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SamanthaQuiones
English10Honors
Ms.RudolfDib
March10,2015
ResearchPaper:OkonkwosSuicide
ResearchPaper:OkonkwosSuicide
InthebookThingsFallApart,whichisahistoricalfictionsetinthe19thcenturywritten
bytheauthorChinuaAchebe.ThebookdescribeshowBritainbegantoinvadeatribeinAfrica,
andthehardshipsthatthistribewentthroughasithappened.Attheendofthebookthemain
character,Okonkwo,commitssuicide,butthereasonforitwasneversaid.Okonkwossuicide
couldhavebeencausedbyvariousreasons.ThentheycametothetreefromwhichOkonkwos
bodywasdangling,andtheystoppeddead.(Achebe,210).Manypeoplebelievehemayhave
committedsuicidebecauseofhisprideorbecausehewasacoward,howevertherearenumerous
possibilitiesthatmayhaveledhimtosuicide.Psychiatricproblemsmayhavetriggered
Okonkwotohanghimself.ThepossibilitiesthatmayhaveledOkonkwotosuicideisdepression,
achemicalimbalanceinhisbrain,bipolardisorder,socialisolation,andfamilyproblems.
ThefirstpossibilitythatmayhaveledOkonkwotosuicideisdepression.Itmayhave
beendepressionbecauseOkonkwowasshowntofeelhopelessaftertheBritishinvadedhistribe.
Okonkwowasdeeplygrieved.Anditwasnotjustpersonalgrief.Hemournedfortheclan,
whichhesawbreakingupandfallingapart,andhemournedforthewarlikemenofUmuofia,
whohadsounaccountablybecomesoftlikewomen.(Achebe,186).Thisquotefromthebook
portraysOkonkwosfeelingsatthemomentthatherealizesthattheBritishhaveinvadedhis

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tribe.Thisisabriefmomentofhopelessnessthatmayhavecontinuedtobewithhimpossibly
everydayofhislife.Thereasonthatdepressioncouldbeapossibilityisbecausehopelessnessis
asymptomofdepression,anddepressionusuallyoccursafteranupsettingeventhappens
(Abramovitz,Paragraph3).ForOkonkwo,theupsettingeventistheBritishinvadinghistribe.
Anothersymptomofsomeonewithdepressionisangerandlosingtempereasily(Abramovitz,
Paragraph8).Thewhitemanwhosepoweryouknowtoowellhasorderedthismeetingtostop.
InaflashOkonkwodrewhismachete.Themessengercrouchedtoavoidtheblow.Itwas
useless.Okonkwosmachetedescendedtwiceandthemansheadlaybesidehisuniformed
body.(Achebe,266).Inthissceneofthebook,Okonkwodisplayshisquickanger,andhis
temperedbeinglost.Hehadlosthistempersosignificantlythathekilledanotherman.He
displaysvarioussymptomsofdepression,thisiswhydepressioncouldbeconsidereda
possibilityofOkonkwossuicide.
ThesecondpossibilitythatmayhaveledOkonkwotosuicideisachemicalimbalance
thatmayhavebeenoccurringinhisbrain.Inasuicidevictimsbrains,itisfoundthatthereis
onethirdtoonehalflessofthechemicalimipraminethaninanormalbrain(Greenberg,
Paragraph2).Itwasalsoshownthatinhisbrain,hemayhavehadlowserotoninlevelsandan
abnormaldistributionofGABA(Wenner,Paragraph2).Serotoninisbloodvesselsinyourbrain
thatactasneurotransmitters,GABAisaneurotransmitterinthenervoussystem,thischemical
calmsdownthenervoussystem.Lowserotoninlevelscausepeopletohavehighlyaggressive
andimpulsivepersonalities(Greenberg,Paragraph7).Thewhitemanwhosepoweryouknow
toowellhasorderedthismeetingtostop.InaflashOkonkwodrewhismachete.Themessenger
crouchedtoavoidtheblow.Itwasuseless.Okonkwosmachetedescendedtwiceandthemans

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headlaybesidehisuniformedbody.(Achebe,266).Thisscenealsodisplaysthesymptomsof
havinglowserotoninlevels,itshowsOkonkwosimpulsivenesstoactquicklyonhismachete,
withnohesitation,andhisaggressionhehadtowardskillingthemessenger.Thechemical
imipramineisachemicalmessengerinourbrain,ifOkonkwoweretohaveanimbalanceofthis
chemicalinhisbrain,thenitwouldbedifficultforthebraintocommunicateemotions.
Okonkwosbehaviorshowsachemicalimbalanceinhisbrain,andthereforeachemical
imbalancemayhavebeenareasonwhyhecommittedsuicide.
ThethirdpossibilitythatmayhaveledOkonkwotosuicideisabipolardisorder.
Symptomsofhavingabipolardisorderincludehavingrapidchangeofemotionsoveracoupleof
weeks(Bruce,Paragraph6).Okonkwoshowedarapidchangeofemotions.Instudiesitwas
shownthatthosewhogofromhappinessandthenshiftquicklytobeingsadweremorelikelyto
commitsuicide(Bruce,Paragraph6).Asthemanwhohadclearedhisthroatdrewupandraised
hismachete,Okonkwolookedaway.Heheardtheblow.Thepotfellandbrokeinthesand.He
heardIkemefunacry,Myfather,theyhavekilledme!asherantowardshim.(Achebe,67).
AfterOkonkwokilledIkemefunahebecameoverwhelmedwithwhathehaddone.Hismoodhad
changedsuddenly,OkonkwodidnottasteanyfoodfortwodaysafterthedeathofIkemefuna.
(Achebe,69).InthefirstquoteOkonkwohadjustkilledIkemefunawithnoemotion,andhehad
doneiteffortlesslywithouthesitation.InthesecondquoteOkonkwospersonalityhadchanged
fromnoemotiontobecomingoverwhelmedwiththekilling.Hismoodhadchangedrapidlyfrom
maniatodepressionwithinthesameweek,whichshowsasymptomofthepossibilityofhim
havingabipolardisorder.

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ThefourthpossibilityonwhatmayhaveledOkonkwotosuicideissocialisolation.
Okonkwoexperiencedsocialisolationwhenhewasexiledforsevenyears.Socialisolationisa
statewhenapersondoesnothaveanycommunicationwithanotherpersonorgroup.Okonkwo
sufferedthroughsocialisolationbecausehehadnocommunicationwithhistribe,andhistribe
wasveryimportanttohim.TheonlycourseopentoOkonkwowastofleefromtheclan.Itwas
acrimeagainsttheearthgoddesstokillaclansman,andamanwhocommitteditmustfleefrom
theland.Thecrimewasoftwokinds,maleandfemale.Okonkwohadcommittedthefemale,
becauseithadbeeninadvertent.Hecouldreturntotheclanaftersevenyears.(Achebe,132).In
thissceneOkonkwoiscastawayforsevenyearsbecauseheaccidentallykilledsomebodythisis
wherehestartedtoexperienceisolation.Okonkwowaswellknownthroughouttheninevillages
andevenbeyond.Hisfamerestedonsolidachievements.(Achebe11).Okonkwowaswell
respectedamonghistribethisiswhyhistribehadbecomesoimportanttohim,especiallyhis
socialstatus.Okonkwomayhavefeltdeprivedinsomewaybecausehehadbeenawayfrom
whathelovedsomuchandworkedhardfor.Sevenyearsofbeingawayfromhistribemayhave
causedhimtofeelalone.Okonkwomusthavestillfeltaloneevenwhenhehadcamebackand
theBritishhadbeguntoinvadethetribe.Afraid?Idonotcarewhathedoestoyou.Idespise
himandthosewholistentohim.IshallfightaloneifIchoose."(Achebe,189).Okonkwomay
havebeenremindedofthislonelinesswhenhehadaskedthetribetofightwithhimagainstthe
British.Instead,theyallrejectedhim,andonceagain,Okonkwowasalone.Socialisolationcan
causeapersontofeelalone,whethertheyareemotionallyaloneorphysicallyalone(Lifeline,
Paragraph4).Itcandrivesomeonetosomuchlonelinessthattheywouldwanttocommit

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suicide(Lifeline,Paragraph5).Okonkwohadnumerousreasonswhyhewouldfeelsocially
isolated,thereforesocialisolationcouldbeapossibilityofwhatledhimtosuicide.
ThefifthpossibilitythatmayhaveledOkonkwotosuicideisfamilyproblems,which,is
mostlyhisdad.Thatwasyearsago,whenhewasyoung.Unoka,thegrownup,wasafailure.
Hewaspoorandhiswifeandchildrenhadbarelyenoughtoeat.Peoplelaughedathimbecause
hewasaloafer,andtheysworenevertolendhimanymoremoneybecauseheneverpaidback.
ButUnokawassuchamanthathealwayssucceededinborrowingmore,andpilinguphis
debts.(Achebe,10).ThisquoteshowswhoOkonkwosfatherwas,Unokawasafailure
accordingtothetribe.Okonkwodidnothavetheidealfatherfiguretogrowupto,however,as
Okonkwogrewup,herealizedhewantedtobetheexactoppositeofhisfather.Okonkwowanted
tobetheidealtribesman,hewantedtobeperfect.Okonkwosfathermayhavemessedup
Okonkwospersonalityandmindset.Okonkwowantedtobeperfectandahero,butinreality
thatwasnotpossible.Hewassettinghimselfupforfailureattheendbecausethereisnoway
thatOkonkwocouldbeperfect.WhenOkonkwocamebackfromhisexile,theBritishhad
alreadybegantoinvadethetribe.Okonkwotriedtodowhathecouldtosavethetribe,buthedid
notsucceed.ThismayhaveleftOkonkwotofurthermorethinkofhimselfasafailureandto
thinkofhimselflikehisfather.Okonkwomayhavefeltdisappointedanddisgustedinhimself
thathehadfailedjustashisfatherhadfailedallthoseyears.WithOkonkwosverylittlecoping
skills,hemayhavefeltsomuchgriefthatheinsteaddecidedtokillhimself.Okonkwosfatheris
apossibilityonwhyOkonkwocommittedsuicide.
ThepossibilitiesthatmayhaveledOkonkwotosuicideisdepression,achemical
imbalanceinhisbrain,bipolardisorder,socialisolationandfamilyproblems.Okonkwoshowed

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thesymptoms,andheportrayedmanyofthesepossibilitiesinhisactionsandinhiswords.All
thesepossibilitiescouldhavemadeOkonkwowanttocommitsuicideandthenactonit.
However,themainreasonwhyOkonkwocommittedsuicideisbecauseofdepression.The
reasonwhydepressionistheprimaryfactorofOkonkwossuicideisbecausehedisplayed
varioussymptomsofdepressionthroughoutthebook.EspeciallywhentheBritishinvadedhis
tribe,andhefeltasiftherewasnothinghecoulddotostopthem.Itisimportanttounderstand
thattherearedifferentanglestoanalyzeabook,suchasanalyzingOkonkwosdeath.Thereis
morethanoneperspectivetolookatsituations.Oneshouldnotjustbebiasandlookatonlyone
specificperspective,butratheroneshouldtrytoseedifferentsolutionsordifferentstoriesof
something.

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WorksCited
Choi,CharlesQ."SuicideCells."ScientificAmericanMind.N.p.,n.d.Web
Greenberg,J."SuicideLinkedtoBrainChemicalDeficit."ScienceNews.N.p.,n.d.Web
Wenner,Melinda."TheSuicidalBrain."ScientificAmericanMind.N.p.,n.d.Web.
Abramovitz,Melissa."Depression."
CurrentHealth.N.p.,n.d.Web

Bower,Bruce."ACloserLookat"Bipolars""ScienceNews.N.p.,n.d.Web.
"LifeEvents&Circumstances."LifeEvents&Circumstances.N.p.,n.d.Web.15Mar.2015