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The Ghat of The Only World Summary in English and Hindi Pdf. The Ghat of The Only World is written by Amitav Ghosh.

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The Ghat of The Only World Summary in English by Amitav Ghosh

About the writer Amitav Ghosh

Writer Name	Amitav Ghosh
Born	11 July 1956 (age 63 years), Kolkata
Education	Delhi School of Economics, University of Oxford
Awards	Jnanpith Award, Sahitya Akademi Award, Ananda Puraskar, Dan David Prize, Padma Shri
Nominations	Booker Prize, International Booker Prize

The Ghat of The Only World Theme

This chapter is written by the narrator in memory of his friend, Shahid. They become friends when they stay in the same neighbourhood in the United States. Both of them have a lot in common and love to spend time together. Shahid is a cancer patient and urges the narrator to write about him when he dies. The narrator keeps his promise and pays a tribute to his friend by writing this piece about him after his death.

The Ghat of The Only World About the Characters

The Narrator: The Narrator (Amitav Ghosh) is a well known author. He comes in contact with Shahid (a poet from Srinagar) and they became good friends. He writes this piece on Shahid, after his death as he had promised him to write about him.

Shahid: Shahid is a poet and a close friend of the narrator. He teaches at colleges and universities in the United States and is a lively and sociable person. He is diagnosed with cancer but is not demoralised by his impending.

The Ghat of The Only World Summary in English

Shahid Talks about his Approaching Death
The narrator had called Agha Shahid Ali on 25th April, 2001 to remind him that they had been invited by a friend at his house for lunch. Shahid was undergoing treatment for cancer at that time but was able to speak and move around. He had occasional lapses of memory. As the narrator was talking to Shahid, Shahid had a blackout and feared that he might die. Shahid was fine after some time and told the narrator that he was suffering from cancer and would die in a few months. The narrator tried to reassure Shahid that he would be fine. However, Shahid ignored his reassurances and urged him to write about him when he died. The narrator wanted to avoid writing about his friend’s death but finally agreed to do so.

First Meeting of the Narrator and Shahid
The narrator and Shahid lived a few blocks away in Brooklyn, USA. The narrator had read Shahid’s poetry collection “The Country Without a Post Office” in 1997 long before he had met him. Shahid belonged to Kashmir and had studied in Delhi. The narrator also studied in Delhi and they both got in touch through common friends in 1998. They were no more, than acquaintances till they moved to Brooklyn, USA in the year 2000. In Brooklyn, they met for meals and discovered that there was a lot in common between them. They both loved rogan josh, Roshnara Begum and Kishore Kumar and had an attachment for old Bollywood films. However, they were indifferent to cricket.

About Shahid
Shahid was a sociable and witty person. He had many friends and liked to have people around him. He had the ability to convey the normal things in the most magical way. He lived on the seventh floor of a newly renovated building where he used to organise a lot of parties and invite his friends, relatives, students and poets.

Even after being diagnosed with cancer, he continued holding these parties at his home. He would plan the parties in a meticulous way and take special interest that the food cooked in the party was up to the mark. Apart from Kashmiri food, he liked Bengali food a lot. He also loved the music of Begum Akhtar.

Shahid as a Teacher
Shahid taught in various colleges and universities in the United States. Once the narrator got a chance to be with him when he gave a lecture at Baruch College in the spring semester of the year 2000. This was to be Shahid’s last class. His students loved him and were sad that he would be leaving. They had printed a magazine and dedicated the issue to him. However, Shahid was not at all overcome with sadness. He was lively from the beginning to the end of the lecture.

Shahid’s time in America
Shahid moved to America in 1975. His brother was already there when he came to America. Later his two sisters joined them there. However, parents continued to live in Srinagar. He used to come to India in the summer months every year and stayed with his parents in Srinagar.

Effects of the Violence in Kashmir on Shahid
Shahid was a witness to the violence in Kashmir that seized the region from the late 1980s onwards as he used to stay there in the summer every year. The violence and the deterioration of the political situation in Kashmir had a powerful effect on him. This became one of the central subjects of his work. Although he was anguished about Kashmir’s destiny, Shahid did not see himself as a victim. He had an all inclusive vision towards religion.

Stopping of Shahid’s Medication
The narrator recalls a telephone conversation between Shahid and him on 5th May. Shahid had undergone a scan that was expected to reveal whether the chemotherapy he was getting was having the desired effect on him or not. When he called Shahid to inquire about the test result, he was told that the doctors have stopped all his medications and had given him an year or less to live. Shahid wanted to make his will and leave for Kashmir after that as he wanted to die there. He later changed his mind and decided to be laid to rest in Northampton due to logistical and other reasons.

Narrator’s Last Meeting with Shahid
The narrator met Shahid the last time on 27th October, 2001 Shahid was at his brother’s house and was able to talk intermittently. He seemed to be calm and contended although he was aware of his impending death. He was surrounded by his family and friends. He died peacefully in his sleep at 2 am on 8th December, 2001. The narrator felt a vast void after his death and remembered his presence in his living room where Shahid had once read “I Dream I Am at the Ghat of the Only World.”

The Ghat of The Only World Chapter Highlights

• The narrator calls Shahid on 25th April, 2001 to remind him that he is coming to pick him up as they had been invited by a friend for lunch. Shahid suffers a blackout and talks about his imminent death. He asks the narrator to write about him after his death, to which he agrees.
• The narrator and Shahid met in New Delhi through common friends. They were acquaintances there. Their friendship developed when they stayed in the same neighbourhood in Brooklyn, United States.
• Both Shahid and the narrator had a great deal in common. They had a lot of common friends and loved rogan josh, Roshanara Begum, Kishore Kumar and old Bollywood films.
• Shahid lived in a spacious apartment on the seventh floor in Brooklyn. He belonged to Kashmir and his parents still used to live there. He went to India every summer and stayed with his parents.
• Shahid was a sociable person and had many friends. He wrote poetry and taught at colleges and universities in the United States. He was an admirer of good food and used to hold parties regularly at his flat. He invited his friends, relatives, authors, poets and his students to these parties.
• He was loved by his students and continued to hold parties even after being diagnosed with cancer. He was also very witty and never lost a chance to show his wit.
• Shahid was a witness to the violence in Kashmir that started from late 1980s onwards as he used to visit Kashmir in summer every year. This left an indelible mark on him and was one of the central themes in his poetry. However, Shahid did not see himself as a victim and had an all-inclusive vision towards religion.
• As per the narrator, Shahid’s medications were stopped a few months before his death as they were not having the desired effect on him. He wanted to go to Kashmir and die there but changed his plans due to logistical and other reasons.
• The narrator last met Shahid on 27th October, 2001. He seemed to be content and had made peace with death. Shahid breathed his last on 8th December, 2001 and was buried in Northampton.

The Ghat of The Only World Word Meanings

Word – Meanings
expatriate – a person who lives outside their native country
lucid – able to speak clearly
lapses – a brief or temporary failure of concentration, memory or judgement
thumbing – turn over pages with or as if with one’s thumb
Jocularity – in a funny manner
mumbled – to speak quietly or in an undear way so that the words are difficult to understand
innocuous – completely harmless
quizzical – seeming to ask a question without saying something
blackout – a short period when someone suddenly becomes unconscious
malignant – likely to get worse and lead to death
entrusting – to give someone a thing or a duty for which they are responsible
recitative – in music, words that are sung as if they are being spoken
bereavement – the death of a close relation or friend
imperative – something that is extremely important or urgent
fiercely – extremely
conceive – to invent a plan or an idea
acquaintance – a person that you have met but do not know well
impede – to slow something down or prevent an activity from making progress at its previous rate
trivial – having little value or importance
poignance – the quality of causing or having a very sharp feeling of sadness
hatched – to make a plan
conviviality – friendly and making you feel happy and welcome
transmute – to change something completely, especially into something different and better
scalp – the skin on the top of a person’s head where hair usually grows
suture – a stitch used to sew up a cut in a person’s body
groggier – weak and unable to walk correctly, usually because of tiredness or illness
buckled – to become bent often as a result of weakness
beaming – used to describe a smile that is very wide and happy
gleefully – in a happy or excited manner
gregariousness – the quality of liking to be with other people
split-level – having floors on slightly different levels with a few stairs connecting them
cavernous – having a very large open space inside it
waterfront – a part of a town or city that is next to an area of water such as a river or the sea
ghat – a set of steps leading down to a river or lake
foyer – a room in a house or apartment that leads from the front door to other rooms
flinging – to throw something suddenly and with a lot of force
dour – gloomy in appearance
invariably – always
perpetual – continuing forever in the same way
carnival – a lively festival
sniffed – to smell something
legendary – very famous and admired or spoken about
prowess – great ability or skill
radically – completely
explicitly – directly and in a clear and exact way
prefigured – to show or suggest that something will happen in the future
exactitude – the quality or an instance of being exact
recurrent – happening again many times
extinct – not now existing
haunted – to cause repeated suffering or anxiety
cuisine – a style of cooking
abiding – A memory or feeling that you have had for a long time and that is not likely to change
repartee – conversation that is full of clever and funny comments
exasperated – extremely annoyed and impatient because things are not happening in the way you want or people are not doing what you want them to do
Wildean – relating to or characteristic of Oscar Wilde or his works, especially in being witty
evident – obvious
adored – to love and respect someone deeply
subdued – quiet and slightly sad or worried
sparkling – very lively and interesting
incarnate – in human form used for emphasising that someone is very similar to what has just been mentioned
brimming – to be full of something
clasping – to hold your hands together with fingers of one hand in between the fingers of the other
feigned – to pretend to have a particular feeling
behold – to see or look at someone or something
unmitigated – complete
vibrant – lively and exciting
intermittent – happening sometimes but not regularly or often
mounting – increasing, especially in a way that makes a situation worse
irony – something that has a different or opposite result from what is expected
anguished – having or showing extreme pain or suffering
resolutely – to be determined in character, action or ideas
embrace – to accept something enthusiastically
fixture – an event that happens at a regular time and place
ecumenical – involving or uniting members of different religions
accouterments – other things that are needed for an activity
assiduous – taking great care that everything is done as well as it can be
fanaticism – very strong religious or political beliefs that make someone behave in an unreasonable way
shrine – a religious place built to remember a particular holy person or event
minaret – a tall, thin tower on or near a mosque from which Muslims are called to pray
archive – a collection of historical records relating to a place, organisation or family
martyr – someone who suffers or is killed because of their religious or political beliefs
inextricably – unable to be separated
Chemotherapy – the treatment of disease using chemicals
put off – to delay or move an activity to a later time
preambles – an introduction to a speech or piece of writing
dazed – very confused and unable to think clearly
logistical – relating to the process of planning and organising to make sure that resources are in the places where they are needed, so that an activity or process happens effectively
vicinity – the area around a place
overlaid – If a sound, taste, smell or feeling is overlaid with another one, enough of the other one is added to be noticeable
afterlife – the life, for example in heaven, that some people believe begins after death
consolation – something that makes someone who is sad or disappointed feel better
void – a feeling of unhappiness because someone or something is missing.

The First Atom Bomb Summary

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The Great Gatsby Characters Analysis and Explanation

The Great Gatsby Characters List

Jay Gatsby

Jay Gatsby is the protagonist of the story, narrated by his neighbor and friend Nick Carraway. Gatsby grew up poor on a farm in North Dakota and has always been attracted to the fame and fortune, so much so that while reinventing himself, he makes sure that everyone is oblivious of his upbringing. Gatsby is said to be an irrepressible dreamer and is known for his extravagant parties he throws every week. His persona is his invention, even changing his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby.

Gatsby’s love interest is Daisy Buchanan, who is now married to Tom Buchanan. Gatsby and Daisy were lovers while he was an officer. Daisy promises to wait for him to return from the war but gets married while Gatsby is studying at Oxford upon his return. He becomes wealthy to win Daisy back. Gatsby makes a fortune in organized crime and illegal liquor trade. He even buys the mansion at West Egg to impress her.

As the story progresses, it is revealed that he is nothing but an innocent man trying to chase the American dream. He changes himself, and his optimism and individualism are taken over by wealth. He is one side to Fitzgerald’s representation of the rich, where moral values are replaced by greed and unrealistic ambition. His view of Daisy is idealistic and perfect and believes that she is flawless, which he must pursue.

Gatsby meets a tragic end when Daisy ends their affair, and Nickorge Wilson shots him after taking the fall for Daisy, who killed Myrtle Wilson in his car. However, even though he is blinded by ambition, he is loyal and good-hearted.

Nick Carraway

Nick Carraway is the narrator of the story. He moves to New York from the Midwest to learn more about the bond business. Nick is a Yale graduate and has fought in the World War. He shifts into the house next to Jay Gatsby, and he falls in love with what Gatsby represents. Nick shifts into West Egg, where all the rich and wealthy reside. He dates Jordan Baker, a professional golfer, and throughout their relationship, we see an inner conflict that arises from his mixed reaction from his new lifestyle. Nick is quiet and open-minded, which makes him the appropriate narrator.
Nick is also the cousin of Daisy Buchanan, the love interest of Jay Gatsby. He witnesses their age-old romance flourish and fails. Nick represents another part of Fitzgerald’s representation of the wealthy and confronts the moral emptiness that is accompanied by a lavish lifestyle. He realizes, throughout many instances in the book, that though this celebration may seem attractive, there is a certain amount of degradation of traditional values. He decides to shift back to the Midwest, a symbol of returning to moral values.

Daisy Buchanan

Daisy is the wife of Tom Buchanan and the cousin of Nick. She is the love interest of Gatsby. They first meet in Kentucky, and they fall in love. She promises to wait for him after he returns but is married to Tom Buchanan, to whom she is unhappily married.

As Gatsby views her as perfect and flawless, she enjoys money, luxury, and is sardonic. After realizing how wealthy Gatsby is, she rekindles their romance. Her true intentions are revealed when Daisy kills Myrtle with Gatsby’s car, and Gatsby takes the fall for it. She chooses Tom in the end, which proves that she is materialistic and in love with wealth. Tom and Daisy move away before Gatsby’s funeral. However, there are moments where she does love Gatsby, but in the end, she is proved to be amoral and is a symbol of greed.

Tom Buchanan

The husband of Daisy Buchanan, he stands for the power and single-mindedness of the elite. He is physically and mentally sturdy. After experiencing early fame, he loses his spotlight. He tries to pursue that part of his youth amongst his failures. He is portrayed as a racist, mentioning how the white race will utterly be submerged. Tom has an affair with Myrtle Wilson and thus does not play the victim card when he learns about Daisy’s relationship. However, his jealousy triumphs all. Tom represents what Daisy desires from life, luxury, wealth, and ease and chooses to remain married.

Jordan Baker

Jordan Baker is a famous golfer and is romantically involved with Nick. She represents a new age of women who do not abide by the conventional standards of female behavior. Her cynical and self-centered nature clashes with Nick’s personality.

The fame blinds Jordan that she even cheats at the Golf tournament and is dishonest towards Nick. Jordan is portrayed as a pragmatist and one of the most realistic characters in the novel, which shows the reader how the world truly works. At the same time, she breaks the stereotype of beauty and being a man’s fantasy, which Daisy portrays.

Myrtle Wilson

Myrtle is the wife of George Wilson. She feels caged in her marriage. They live in the “valley of ashes.” She is Tom’s mistress, hoping to climb up the social ladder and believes that Tom truly loves her. She expresses disgust towards the servants, showing how much wealth and luxury can affect morality towards your class. Tom sees her as another possession and asserts his chauvinism over her. When George becomes aware of her affair, he locks her up in a room. While she tries to escape, she is killed by Daisy. She becomes victim to the wrongdoings of the wealthy, who pay no price for their sins. Like Gatsby, she too seeks a life filled with money but meets a tragic end.

George Wilson

George Wilson is the husband of Mrytle Wilson wand the owner of the run-down auto shop in the valley of ashes. He is devastated when he finds out about Mrytle’s affair and seeks revenge for her death. He murders Gatsby under the impression that he killed Myrtle in his car.
Meyer Wolfsheim: Friend of Gatsby who he claims had fixed the 1919 World Series. He is a prominent figure in organized crime and helped Gatsby make his fortune. He is aquatinted with Gatsby, which hints that he still carries our illegal activity.

Kilpisringer: A freeloader who lives in Gatsby’s mansion and takes advantage of his wealth. He disappears after Gatsby’s death.

Owl Eyes: Eccentric drunk whom Nick meets at his first party of Gatsby.

Students can also check the English Summary to revise with them during exam preparation.

The Picture of Dorian Gray Summary By Oscar Wilde Analysis and Explanation

About the Author Oscar Wilde

Poet Name	Oscar Wilde
Born	16 October 1854, Westland Row, Dublin, Ireland
Died	30 November 1900, Paris, France
Period	Aestheticism
Spouse	Constance Lloyd (m. 1884–1898)
Movies	Wilde, Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest, MORE

Short Summary Of The Picture of Dorian Gray in English

Oscar Wilde The Picture Of Dorian Gray Summary introduction

The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine in 1890. The novel was one of renowned author Oscar Wilde’s controversial works, as it clashed with the Victorian understanding of art in his attempt to free art. It is said to be his sole novel. The story is set in the 1800s, where Dorian Gray has recently inherited a fortune. A beautiful young man, he arrives in London and encounters Basil Hallward, a reputed artist. Basil resides in his Aunt Lady Agatha’s house. Enamored by his beauty, he decides to paint a portrait of Dorian, which he considers his next masterpiece. After completing the picture, Basil shows the painting to his friend Lord Henry. Basil often views Dorian as a Greek hero. Lord Henry Wotton is starkly different from Basil. While Basil is a moral and compassionate man, Lord Henry is transfixed on pleasure and is the symbol of hedonism in the novel.

He is also known for his dirty wit and is married to Victoria Wotton. While showing the painting, Basil admits that he may have revealed his love for Dorian. Hesitantly, Basil introduces him to Dorian, fearful of the influence Lord Henry may have upon him. However, Basil’s fears are proven right: Lord Henry lectures Dorian on the temporary nature of beauty and how he must enjoy it. Though the portrait of him may remain young, Dorian will grow old and lose his charm. An impressionable man, Dorian curses the picture and wishes that at this age he will remain young, giving up his soul so that the painting may age and not him.

Dorian becomes the apprentice of Lord Henry, indulging in hedonism and pleasure. Dorian meets Sybil Vane, a young and aspiring actress. She acts in Shakespeare’s adaptations in the theatre located in the more inferior parts of London. They soon fall in love, and Dorian proposes. She calls him her “Prince Charming.” Dorian briefly decided to renounce hedonism. He invites Lord Henry and Basil to one of Sybil’s plays to impress them. While performing in the adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, Sybil performs poorly due to her love for Dorian. She is unable to pretend to be in love with someone else on stage when she is in love with someone in reality. It is revealed that Dorian loved Sybil only for her acting and, embarrassed, he breaks off the engagement.

When Dorian observes the painting, he sees that the portrait has changed, with a sneer of cruelty across his face. Dorian realizes that it is a result of his cruelty towards Sybil that is portrayed on the canvas. Remorseful, he wants to make amends and reconcile. Lord Henry arrives bearing bad news that Sybil had killed herself. He convinces Dorian to view her death as an artistic expression of her love for him. Dorian soon realizes that his beauty is the only thing that matters. He hides his portrait in a room, at all times locked, as it becomes grotesque with every immoral action he commits.

Lord Henry gives him a yellow book about a Frenchman and his sins and has the book bound in 12 colors, possibly to match his different moods. The publication influences him to seek a life full of pleasure. His infamous and wicked exploits become famous, and his reputation takes a hit as eighteen years pass. Dorian has acquired many enemies, and he fears that someone will try to seek revenge and steal the painting. Though considered beautiful by many, Basil decides to meet Dorian to ask him about the rumors about his behavior. Dorian shows the portrait to Basil after a heated argument. The portrait now depicts an evil and hideous man. Terrified of what it has become, Basil begs Dorian to repent. However, filled with rage from the painting, he stabs Basil. He blackmails Dr. Alan Campbell, a scientist, and Dorian’s old friend, to dispose of the body. Guilt stricken by having helped commit a crime, Dr. Alan Campbell kills himself.

Dorian goes to the opium den to forget about the crime that he has committed. He meets James Vane, Sybil’s brother. Bitter from the suicide of his sister, James blames Dorian for her death and is seeking revenge. Dorian tricks him by saying that Sybil killed herself eighteen years ago and he is too young to have been involved with Sybil. James is easily swayed, as he only knows Dorian as “Prince Charming” that Sybil called him. A woman in the opium den informs him that the man he spoke to was Dorian Gray. James later realizes that the young man was Dorian and follows him. He hosts a party at his country estate, and he sees James through the window. James is killed accidentally by a shooting party, and Dorian feels relieved.

Dorian tells Lord Henry that he will make amends to live a more righteous life Dorian is romantically involved with Hetty Merton and tries to remain loyal to her. However, Dorian does not dare to confess to his crimes. He decides to destroy the incriminating evidence, his portrait. As Dorian goes into the room where the painting is stored, he sees that the portrait he is enraged, as it now symbolizes hypocrisy. Dorian takes the knife he used to kill Basil and stab the painting. His servants hear a loud crash coming from the locked room. A passerby alerts the police. The servants find a horrific body of an older man with a knife stabbed into his heart. This figure is none other than Dorian, and his servants identify him by his rings. Dorian Gray becomes the grotesque man from the painting, with the painting restored to its original form, into Basil’s masterpiece. The story incorporates the message that beauty and physical appearances, though magnificent, is transient. Dorian Gray uses beauty and pleasure to escape from the crimes that he has committed, however, in the end, he meets a tragic end, where the beauty that he once sought has now deceived him.

Students can also check the English Summary to revise with them during exam preparation.

Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe Summary Analysis and Explanation

About the Author Chinua Achebe

Poet Name	Chinua Achebe
Born	16 November 1930, Ogidi, Nigeria
Died	21 March 2013, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Education	The University of London, University of Ibadan, Government College Umuahia, University of London Worldwide
Awards	Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels, MORE

Summary Of Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe in English

Things Fall Apart Chapter Wise Short Summary Introduction 

Things Fall Apart is Chinua Achebe’s trilogy novel series named Africa is alpha of English African Literature that discloses the explicit struggle between the traditional African values and the advent of Christianity in Nigeria. The book is based on a mid-nineteenth century period in the pre-colonial African regime, highlighting the African traditions, beliefs, norms, and culture. The novel throws light on the predominant Igbo culture and takes the reader through the traditional aspects of Umuofian society.

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is a chronicle tale about Okonkwo’s life cycle- his Umuofia’s youth, his seven-year exile at Mbanta, and his eventual return to Umuofia. Each of the three stages of Okonkwo’s life maps a gendered account of Okonkwo’s travel and living in Fatherland to Motherland and back to the Fatherland. Through Things Fall Apart, readers understand Okonkwo’s stereotypical masculinity and his role as an African warrior. However, throughout the story, Okonkwo’s obsession with his masculinity counterpart, the gendered narrative functions prevailing in that period. As the reader travels through the novel, they feel the struggle of Okonkwo’s attempts to become an exemplary and traditional Igbo masculinity, and his want to gain status among his villagers goes down in vain. His constant struggle to achieve recognition among villagers repeatedly leaves a feeling of relentless emasculation. The continuous battle for recognitions draws Okonkwo into trouble with his community, leading to the fall of the Umuofia and the nine villages, including his downfall.

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart consists of three parts. However, Okonkwo’s struggle story falls under section one of the trilogy. In this part, the reader glances through Okonkwo’s struggle to distance himself from his father, Unoka’s disreputable legacy. However, the reader discovers that Okonkwo’s local wrestling fame, his tireless efforts, and his singular will power to secure a place among the Umuofia’s titled men goes down the drain. Okonkwo’s zeal to include himself among the Tribe leads him astray, especially during the execution of Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna in the story happens to Okonkwo’s surrogate son whom he adopts after Umuofia’s capture of another village to settle a dispute. At this part of the story, the reader also undergoes Okonkwo’s desperate situation, that despite his older son Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s warning “not bear a hand in [Ikemefuna’s] death.”, Okonkwo fails in his duty as a father. Despite Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s warning, due to panic lapse, “He was afraid of being weak.” Okonkwo is driven to draw his machete upon his surrogate son. Due to his obsession with the traditional masculinity and upward mobility, Okonkwo develops quick temperament with his wives and impatience with his children’s behavior, which alienates and leave him in a precarious social outlook.

Through this part of the trilogy, besides the portrayal of Okonkwo’s a struggle for a reputed living, the author takes the reader through the journey of the pre-colonial Igbo culture. Chihua Achebe paints the reader a vivid picture of the rich culture, traditions, values, and beliefs of the Igbo world. In contrast to the happening, towards the end of the novel, Achebe shows the struggle of both Okonkwo’s life and the life of the community and culture, teetering on a brink of disaster. Okonkwo’s struggle follows him like a lost sheep- his first blow occurs with the seat of the village’s oldest man- Ogbuefi Ezeudu, the man who warned him about Ikemefuna’s killing. The second blow occurs at Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s burial ceremony, where Okonkwo misfires at Ezeudu’s sixteen-year-old son. The ominous mishap drives the remaining elder of the village to send Okonkwo and his family into exile for seven years and burn Okonkwo’s huts, and kill his livestock.

In Things Fall Apart, the author beautifully weaves the occurring’s and develops a beautiful plot with an ultimate tragedy. Okonkwo’s character is portrayed as a headstrong, proud, and a wilful character despite his struggle. After being exiled for an accidental crime, Okonkwo’s journey from fatherland to his Motherland, a retreat that deeply emasculates Okonkwo. However, these actions, roots the touch of personal feel of emasculation that parallels the of the historical and cultural changes with the arrival of the white Christian missionaries. With Christianity as their weapon, the white missionaries infiltrate the entire lower part of Nigeria, which includes both Umuofia and Mbanta, Okonkwo’s hometowns. However, the personal and historical emasculations occur when Okonkwo’s eldest son, Nwoye abandons the traditional Igbo culture and converts to the Christian belief, which ruptures Okonkwo’s patrilineal line and staunchly opposes.

The impact of the growing presence of the missionaries caused rooted internal divisions among the villagers of Umuofia. During Okonkwo’s exile in Mbanta, government officials in Umuofia began to filter, abide by the missionaries and installed a foreign rule of law. If only the villagers of lower part of Nigeria reject their colonizers at the very beginning, incidents would have been different, however, situation stated that it was too late to do anything. The drastic sudden changes in Umuofia, compromised on Okonkwo’s homecoming where he hoped to represent a fresh start. However, being put into another emasculated position, Okonkwo’s struggles drives him furious against his fellows Umuofians, for their refusal against the white missionaries and their stay in Umuofia.

Despite Umuofia’s access to medicine and education, Okonkwo sees the missionaries as a cancer who would eventually burn Umuofia of it’s rich traditional culture. Following another emasculated position, Okonkwo takes an uncompromising decision in favor of his tradition. His final act of tragedy cement the novel’s tragedy which alleviates feelings if resolution towards the colonial power among the readers. The decision of Okonkwo’s suicide, strips him of all the honor and respect, This, his suicide is an act of final emasculation, for which he is denied of a proper burial ceremony in the Igbo culture.

Through the African Literature masterpiece, Achebe portrays the collision between the European and African traditions and culture, making this classic novel a masterpiece in the postcolonial narrative. Through this narrative, Achebe shows the reader the effects of the West’s infiltration and desire to expand the way they once lived. Achebe highlights how the ruthless invasion and domination of the British missionaries, effect the native African culture. The community’s struggle parallels the protagonist Okonkwo’s struggle.