Things Fall Apart Part III

Since Okonkwo was gone for seven years he lost his place among the men who rule the clan and he could no longer have a strong influence on the decisions the clan made. The church being built in the clan causes confrontations. At first the clansmen just laughed at what the missionaries preached, but when some of their own members and the outcasts of the village started to convert they became very concerned. How could they be expected to fight against their own people? Okonkwo tries to tell the clan that it does not matter, they chose to convert and now they have to pay, because war was the only way to return to the way things were. The new government and church divides the people of the clan through religion and through commerce. The government brought in money to the markets and some people prospered from the increase of money. After Okonkwo returns from the prison with the other men he is determined to make the people see how evil the white men are and inform them that war is the only option. Okonkwo is so enraged that when the District Commissioner's messenger arrives at the meeting, he decapitates the man. He feels that no one will stand with him against these strangers and he is so angry at the motion of letting his life and faith be destroyed, that he lashes out. After Okonkwo murders the man he probably regrets his rash behavior and accepts that now he has endangered the whole clan and condemned himself to death. Okonkwo's choice to hang himself reflects his unbending will to let something foreign destroy what he stood for. His death somewhat signifies the death of the clan and how their old customs are doomed to be overrun by new ideas.

Things Fall Apart Parts I and II

Okonkwo is very cold hearted and vicious. He killed a young man who looked to him as a father, and Okonkwo had even admitted to have liking him. Ikemefuna's death seems to be another hard moment in Okonkwo's life, after he had to make a name for himself by working very hard. When Ezinma gets the fever and the priestess takes her away to the cave, Ekwefi and Okonkwo follow because they are so concerned that the priestess will hurt or possibly kill Enzima because she is believed to be an ogbanje and she is always getting ill. The customs of the clan seem to be very strong within the community. Their system of letting the elders rule seems to be very successful, but their laws seem to be quite cruel. For example, the clan murder's twins and children believed to be ogbanje because they are believed to be evil. Even though the mothers of these poor children are devastated the clan carries on as though it is nothing when in fact they are murdering perfectly healthy babies. The lords of the clan use fear to enforce the laws, claiming that if they do not adhere to the rules the gods will destroy them. When Okonkwo accidentally shoots the boy at the funeral he has to leave for seven years. Okonkwo seems to be a very angry violent man towards everyone even his family sometimes. When Okonkwo is banished for seven years he is devastated because all of his hard work on his farm had been taken away from him and he will have lost seven years that he could have used to earn his way closer to becoming one of the lords of the clan. While he and his family are in Mbaino they hear of the white men that are inhabiting nearby villages and how they savagely murdered one whole clan. The news enrages Okonkwo and he cannot understand why none of the villages are willing to fight the men. When Okonkwo's son Nwoye decides to join a missionary and abandon his clan's faith his father disowns him. Nwoye likes the Christian faith because he disapproves of the practices of his clan.

Temple of the Golden Pavilion chapter 10

I don't really understand why Mizoguchi bought the arsenic pills and the knife. Perhaps the two items were planned evidence to leave at the crime to make it seem as though Mizoguchi was suicidal. It is a perfect convenience when the fire alarm breaks and the repairman doesn't come for several days because it allows Mizoguchi time to execute his plan. Mizoguchi finally feels as though someone has understood him when he speaks to Father Zenkai because Father Zenkai believes that it doesn't matter what kind of acts a person does or who the person chooses to be because all life eventually ends anyhow. When Mizoguchi is by the pond looking at the temple it seems as though he is evaluating its structure, seeing a view of the temple which he had never noticed before. The whole scene where Mizoguchi is viewing the temple and preparing to burn it is very saddening because he is about to destroy something that is so beautiful because it is so full of history and culture. I thought that perhaps Mizoguchi was going to perish in the flames because he could not get the door open in the temple. Once he sets fire to the temple and gets away he is free and he is ready to live life in a way that he never could before. Perhaps this is because he no longer has to become something he did not want to be and or because he no longer has the Golden temple to rule over him.

Temple of the Golden Pavilion Chapter 9

by giving Mizoguchi the money I think the Superior may be hoping that Mizoguchi will make up for his wrong doings and pay the university or perhaps he know Mizoguchi will not turn in the money, thus giving the Superior reason to expel Mizoguchi once and for all. Mizoguchi spends the money because he wants the Superior to expel him sot that he is pushed to set fire to the temple. Mizoguchi's choice to spend the money on a prostitute is kind of like a slap in the face tot the Superior because the Superior spent the temple's money on prostitutes, so Mizoguchi is spending his money in the same fashion in order to mock the Superior. I am not really sure why Mizoguchi feels he must lose his virginity before he destroys the temple, perhaps he feels it is some sort of right of passage into manhood he must complete before his whole world changes. For the first time Mizoguchi is able to be with a woman and not be bothered with thoughts of the temple because he has finally figured out a way to end his torment which gives him a peace of mind. I think Mizoguchi decides to take that book with him to see Mariko because he wants to somehow signal to Mariko what his plans are without flat out telling her. When he accidentally lets his plan slip in front of Mariko she doesn't believe him and perhaps that is why he doesn't go back. Perhaps the Superior really has sympathy for Mizoguchi and he hates the fact that Mizoguchi chose not to live up to his worth. Instead of understanding the Superior's feelings Mizoguchi chooses to ignore the possibility that his Superior really cares about him and uses this thought to further fuel his reasons for burning the temple.

Temple of the Golden Pavilion Chapter 8

Mizoguchi feels that by destroying the Golden Temple he will be showing people that it is senseless to suggest that something, in this case the temple, can live on forever because nothing lives forever. When Mizoguchi is with the police officer, he says that he could still refrain from burning down the temple and choose to live live like the young officer, but then he concludes that the only way to start a new life is to burn down the temple. Perhaps Mizoguchi feels this way because he believes that once he burns down the temple his mind will be set free and he will be able to start over. I think Mizoguchi no longer feels any fear or threat from his mother because once he devises his plan to burn the temple he obtains a feeling of strength and power because he alone has the will and plan to destroy something so sacred and beautiful. he starts to be nice to everyone at the temple because he knows that one day they will all be in shock when he destroys the temple. Mizoguchi practically gives up in school because he knows that his education will not alter the outcome of his future because he already knows that he will never be the priest that he set out to be. I think Mizoguchi wants the other school boy to burn down the gate because he wants to be able to relate to someone he suspects deals with the same inner struggles as he does. He is greatly disappointed in the fact that the other boy is only mischievous because he wants to sneak a cigarette. Kashiwagi's plan to go to the superior for the money actually works out very well for Mizoguchi because he is relieved of his debt and of his duties to the temple. Mizoguchi believes that he should have gratitude to Kashiwagi because he made Mizoguchi's plan to burn the temple become more final in that he is forced to set a date to burn the temple before he is thrown out. It was surprising to hear that Tsurukawa committed suicide because he always seemed to be a very happy, positive individual.

Temple of the Golden Pavilion Chapter 7

Mizoguchi's thoughts are being captured completely by the Golden Temple. Nothing else in life measures up to the Golden temple and therefore Mizoguchi is never able to enjoy and experience life. The black dog seems to be significant because Mizoguchi says that it wanders through a dark world, much like Mizoguchi feels he does. At first I think Mizoguchi is embarrassed to see his Superior with the geisha because he believes that his Superior wants to keep his actions secret. It was odd that Mizoguchi just laughed at the Superior when he called Mizoguchi a fool. Perhaps Mizoguchi was laughing at the situation because it was so bizarre. Mizoguchi becomes upset with the Superior because the Superior never shows any emotion. I think Mizoguchi is looking for a way to communicate or connect with the Superior, but because he doesn't show any emotion Mizoguchi cannot do so. Perhaps Mizoguchi buys the photo of the geisha because he is trying to get the superior to pay attention to him. When the Superior informs Mizoguchi that he not longer has any intention of one day making him superior of the Golden temple, Mizoguchi is surprised at hearing the actual words from the Superior, yet he realizes that he should have been expecting such news. Mizoguchi's odd behavior and his lacking effort in school lead the Superior to change his mind. Since everyone has become cold and hostile to Mizoguchi he starts to become even more isolated. Mizoguchi wants to leave for a while because he probably feels that he needed to have some time to think, some time away from all of the people and places that he had let down. I'm not really sure why Mizoguchi chooses to go to the sea but while he is there looking into the water the idea of burning the temple occurs to him.

Temple of the Golden Pavilion Chapter 6

I think Mizoguchi believes that the notice, on a sign regarding the illegality of destruction of the Golden Temple, exists because at one time someone thought of doing such destructive things. The sign had to be created as a physical reminder of the consequence of such actions in order to prevent destruction. When Mizoguchi is with Kashiwagi playing the flute, Mizoguchi is exposed to a softer side of Kashiwagi that Mizoguchi did not know existed. It is Mizoguchi's belief that Kashiwagi only finds things to be beautiful if the objects beauty is only temporary, otherwise they are boring. When Kashiwagi says that "there is more to killing than that, you know," I think he is suggesting that in order to really kill someone you have to destroy their mind and spirit, and that it is not all about the physical kill. Kashiwagi believes that beauty is something that can cause pain and wrongdoing. For example, when he refers to "Nansen kills a Kitten," he says that the kittens beauty made men fight because they all wanted to keep the kitten. Kashiwagi seems to be trying to help Mizoguchi by setting him up with the flower lady, but the reason he believes he must do this is unclear. I don't know why the flower lady felt compelled to expose her chest to Mizoguchi. Mizoguchi thinks that now he has seen the real thing up close, it has lost some of its exciting beauty because her breast is only flesh. And when her breast finally appears beautiful to Mizoguchi again his mind wanders back to the image of the Golden temple. Mizoguchi thinks that the Golden Temple is keeping him from a normal life because it is trying to save him from all of the evil things in the world but in reality this sheltered feeling only drives Mizoguchi to do more evil things than most people.