Things Fall ApartThat year the harvest was sad, like a funeral, and many farmers cried as they dug up the miserable, rotten sweet potatoes. A man tied his dress to a tree branch and hanged himself. Okonkwo remembered that tragic year with a cold shiver for the rest of his life. It always surprised him, when he thought about it later, that he didn't sink under the weight of despair. He knew he was a ferocious fighter, but that year had been enough to break the heart of a lion. “Since I survived that year,” he always said, “I will survive anything.” He attributed it to his unyielding will. His father, Unoka, who was then a sick man, had said to him during that terrible harvest month: "Do not despair. I know you will not despair. You have a manly and proud heart. A proud heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not sting his pride. It is harder and more bitter when a man fails alone." The above passages were taken from the end of chapter three, part one. After I finished reading this book and re-read it, I found these passages very ironic regarding the way the story ultimately ended. Okonkwo believed that because he was such a fierce fighter, he could conquer anything life put in front of him. However, it was his fierce, proud and combative attitude that brought about his demise in the face of uncontrollable circumstances. Okonkwo believed that war and brutal fighting would settle everything. He was a proud and stubborn man who constantly fought to improve his position in the tribal community. Okonkwo was also very proud of his tribe and way of life. He believed it was the right way to live and should not be questioned. Everyone should have feared the war with Umofia due to their fierce warriors and greatness in battle. When the white men not only did not fear them, but openly threatened the tribal way of life, Okonkwo prepared to handle the situation the only way he knew how. He wanted to go to war against the new white invaders, driving them from tribal lands and ending the threat to different ways of life. The passage ends with “it is harder and more bitter when a man fails alone".