

since he suffers from the fear of his father’s image in society and culture

changing that makes his family and tradition fall apart. It leads him to


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unconsciously applies several defense mechanisms action to relieve his self

from his anxieties.

Things Fall Apart is a novel which is portray African people who

suffer and have conflict during colonialism era. It tells about how African think

and react as seen as in character Okonkwo as the major character in the novel.

Okonkwo is an Igbo person and the other people around him who are

considered as Igbo warrior respect him. He is a proud, ambitious and ill-

tempered man. He wants to cover his father weakness and failure by showing

his greatness so he does not feels shame with his father name.

Okonkwo becomes the main object in this discussion because many

events happened around him that can help the research about Okonkwo action

and reaction toward his problems. He experienced many things from the

beginning until the end of the story. At first, he undergoes some fear that he

will become a man like his father who considered as weak and poor by other

people. This fear becomes his biggest motivation to change himself. Okonkwo

also become obsessed to colonialism because he feels that colonialism caused

destruction toward his tradition, clans and his family that leads him undergone

anxiety. Through the story, he always maintains his action, words and mind to

be stronger so he will not become a man like his father. The main reason

choosing character Okonkwo because he shows all the conflicts that happen in

this novel. How Okonkwo’s way of thinking and how his reaction toward

circumstance around him is influenced by his past experience and image of his

father that make him interesting to research.


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Even though this novel mainly tells about colonialism, the main

character itself can be studied using psychoanalysis theory since Okonkwo has

many problems and conflicts that lead us to Okonkwo fall. He has physical and

psychological problems that lead him to do some defense mechanism to

overcome his anxiety and thus make him interesting to study. In the character

of Okonkwo, the development in some aspects can be seen. Development itself

defined by Pikunas as “… a broad term that refers to all the processes of

change by which an individual’s potentialities unfold and appear as new

qualities, abilities, traits, and related characteristics” (1961:23).

The aspect that developing is more explained, “includes the long-term

and relatively irreversible gains from growth, maturation, learning, and

achievement” (Pikunas, 1961:23).

In the character of Okonkwo, it shows that he developes some qualities

and traits but somehow his respect for his tradition and belief remains intact.

Those things seem to become an obstacle to Okonkwo to change like other

people in his society.

As stated by Pikunas, “As a person review his own life, it becomes

clear that he is not the same today as he was two or ten years ago. He still the

same individual, but many of his emotional and behavioral characteristics are

far different” (1961:4).

It is same with character Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe’s Thing Fall

Apart which is still same character or person even after colonialism happens,

but he is changing in some ways and have different motivation and behavior as


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a result of cultural changing made by colonialism. Okonkwo also has a major

role to lead reader understand what happen in the novel. It made interesting to

analyze the character Okonkwo from psychological aspect because he gives the

reader a complete portrait of African person who try to fight colonialism in his

own way. How he is dealing and solve the complicated problem even in the

end, he still suffers from that problem.

This novel implies the value of civilization that brought to Africa by

colonialism. It tells about the effect of colonialism through Okonkwo’s

perspective as seen from his behavior, the way of thinking and the problem

that he faced. It also shows the psychological impact that Okonkwo face as a

product of colonialism. Chinua Achebe want to show us the situation and

conflict that African people facing through this novel as an African people. He

also wants to tell the reader his way of thinking about colonialism and its

impact through the novel.

The novel itself is interesting to read because when the reader read the

novel until the end, the reader will be surprised by the ending of the novel that

cannot be predicted. Through this novel, the writer gave us 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 represented in the

novel, which is different from point of view the Western literary or another

western author about African people history of colonialism also how exactly

they feel and think about colonialism.


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B. Problem Formulation

This study is aimed at the following problems :

1. What is the character Okonkwo described in the novel?

2. What are the anxieties and defense mechanisms that Okonkwo shows

when he overcome anxieties in the novel?

C. Objectives of the Study

There are two objectives in this study. The first objective is to describe

the character Okonkwo in the novel. In this section, the writer is trying to

analyze how Okonkwo behavior and the way of his thinking. The second

objective is to understand about Okonkwo’s anxieties and defense

mechanisms action that he do through the development of the story which is

bringing psychological impact to character Okonkwo.

D. Definition of Terms

This is the definition of the term that being used in this research.

1. Anxiety

According to Freud in Kalish’s The Psychology of Human Behavior,

“anxiety is an ego function which alerts individuals to sources of impending

danger that must be counteracted or avoided. As such, anxiety enables the

individual to react to threatening situations in an adaptive way” (1973:45).


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2. Defense Mechanisms

Larry and Daniel in Personality Theories said, “Freud defined an ego

defense mechanism as a strategy used by the individual to defend against

open expression of id impulses and opposing superego pressure” (1981:47).

In the same paragraph, “Freud believed that persons rarely rely upon a single

defense to protect themselves from anxiety; it is more common for people to

use several mechanisms of this type.” It mean defense mechanism is a system

which is worked inside human mind to prevent people for falling anxiety.


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CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Studies

Chinua Achebe is an African writer who is considered as an important

person in “founding and development of African literature” and “critical

thinker and essayist who has written extensively on questions of the role of

culture in Africa and the social and political significance of aesthetics and

analysis of the postcolonial state in Africa” (https://brown.edu/, September 9,

2014). In his novel Things Fall Apart, published in 1958, Achebe explains

very well about how African people feel and think, but not only that, it also

explain several customs, traditions, and conflicts in Africa as stated by

Gluckman.

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 (1955: 54).

Things Fall Apart narrated every important aspects of African society

including its problems. One of an important problem in this novel is about

colonialism. Colonialism creates some conflicts related to identity, culture and

tradition in African society. Previous studies about Things Fall Apart uses

colonialism as the main topic. One of them is Maria Ananta Tri Suryandari’s


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undergraduate thesis “The Rejection toward Colonialism in Achebe’s Things

Fall Apart” that discussed the rejection toward colonialism from Chinua

Achebe’s point of view. Her research also described the social construction of

Okonkwo as a character. She examines how Achebe’s rejects European

domination in Things Fall Apart, using Anglophone social and functional

theory. She also mentions in her thesis that this theory functions “To reveal

the uniqueness of African aesthetics, these writers and critics insisted on the

social role of the African artist and the denial of the European preoccupation

with individual experience” (Suryandari, 1998:10).

Suryandari, in her undergraduate thesis, states that “Achebe exposes

the same spirit. His novel exposes the greatness, uniqueness, and the beauty of

the traditional Igbo culture.” She continues, “The language, the presentation of

social and religious systems, and also the presentation of the main character in

the novel emphasize the African identity” (1998:69-70).

As Chinua Achebe is an African author, he “exposes the greatness,

uniqueness, and the beauty of traditional Igbo culture” (Suryandari, 1998:69)

through his novel. Suryandari research also concluded that Chinua Achebe

asserted the African identity through the character in his novel which is

different from any standard European novel. African culture also can be seen

in Achebe’s novel from the use of untranslated words and proverbs.

Furthermore through her research, Suryandari said that Achebe’s novel

put its point of view regarding African people through the character Okonkwo.

Through vivid and accurate description of what really occurs in Africa which


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is textualized in the form of novel, Achebe’s writing illustrated two main

themes. Firstly, Things Fall Apart articulated what really happens Africa and

secondly it also expresses the feeling to dread and oppression which can

clearly be seen in character Okonkwo.

Different from Suryandari’s research, Yohanes Baskoro’s “The

Significance of the Conflict to the Development of Main Character as Seen in

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart” study analyzed the conflict that happens

in Things Fall Apart novel. examined the conflict that happens in character

Okonkwo. In his research, he divides the conflict into three, Okonkwo against

his father, Okonkwo against his first son and Okonkwo against the British

Imperial Government. He also mentions that conflict is influencing the

development of Okonkwo as a character.

In his research, Baskoro uses conflict in Things Fall Apart novel to

reveal the condition of colonized land before and after colonialism appear. He

is also concluding that conflict has an important role to the development of

character Okonkwo. Baskoro mentioned that Okonkwo struggled in facing

inner and external conflict and “his superiority is getting weaker and weaker

when he deals with the other conflict” (2002:60) in the end he succumbed by

killing himself because of his inferiority.

Another study is from Rosalia Hening Wijayanti entitled “Chinua

Achebe’s Missions Behind the Description of Colonialism Influences on

African’s Traditional and National Identity in Things Fall Apart and A Man of

the People.” This study focuses on the influences of colonialism on the


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traditional identity and national identity of African as seen in the character

from both novels. She also compares the character in those novels. The

characters from two novels are familiar to the reader that made reader easily

understand the story and messages. Those novels share a similar element in

society such as, symbolical characters which is can be seen in both novels.

The comparison of characters from those novels is used to percieve the

influences of colonialism in society, culture and history of Africa. The

influences of colonialism in those two novels spread through political

aggression, economic aggression, religious mission, and intellectual

aggression. She also states that “Chinua Achebe tries to help his people – the

Africans – to rebuild their nationalism toward their own country” and adding

that “influences of colonialism do not stop when the colonist left the colonized

but continuously exists in the present day, although the country has been

independent” (Wijayanti, 2002: 74).

Looking from the point of view, this study differs from the

aforementioned studies. This study focuses on defense mechanism of

character Okonkwo and its effect that is shown in the novel. As we know that

all prior studies mainly applies postcolonial theory and theory about African

literary works in their analysis, but in this study, writer try to apply

psychoanalysis theory to analyze the character of Okonkwo and find the

defense mechanisms that he uses to solve his problem and anxiety. Hence, it

can be concluded that the approach of this study can be differentiated from

other reviewed studies.


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Achebe’s Things Fall Apart not just brings conflict but the impact of

colonialism itself where modern culture tried to replace the old ones. As it is

seen in character Okonkwo, who tried to defend his faith in his tradition

through his suffering but in the end he still fails to fight the modern culture

and cannot follow the ongoing changes. The changing caused from

colonialism made Okonkwo undergone unconscious actions as a reaction

toward colonialism. By focusing on Okonkwo as a character this research is

aimed to reveal the defense mechanism that Okonkwo used. This study hoped

to reveal that effect of defense mechanisms is bringing some developments to

character Okonkwo. In this study, conflict is stated to help to understand about

Okonkwo situation and defense mechanisms that he experienced in the novel.

Moreover, conflict and Okonkwo’s defense mechanisms makes the story

flows, bring the development in the plat and give surprise and suspense to the

reader.

B. Review of Related Theories

This chapter will explain and discuss some basic theories that writer

uses to help analyze the problem formulation.

1. Theory of Character and Characterization

Character is one of important part in literary work. It has a function to

help people enter the story and imagining the situation and also the

atmosphere of the story.


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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, 1993: 23).

Characters make literary work complete because they help the reader

understand situation and story through their dialogue and action. It give the

reader a picture about the flow of the story from the beginning until the end.

Author creates characters to make story alive so the reader can more enjoying

when read the story like Eastman says,

A fictional character has more commission than to be merely ‘alive’.

He is also an apparatus, a mechanism, a device planned by his maker

to help power the complete operation of the novel upon the reader…

(1965:17).

Character in the novel has characters and personalities similar with

people in real life. Based on M. J. Murphy’s Understanding Unseens there are

some way how an author makes his or her character understandable to his or

her reader.

a. Personal Description. The author describes a person’s appearance

and clothes directly in the novel.

b. Character as Seen by Another. The author describes his or her

character through the eyes and opinions of another character.

c. Speech. The author gives the reader an insight into character of one

of the person in the novel through what that person says.


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d. Past Life. The author letting the reader to learn something about

person’s past life. The author gives the clue to the events that

helped to shape a character’s characters.

e. Conversation of others. The author gives the reader clues to

character’s characters through the conversations of other people

and the things they say about.

f. Reactions. The author gives the reader clue by letting the reader

know how that character reacts to various situations and events.

g. Direct Comment. The author can describe or comment on a

character’s character directly.

h. Thought. The author gives the reader direct knowledge of what a

person is thinking about.

i. Mannerisms. The author can describe a person’s mannerisms,

habits, or idiosyncrasies which may also tell the reader about his or

her character (1972: 161-173).

2. The Relation between Literature and Psychology

Psychology is a study of understand human’s cognitive processes. It is

applied to heal any human’s problems that related to human mind. However,

can it be used to analyze literary work and its character? Same question is

stated in Theory of Literature by Wellek and Werren, “Can psychology, in its

turn, be used to interpret and evaluate the literary works themselves?

Psychology obviously can illuminate the creative process” (Wellek and


14

Werren, 1956: 90). In next page, it said that, “Character in plays and novels

are judged by us to be ‘psychologically’ true. Situations are praised and plots

accepted because of this same quality. Sometimes a psychological theory,

held either consciously or dimly by an author, seems to fit a figure or a

situation” (Wellek and Werren, 1956: 91).

It can be summarized that psychological theory can be used to analyze

literary work and its character. Which to say, psychological factor is also used

in creative process of making literary work. The characters in literary work

are made by author to be “psychologically true” which mean it also has value

as human being or have similar trait like human in reality like us that can feel

emotions and being hurt. This is needed to make character is suited with the

situation in the story.

It seems that the characters are made to be human-like by the author to

make sure the reader understands and feel what happen with the character in

story. Moreover, it also to make the story more realistic and rise is artistic

value as stated by Wellek and Werren, “Like the demand for social realism,

psychological truth is a naturalistic standard without universal validity. In

some cases, to be sure, psychological insight seems to enhance artistic value.

In such cases, it corroborates important artistic values, those of complexity

and coherence” (Wellek and Werren, 1956: 92). Furthermore, Wellek and

Werren explain that psychological aspect in literary work is not only use to

increase artistic value of literary work but it is to make sure the reader can

feel or imagining that he or she is inside the work itself and seeing what


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happen in there as literary work is also represent of reality. This view is

illustrated in the same book, “But, furthermore, literature ‘represents’ ‘life’;

and ‘life’ is, in large measure, a social reality, even though the natural world

and the inner or subjective world of individual have also been objects of

literary ‘imitation’ ” (Wellek and Werren, 1956: 94). It means that literary

work can be says as “imitation” life of author about his or her social life or

world around him or her.

3. Theory of Defense Mechanism

Psychoanalytical criticism is a one of criticisms in psychology to

analyze character in literary work. Psychoanalysis itself is “Theory of

personality structure, development, dynamics, and change created by Freud. It

places heavy emphasis on the role of biological and unconscious factors in the

determination of behavior” (Hjelle and Daniel, 1981:68). This criticism can

project an aspect inside our self from our mind. Even though this criticism is a

form of therapy, it can be used to investigate conscious and unconscious

element from character in the novel.

A development of psychological concept conducted by Sigmund Freud

is called Freudian interpretation. This interpretation is popular with attributing

sexual connotations to objects. Barry in Beginning Theory said that, “All of

Freud’s work depends upon the notion of unconscious, which is part of the

mind beyond consciousness” (2002: 96) which is nevertheless has a strong

influence upon our action.” So basically, there is unconscious desire or


16

motivation that influence in our actions. It is same in any literary work, it

cannot speak directly about the message inside its body but we need to seek

through images, symbols, and metaphors.

Freud believes that our unconscious and conscious experience

resembles iceberg, the conscious experience is like tip of iceberg while

unconscious is beneath the surface. According to Freud in Understanding

Psychology, “these unconscious motivations and conflicts are responsible for

most human behavior” (Kasschau, 1995:12). It means that human behavior is

influenced by unconscious motive inside our mind. In our mind, unconscious

component has larger part then conscious component. Unconscious part of

human mind also has important rule as stated by Freud, “He concluded that

some of the most powerful influences on human personality are things we are

not conscious of” (Kasschau, 1995:270).

Freud’s theory also elaborates several terminologies, the id, ego and

superego. The id in Understanding Psychology is defined as “the reservoir or

container of instinctual and biological urge” (Kasschau, 1995:271). Ego in

same book is defined as “the rational, thoughtful personality process that

operates in terms of the reality principle.” Lastly, Kasschau considers

superego as “the source of conscience and of high ideals-which operates in

terms of moral principle” (Kasschau, 1995:272).

In his theory, Freud mentions several defense mechanisms to defend

ego from experiencing falling and anxiety. He identifies defense mechanisms

in some possibilities.


17

a. Repression. When person has painful memories and

unacceptable thoughts and motives that causes the ego to have

too muny anxieties, he or she may push that thought or urge out

of consciousness down into the unconscious. The person simply

“forgets” the thing that disturbs him or her, or pushes it out of

awareness without ever realizing it.

b. Projection. Another way the ego avoids anxiety is to believe that

impulses coming from within are really coming from other

people. This mechanism is called projection because inner

feeling is thrown, or projected, outside. Many people, for

example, feel that the others dislike them, when in reality they

dislike themselves.

c. Reaction Formation. Thin mechanism involves replacing an

unacceptable feeling or urge with its opposite. For example, a

divorced father may resent having his child for weekend.

Unconsciously, he feels it is terribly wrong for a father to react

that way, so he showers the child with expressions of love, toys,

and exciting trips.

d. Regression. It means going back to an earlier and less mature

pattern of behavior. When a person is under severe pressure and

his other defenses are not working, he may start acting in ways

that helped him in the past. For example, he may throw a temper


18

tantrum, make faces, cry loudly, or revert to eating and sleeping

all the time the way he did as small child.

e. Displacement. It occurs when the object of an unconscious wish

provokes anxiety. This anxiety is reduced when the ego

unconsciously shifts the wish to another object. The energy of

the id is displaced from one object to another, more accessible,

object (Kasschau, 1995: 273-274).

These defense mechanisms appear as a reflection of human

psychological problems to prevent anxiety. According to Freud in Personality

Theories by Larry and Daniel, “anxiety is an ego function which alerts

individuals to sources of impending danger that must be counteracted or

avoided.” Freud also mention that “anxiety enables the individual to react to

threatening situations in an adaptive way” (Hjelle and Daniel, 1981:45). Still

in same book he says that “The first source of human anxiety lies in the

neonate’s inability to master internal and external excitations.”

Moving into anxiety in which defense mechanism is intended to cope

against it, Larry and Daniel in Personality Theories by Larry and Daniel

asserts that there are three types of anxiety.

The first is realistic anxiety. The emotional response to threat and/or

perception of real dangers in external environment (such as, poisonous

snakes, wild animals, earthquake, or final examinations). It helps to ensure

self-preservation.


19

The second is neurotic anxiety. An emotional response to the threat

that id impulses will become conscious. It is caused by the fear that the ego

cannot control the id instincts, particularly those of sexual or aggressive

nature. It is only when the instinctual impulses of the id threaten to break

through the ego controls that neurotic anxiety occurs.

The third is moral anxiety. When the ego is threatened by punishment

from the superego, the ensuing emotional response. It occurs whenever the id

strives toward active expression of immoral thought or acts and the superego

responds with the feelings of shame, guilt, and self-condemnation. Hence, it

directs behavior into activities that are acceptable to the individual’s

conscience.

Anxiety, as believed by Freud is originating from within the superego

ultimately extended to fear of death and the anticipation of an afterlife of

punishment for one’s transgressions (Hjelle and Daniel, 1981; 46-47).

According to Personality Theories all type of defense mechanisms

type have two similar features: “(1) they operate at an unconscious level and

are therefore self-deceptive and (2) they distort one’s perception of reality, so

as to make anxiety less threatening to the individual.

C. Theoretical Framework

In order to analyze the problem formulation, psychoanalysis theory

was used. Psychoanalysis theory was used to examine defense mechanism that

Okonkwo did and gave the picture of psychological problem that happen in


20

colonialism era. The theory was used to help achieving writer objective from

this novel. This study also related Okonkwo’s defense mechanisms that

Okonkwo undergone in the novel with his suicide action. Okonkwo’s defense

mechanisms influenced Okonkwo to end his life by suicide in the end of the

novel. The theory explained above would be applied according to its focus.

The theory used to analyze Okonkwo’s defense mechanism toward his

problem and anxiety as reacted to colonialism that happen in Africa. The

theory also helped to see how Okonkwo applied defense mechanism when he

was dealing with the problem and anxiety that he faced. Based on that theory

writer hope to understand how Okonkwo’s defense mechanism influenced

character Okonkwo psychology and lead him to end his life by suicide.

This study mentioned theory about character since it helps to

understand the character Okonkwo and how he experiences anxiety because

he was struggling with inner and external problems, which lead him to do

defense mechanism. It also mentions theory of literature to shows that

literature especially character in literary work can be analyzed by

psychoanalysis theory. Therefore, all of the theories above are used to achieve

the understanding of study.


21

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

Things Fall Apart is a novel written by famous Nigerian writer Chinua

Achebe in 1958. The novel was first published in 1958 by William

Heinemann Ltd, then widely read and studied in English-speaking countries

around the world. This novel is telling about tragic falling of Okonkwo and

the Igbo culture. The story begins with introduction of Okonkwo. Okonkwo is

being described as a wealthy and respected warrior of the Umuofia. In his

youth, he brought honor to his village by beating Amalinze the Cat, person

who had been undefeated for seven years in a wrestling contest. Okonkwo is

completely different from his father, Unoka. He thought that Unoka is idle,

poor, profligate, coward, and feminine due to his interest in music.

In Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s funeral, Okonkwo’s gun accidentally went off

and killed Ezeudu’s sixteen-year-old son. Okonkwo’s clan forced him to atone

his action by taking his family into exile for seven years. Then, he gathered his

most valuable belongings and took his family to his mother’s natal village. In

the second year of Okonkwo’s exile, Obierika brought bad news that a village

named Abame had been destroyed by a group of white man on iron horse. In

second visit Obierika told to Okonkwo that he had seen Nwoye with some of

the Christian missionaries who just arrived. The missionaries requested a

piece of land to build a church. The village leaders and elders agreed and


22

offered them a plot in the Evil Forest. As time went, the church won many

converts. After Mr. Brown has replaced by Mr. Smith many conflicts occured

between the church and the clan. The District Commissioner called the leaders

of Umuofia to meet with him. Once they are gathered, the leaders were

handcuffed and thrown in jail because they were accused as the one who burn

the church. When in jail they suffered insults and physical abuse. After

released from jail, Okonkwo had a desire to have revenge. Okonkwo killed the

messenger with two strokes of his machete while expecting his clan join him,

but his clan was not willing to go to war. In the end of story, Okonkwo killed

himself by hanged himself in tree.

B. Approach of the Study

In analyzing the problems happened in this research, the writer used

psychoanalytical criticism. Psychoanalytical criticism used various theories of

psychology in order to understand and explain what happen with character in

the novel, as stated in Beginning Theory that, “psychoanalytical criticism is a

form of literary criticism which is uses some of the techniques of

psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literature” (Barry, 2002: 96).

It was an Austrian psychologist, Sigmund Freud, who develops

psychoanalytic criticism. His work are based on notion of unconscious mind, a

deeper part of mind that beyond conscious mind (Barry, 2002: 96).

Furthermore Beginning Theory said, “Freud was not the discoverer of the

unconscious: his uniqueness lies in his attributing to it such a decisive role in


23

our lives. Linked with this is the idea of repression, which is the ‘forgetting’

or ignoring of unsolved conflict, unadmitted desires, or traumatic past events,

so that they are forced out of conscious awareness and into the realm of the

unconscious” (Barry, 2002: 96-97). This is the foundation of this research and

it is happened in the main character of the novel as subject of the research.

The reason of the writer to choose the psychoanalytical criticism in

analyzing the topic was because this researchs focused on the defense

mechanism of the main character in the novel. The criticism was used to

support psychoanalysis theories and helped to analyze the main problem from

this discussion. It becomes the main reason psychoanalytical criticism used in

this discussion.

C. Method of the Study

The method used in this thesis was library research. The process of

research includes some steps from beginning of this writing process until its

end.

The first step was data collection by find out everything about

Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. In the term of getting data this research was

began with read and reread the novel many times. Then, made some note

about important events occurs in the novel. Another references books such as

A Glossary of Literary Term, Beginning Theory, An Introduction to Literary

and Cultural History, Human Development An Emergent Science,


24

Understanding Psychology and A Guide to the Novel also needed to get more

accurate analysis.

The second step was problem identification and to put the problems in

the problem formulations. In identifying the problem, this research used

references from some journals, articles, and criticism from another writer

about Things Fall Apart. The journal is also helped the writer to understand

the main problem that this research discussed.

The third step was analyze the topic based on the questions stated in

the problem formulation. Some quotations from novel were used to find

characterization of character Okonkwo to reveal the defense mechanism action

that Okonkwo used, then the psychoanalysis theory was applied to analyze it.

The last step was drawing conclusion of the analysis by relating all the data in

the analysis and making them into general statements.


25

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

This chapter consists of two parts based on the two problems on this

study. The first part is the description of the character Okonkwo and how he is

portrayed as main character in Things Fall Apart. The first part described

about character Okonkwo and how his personality shows in the novel. The

second part is the analysis of his anxieties and defense mechanisms that

Okonkwo undergone toward the problems that he faced. It presents some

types of defense mechanisms that Okonkwo does and how he uses defense

mechanism to relieve his self.

A. The Depiction of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart

Okonkwo is the main character in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall

Apart. There are some descriptions of Okonkwo in the beginning of the novel.

Okonkwo is portrayed as famous person in his clan and he has some title for

his achievement. Even in his young day, he is already well-known as an

respectable and strong man because he is able to defeat Amalinze the Cat who

was known as a great wrestler and was unbeatable for seven years. In that year

Okonkwo’s fame is said to “had grown like a bush-fire in the harmattan”

(Achebe, 1959:7). It means that in that year Okonkwo’s achievement grows

really fast and considered unstoppable.


26

1. Okonkwo’s Physical Appearance

In the beginning of the story, based on Murphy’s theory of character,

Okonkwo’s physical appearance is described through the personal description

by author as stated in the middle of third paragraph in part one, as the narrator

says,

“He was tall and huge, and his bushy eyebrows and wide nose gave

him a very severe look. He breathed heavily, and it was said that,

when he slept, his wives and children in their houses could hear him

breathe. When he walked, his heels hardly touched the ground and

he seemed to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce on

somebody” (Achebe, 1959:7-8).

From the description, Okonkwo looks like ordinary African people

who have bushy eyebrows and wide nose. He is described as tall person with

huge body figure, which somehow looks little bit scary for other people

around him. He is also described walking on tiptoe as he ready to fight or

beating anyone around him anytime and anyhere. He also possesses heavy

breath that his family is able to hear from their house near Okonkwo’s house

where he is rest and sleep.

2. Okonkwo’s Personality

In the novel, Okonkwo is portrayed with several characteristics.

a. Bad Tempered

In the novel Okonko is described as a man with few words. He usually

does more action than talk, as he furiously beat someone when he got angry

rather than talk first and said what he thought or he felt. This is briefly said by

the narrator in the novel that, “And he did pounce on people quite often. He

had a slight stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words


27

out quickly enough, he would use his fist” (Achebe, 1959:8). It means that he

is quite straight forward and offensive toward people around him. He chooses

his fist rather than talk when the situation is not comfortable for him.

Although Okonko is not really good at talking with people, he talks with his

power and fist as it is more easier to him. It shows that he tries to illustrate his

strength and toughness so that everyone must agree with him.

b. Ambitious

Okonkwo is an ambitious person when it comes to wealth and success

because he doesn’t want to be like his father. This is driving him to gain more

fame and wealth. It is also narrated by narrator in the novel,

“But it was really not true that Okonkwo’s palm-kernels had been

cracked for him by benevolent spirit. He had cracked them himself.

Anyone who knew his grim struggle against poverty and misfortune

could not say he had been lucky. If ever a man deserved his success,

that man was Okonkwo. At an early age he had achieved fame as the

greatest wrestler in all the land. That was not luck. At the most one

could say that his chi or personal god was good. But the Ibo people

have a proverb that when a man says yes his chi says yes also.

Okonkwo said yes very strongly; so his chi agreed” (1959:28-29).

It shows that Okonkwo’s ambition is really strong that make his

personal god accept and following Okonkwo’s will to be successful person. It

is also confirm that Okonkwo’s ambition can push his limit at doing anything

to gaining wealth and fame. His ambition motivates him from nothing to

become one of the lords in his clan.


28

c. Intolerant

Okonkwo is unjustly domineering towards his family members as he

heavy-handed rules his family, so he not tolerates any mistakes in his family

that makes his wives and children fear of him as mention in novel, ”Okonkwo

ruled his household with heavy hand” (1959:16). Okonkwo’s fiery temper

usually comes when he sees his family at fault or making mistake. When that

happens he will release his anger by beating them using anything he can

found. This is shown in the novel when Okonkwo’s younger wife, Ojiugo,

infuriates him because she goes to her friend’s house to plait her hair and

does not return early to cook meal.

“Okonkwo was provokes to justifiable anger by his youngest wife,

who went to plait her hair at her friend’s house and did not return

early enough to cook afternoon meal. Okonkwo did not know at first

that she was not at home. After waiting in vain for her dish he went to

her hut to see what she was doing. There was nobody in the hut and

the fireplace was cold” (1959:30-31).

Okonkwo can be said to restrict the freedom of his wives and

considers his wives only there to serve him. Okonkwo’s is angry as his wife

not cook for him and leave hut without caring for her children. He then

punish her by beating her eventhough it is sacred week where other people

never beat someone in sacred week because they are afraid of goddess. When

Okonkwo is angry, he does not care around him as he keep beating his wive

although his other wives reminds him that it is the sacred week as shown in

next paragraph.


29

“He walked back to his obi to await Ojiugo’s return. And when she

returned he beat her very heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it

was the Week of Peace. His first two wives ran out in great alarm

pleading with him that it was the sacred week. But Okonkwo was not

the man to stop beating somebody half-way through, not even for fear

of a goddess” (1959:31).

It shows that Okonkwo is not tolerant to any mistake and any wrong

things around him whatever situation or the reasons that happen. He is not

even afraid of goddess when he is in anger. Another evidence is when

Okonkwo correcting his son from laziness, “Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye,

was twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his

incipient laziness. At any rate, that was how it looked to his father, and he

sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating” (1959:17).

d. Optimistic

Okonkwo is an optimistic person. He has belief in himself and trust

his power that he will be succeed as shows in novel, “If you give me some

yam seeds I shall not fail you” (1959:24). This dialog happens when

Okonkwo try to seek help from Nwakibie. Okonkwo asks yam seed for his

farm because he doesn’t have anything from begining since his father is

unsuccesful man. He needs some help from other to start his farm and

believing he would success. He is willing to be hardworking as he is asking

yam seed to shows his intensify. In the end he is successful in gaining wealth

and not letting people who help him down.


30

e. Conceited

Okonkwo seems to hate unsuccessful man as he looks down to them

like he feels disgust at unsuccessful man it is stated in novel that, “He had no

patience with unsuccessful man” (1959:8). Okonkwo bad attitude toward

unsuccessful man also shows in the novel as he rudely driving away a man

without title who contradicted him at a kindred meeting.

“Only a week ago a man had contradicted him at a kindred meeting

which they held to discuss the next ancestral feast. Without looking

at the man Okonkwo had said: “This meeting is for men.” The man

who had contradicted him had no titles. That was why he had called

him a woman. Okonkwo knew how to kill a man’s spirit” (Achebe,

1959:28).

Okonkwo’s hatred toward unsuccessful man come from his father

because unsuccessful man makes him remember his failure father, Unoka.

Okonkwo think that unsuccessful man without title happen because they are

lazy like his father when he still alive as shown in the novel when Unoka still

alive, “In his day he was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of

thinking about tomorrow” (1959:8). It seems seeing lazy people is making

Okonkwo furious, it does not matter whether it is his family or not he seems

to beat and hated lazy and unsuccessful person.

f. Hardworking

Okonkwo is a strong willed and hardworking person. This trait of him

comes from his will to be successful man unlike his father. He wants to erase


31

his father failure and weakness within him. He wants to show that he is

different from his father and change his life to be successful person.

Okonkwo’s strong will could be seen from his youth when he does not have

anything from the start. He does not inherit anything from his father, so he

needs to work hard from beginning to achieve his success. At first, he is

asking help from a wealthy man in his clan and his father’s friend to get yam

seeds to be sow in his farm. Even when he gets seeds, he still need to working

hard because the year when Okonkwo start farming was the worst year. This

shows that Okonkwo is hard working, as mentioned in the novel.

“He had sown four hundred seeds when the rain dried up and the

heat returned. He watched the sky all day for signs of rain clouds and

lay awake all night. In the morning he went back to his farm and saw

the withering tendrils. He had tried to protect them from the

smoldering earth by making rings of thick sisal leaves around them.

But by the end of the day the sisal rings were burned dry and gray.

He changed them every day, and prayed that the rain might fall in

the night. But the drought continued for eight market weeks and the

yams were killed” (1959:26).

In the novel itself, Okonkwo’s hard working and strong body

sometimes being compared to other people to shows he can do that other

cannot. “During the planting season Okonkwo worked daily on his farms

from cock-crow until the chickens went to roost. He was a very strong man

and rarely felt fatigue. But his wives and young children were not as strong,

and so they suffered” (1959:17). He can work from early morning to evening

and he rarely fell fatigue as his daily routine in farm which is mean he is

working hard everyday. So, no wonder that he can achieve many things and

gain prosperity that can ba seen from his fame and title that he gets.


32

B. Okonkwo’s Anxiety and Defense Mechanisms

Okonkwo faces many problems from the beginning until the end of

the novel. He suffers from many problems and conflicts from his own past

that lead him feels anxiety. Okonkwo has inner conflict within his mind. His

conflict is mainly from his past when his father was still alive. He feel

ashamed of his father because his father, Unoka, died without taken no title

and heavily in debt. This lead Okonkwo to change his self as his fear to be

like his father as stated in novel,

“He neither inherited a barn nor a title, nor even a young wife. But in

spite of these dis advantages, he had begun even in his father’s

lifetime to lay the foundations of a prosperous future. It was slow

and painful. But he threw himself into it like one possessed. And

indeed he was possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life

and shameful death” (Achebe, 1959:21).

Actually, Okonkwo himself is not a cruel and bad person, even though

he looks crude and senseless toward his family. The main reason is deep

down, he is fearful of not accomplished anything. As stated in novel,

“Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not cruel man. But his whole life

was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (1959:16). Deep

down within himself he has fear of failure and fear of weakness, to cover that

he is maintaining himself to looks stronger and solid in front of people.

Another reason Okonkwo doing that is to prevent him to be like his father

because his biggest fear is become like his father as mention in novel that, “It

was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father”

(1959:17). So, his fear to be seen and become like his father drive him to do


33

that and make other people look him as success and different then his father.

His fear to become like his father is not without a reason. Since his father is

failed man in his life and does not have any title, people in Okonkwo’s clan

sees him with contemptible and drive Okonkwo’s father in shameful death.

This is the reason Okonkwo being possessed by his fear and lead him to

anxiety.

The biggest burden that Okonkwo feel is his fear, his fear to become

like his father and fear to be weak. This fear can be considered as main cause

of Okonkwo’s defense mechanism and this was become stimulator and reason

of all Okonkwo’s action in the novel. His anxiety makes him unconsciously

do some action to prevent his self-despair. He is doing defense mechanism to

cover his anxiety and prevent despair. From the novel, some important events

and conflict that show Okonkwo’s defense mechanism can be notice as he

relief his self from his anxiety.

His fear to resemble his father is considered as his main anxiety that

he feel and uncosciously lead another anxiety which is happen in his mind.

There are some anxieties that become the trigger of Okonkwo’s defense

mechanism in the novel.

1. Okonkwo’s Fear of Failure and Weakness

In the beginning of the novel, character Okonkwo is pictured as strong

man and considered as successful person in his clan. He is working hard to

attain his title and wealth from nothing, since his father not leaving anything


34

after his death. All of Okonkwo’s efforts are resulted from his hatred toward

his father and Okonkwo’s unconscious mind to avoid become like his father

who is judged by clansmen’s as a failure and weak person. This is triggered

Okonkwo to operate some defense mechanism to get rid anxious feeling that

he feels.

a. Repression

Repression is forgetting the thing that disturbs the person out of

awareness without realizing it. In Okonkwo case, he tries to forget everything

about his father’s failure and throw away all his memories related to his father

by his success. The memory of his past life when his father, Unoka, still live

makes Okonkwo feels ashamed. When Okonkwo’s father still alive, he is lazy

person as stated in novel, “In his day he lazy and improvident and was quite

incapable of thinking about tomorrow” (Achebe, 1959:8). Unoka is also a

coward and have many debts to his neighbor that make them laughed at him.

That some reasons Okonkwo wants to forget about his father because he feels

ashamed to his father as stated in novel, “When Unoka died he had taken no

title at all and he was heavily in debt. Any wonder then that his son Okonkwo

was ashamed of him?” (Achebe, 1959:8). Okonkwo tries to forget his father

by his worth. Okonkwo gaining success, winning the fame and getting the

titles that make him respected among his clansmen.


35

b. Projection

Projection is a belief that inner feelings are projected or coming from

other people. In Okonkwo’s case he avoids to look weak in front of other

people because he feels that being weak is like his failure father even though

people not seeing Okonkwo as weak person. Aforementioned before that

Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, is lazy, coward and like to play music instrument,

Okonkwo is countering that with hard working, won the fame and title, and

even going to war to prove that he is not weak person like his father.

Okonkwo think that people in his clan will look him as weak person if he

cannot make achievement. So, he works really hard to gain his success and

looking down to unsuccessful person. He maintains his attitude toward

unsuccessful person to regain his inner self power and acknowledgement

from another people that he is not a weak person, even though people around

him not thinking Okonkwo as a weak person. People in Okonkwo’s clan

acknowledge him as successful person and different from his father because

his achievement in his young age that not many people cannot do that.

”And so although Okonkwo was still young, he was already one of

the greatest men of his time. Age was respected among his people,

but achievement was revered. As the elders said, if a child washed

his hands he could eat with kings. Okonkwo had clearly washed his

hands and so he ate with kings and elders” (Achebe, 1959:12).

It means that Okonkwo is already accepted by the elders and his clan

as a worthy person that is shown from his achievement and his hardworking

toward his goal to be successful person. He becomes different person from


36

his father that many people in his clan sees his father as failure and weak

man.

c. Regression

Regression is return to his past self-pattern behavior. He may act less

mature like thrown a temper tantrum to help relief his self. When Okonkwo

under pressure and feel that everything around his not working like he wants,

he will throw his temper without regretting and held his self because he does

not want to look weak. It is like he is unconsciously let his anger blow up to

anything or anyone around him. He becomes more childish and he stands in

his belief about what he thinks is right, even though he ends up breaking rule

of his clan.

“in his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace. His first

two wives ran out in great alarm pleading with him that it was the

sacred week. But Okonkwo was not the man to stop beating

somebody half-way through, not even for fear of a goddess”

(Achebe, 1959:31).

Whenever Okonkwo gets angry he will turn to less mature of his self

and let his anger get out without he himself is not realize that he beating

someone in sacred week which is forbid to commit great evil.

2. Okonkwo’s Anxiety toward His Son’s Failure and Weakness

Okonkwo’s son, Nwoye, resembles Okonkwo’s father who is carefree

and lazy. Okonkwo at first also thinks that Nwoye is not his son, since he is

considered as a weak person but soon after he realizes that Nwoye is indeed


37

his son. This situation make Okonkwo become strict and harsh, as an

example, sometimes he is beating Nwoye to correct him in hoping that he will

change and become strong kid. Okonkwo’s treatment to Nwoye makes

Nwoye afraid of his father and leaves some trauma to him. For Okonkwo

itself. having son like Nwoye makes him feel anxiety and displeased him

which leads him doing defense mechanism as counter his anxiety.

a. Displacement

Displacement happens when the ego unconsciously changes the wish

to another object. Okonkwo feels that his own son becomes like his father as

turning his son into a failed and weak person.

“Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye was then twelve year old but already

causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness. At any rate,

that was how it looked to his father, and he sought to correct him by

constant nagging and beating” (Achebe, 1959:17).

Seeing his son, Nwoye, become a lazy and weak man like Okonkwo’s

late father in the past make him feel little bit anxiety. This situation makes

him try to fix and correct his son by nagging and beating his son, but it only

worsens his relation with his son. Nwoye become more scared to Okonkwo

and Okonkwo become more furious to Nwoye.

The situation slowly changed since Okonkwo brought home

Ikemefuna, he becomes fonder of Ikemefuna because he is braver and more

dependable thus makes Okonkwo seeing him like his own son. Ikemefuna

himself is more attached to Okonkwo and look him as a father even though he

feels little bit afraid to Okonkwo. Ikemefuna becomes alternate of son for


38

Okonkwo because he likes Ikemefuna as stated in novel, “Even Okonkwo

himself became very fond of the boy-inwardly of course.” and same

paragraph said, “But there was no doubt that he liked the boy” (Achebe,

1959:30). It is proved that Ikemefuna had something that Okonkwo want in

his own son. The ideal son in Okonkwo’s mind is materialized in Ikemefuna,

makes Okonkwo prefer Ikemefuna more than his own son, Nwoye. Okonkwo

is also treating Ikemefuna as his own son which is shown in novel,

”Sometimes when he went to big village meetings or communal ancestral

feasts he allowed Ikemefuna to accompany him, like a son, carrying his stool

and his goatskin bag” (Achebe, 1959:30). This is also proved that Okonkwo

really like Ikemefuna because in the village meeting usually people bring his

trusted person or his son to accompany them. In Okonkwo case, he hardly

believes and trust someone but he choosing to bring Ikemefuna and let him

bringing his stool and goatskin bag which is mean he had trust to Ikemefuna

and think him as his own son.

3. Okonkwo’s Anxiety toward Nwoye’s Convert to Christianity

Nwoye becomes attracted to Chistianity when it begin to spread and

being preached in open marketplace by missionaries. He feels that the

teaching is interesting and different from his tradition so he comes everyday.

Okonkwo hears this and he tries to beat Nwoye when he comes home which

makes Nwoye runaway and joining the church. This makes Okonkwo want to

wipe out the church and missionaries but after thinking it more he realizes


39

Nwoye is not worth fighting for. Then he feels sad because this and thinks he

have a cursed son which is lead him to anxiety and triggered to do defense

mechanism.

a. Reaction formation

Reaction formation is replacing unacceptable feeling with its

opposition. This convert happens because Nwoye is fearful of his father,

Okonkwo. He tries to seek protection from his father and he is getting

attracted to Church teaching. When Okonkwo hears that Nwoye will convert

to Christian, he feels regret and shame because his son chooses new religion

than their clan belief and tradition. Okonkwo feels betrayed by his son and

cannot accept that. When Nwoye returns home, Okonkwo tries to beat him.

This event makes his son leaves his house and chooses to stay in church.

When Nwoye is on runaway and decides to stay in Church, Okonkwo turn his

anger to church and missionaries. He is blaming them because he thinks that,

they took his son and changed his son’s mind as stated in novel, “A sudden

fury rose within him and he felt a strong desire to take up his machete, go to

the church and wipe out entire vile and miscreant gang” (Achebe, 1959: 142).

In that moment Okonkwo thinks that church and missionaries is causing his

son changing belief and thing to cast them aside from their gods. He throws

his rage and wrath to church and missionaries that change his son belief and

try to annihilate them.


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b. Repression

Repression is mechanism that happens when the subject tries to repel

or confine representations of thoughts, images, memories that are bound to an

instinct inside his or her unconscious mind. Somehow, it would bring down

the risk of provoking the subject of displeasure because of the other

requirements. Repression is done by Okonkwo as defense mechanism to

overcome his anxiety toward his son. He tried to forgetting his son since his

son, Nwoye, run from his house. He feels betrayed by his son, Nwoye, and

doubted that Nwoye is his son as stated in novel that, “Perhaps he was not his

son. No! he could not be. His wife had played him false” (Achebe, 1959:

143). He thinks that Nwoye is not his son but still in same page he remembers

that his son is similar with his father, Unoka as stated in next paragraph, “But

Nwoye resembled his grandfather, Unoka, who was Okonkwo’s father”

(Achebe, 1959: 143).

Okonkwo thinks and wondering why stronger, powerful and fearless

warrior in Umofia like him get weak and failed son like Nwoye. When he

thought about his son, he even thinks that Nwoye is not really his real son. It

happens because his son would not be like that since he is strong and

successful man but his son turns out to be weak and failure man. After some

more thought, he realizes that his son is similar with his failure father. Then

he tries to blame his wife because he has son like that. After that Okonkwo

disband his son from his family and does not even think Nwoye as a member

of his family as stated in novel,


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“You have all seen the great abomination of your brother. Now he is

no longer my son or your brother. I will only have a son who is a

man, who will hold his head up among my people. If any one of you

prefers to be woman, let him follow Nwoye now while I am alive so

that I can curse him. If you turn against me when I am dead I will

visit you and break your neck” (Achebe, 1959: 158).

Then his focus changes to his daughter to passing his legacy.

Somehow, Okonkwo feels that his daughter is more promising than his failure

son, Nwoye. He feels little bit regret that his daughter is girl not boy since she

is understand Okonkwo really well than his son but he tries to accept it to

forget his son as stated in novel, “I wish she were a boy, “Okonkwo thought

within himself. She understood things so perfectly. Who else among his

children could have read his thoughts so well?” (Achebe, 1959: 159). It

means Okonkwo thinks highly about his daughter and try to change his

affection to his daughter to forget Nwoye.


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CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

This chapter discusses the conclusion of this research based on the

writer’s analysis in previous chapter. This chapter purpose was to highlight the

main point of analysis from two problems formulation that aimed to find how

Okonkwo’s character being described in the novel and what defense mechanism

that Okonkwo undergone. Therefore, the conclusion divided into two parts.

The first conclusion is about description of Okonkwo’s character in

the novel. Okonkwo’s physical characteristic was described as a tall and huge

person with bushy eyebrows and wide nose. He was considered as a famous and

strong native African with few titles. Okonkwo’s personality is being portrayed

with several characteristics which is found in novel as bad tempered, ambitious,

intolerant, optimistic, conceited, and hardworking.

The second conclusion is about the defense mechanism that Okonkwo

shows. Okonkwo tried to relief anxiety caused by his fear and problems with

various types of defense mechanism. His biggest anxiety is his fear to be weak

and become like his father, Unoka. Okonkwo defenses himself with repression

to counter his fear. He tried to forget and counter his father’s failure and

unsuccessful with his achievements. Okonkwo avoided to look weak in front of

other people and solved his fear of looking weak in front of people using

projection. He looked down on unsuccessful person to maintain his inner self

and gain acknowledgment from other people. Okonkwo unconsciously threw his


43

temper to anything or anyone when everything is not right. He uses regression to

deal with his problem. He acts less mature and stand in his belief even though he

is wrong.

Okonkwo felt that his son, Nwoye, would become like his father. It

caused Okonkwo to feel anxious and as a result he was doing displacement.

Okonkwo unconsciously shift his mind about ideal son to Ikemefuna as a

replacement of Nwoye. Okonkwo trusted Ikemefuna and thinking him as his

own son. It was proved by letting him bring Okonkwo stool and goatskin bag to

village meeting.

When his son, Nwoye, choosing to be Christian, Okonkwo could not

accept that so he defended himself with reaction formation. Okonkwo tried to

blame church and missionaries for converting his son. Okonkwo felt betrayed

when Nwoye choosing Christian and leaving his house to live in church. He

doubts Nwoye as his own son and thinks that Nwoye resembles his late father,

Unoka. Okonkwo reacted this problem with repression. He tried to forget Nwoye

by disbanding him from his family and never thought of him as his son.


44

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APPENDIX

Summary of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart is a story about African society in colonialism era. This

novel describes how African people dealing with colonialism that changing many

aspects in their society including law, tradition, and religion. The story focuses on

Okonkwo’s life as the main character. He suffers many problems caused by

colonialism but his main problem is his fear to become like his father. Okonkwo’s

father, Unoka, was described as a lazy, weak and unsuccessful person He did not

want to go to war against another clan. He had a lot of debt and has no title. Usually,

he fills his days by singing and playing musical instruments. He was very fond of

the festival and he would join the music players. This is what causes him to be

perceived by the people around him as a failure, even his clansmen referred him as

Agbala or elderly women. Unoka died a shameful death and left numerous debts.

Those are some reasons that make Okonkwo hate his father. He despises

and resents his father’s gentle and idle ways. Okonkwo tries to change his life so

that he did not become like his father. He shows himself as a different person from

his father. Okonkwo is an influential leader and respected warrior within the Igbo

community. His first personal fame was defeating Amalize the Cat, the strongest

fighter who has won for nine years in a wrestling contest.

At a young age, Okonkwo is motivated to gain titles and wealthy in spite of

his father’s failure, so he started to open fields and planted yam. Due to his father's

lack of possessions, Okonkwo began planting yam through the seeds he requested

from the wealthy man in his clan as well as the gift of his father's acquaintance.


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Although it was a difficult time to farm, he could prove his success. He has three

wives who have their own houses. He has several titles and becomes a respected

person in his clan.

Okonkwo resolves to overcome the shame that he feels from his father’s

weaknesses by being what he thinks as manly. He dominates and organizes his

family by heavy hand, even he does not tolerate any mistakes his family made. He

often hit his son when his son was lazy and made a mistake. Whenever he feels his

child is a weak child and failed to do something, he uses violence to change his

child's behavior.

When Ezeudu funeral, Okonkwo accidentally killed Ezeudu’s son.

Okonkwo and his family exiled from Umuofia for seven years. During his exile in

Mbanta, colonialism entered Umuofia and build a church in the land part of the Evil

Forest given by the village leader. When Okonkwo returns to Umuofia, his clan has

changed. Many clansmen have renounced their title and converted to Christianity.

Okonkwo considers white man as an enemy to be slaughtered because they have

changed the rules, traditions, and beliefs in his clan. Okonkwo’s son, Nwoye, also

joined with them that make Okonkwo feel disappointed and regret to have a son

like him. Okonkwo felt disappointed with his clan for not resisting and oppressing

the white man’s church in Umuofia. At the end of the story, Okonkwo realizes that

his clan will never go to war and everything has fallen apart for him, so chose to

commit suicide by hanging himself.


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