Isaac is a Biblical name; it probably comes from the Hebrew word meaning "to laugh" but this is not certain. In "Things Fall Apart" its significance as Nwoye's Christian name caomes from the Old Testament story of Abraham and his son, Isaac. The story (Genesis 22: 1-13) is that God ordered the first patriarch Abraham to sacrifice his young son Isaac, but then when he saw him about to do it, told him to stop and sacrifice a nearby ram instead. The idea is that Abraham's faith was only being tested; but to prove himself a religious man he had to be ready to kill his first-born.
It's interesting that Nwoye takes this name; his conversion to Christianity is portrayed as an act of rebellion against his father, so there could be a sense that he is refusing to be sacrificed or to obey his father.
It's interesting that Nwoye takes this name; his conversion to Christianity is portrayed as an act of rebellion against his father, so there could be a sense that he is refusing to be sacrificed or to obey his father.
