Essay Things Fall Apart and its Representation: Chinua Achebe

In the village of Umuofia, the Igbo people worship a religion of many deities. Their polytheistic religion consists of gods related to nature such as rain, sun, etc. The most important deity is the goddess of the Earth; Igbo people frain from committing sins against the goddess of the Earth in fear of complete genocide. The European missionaries introduce Umuofia to a monotheistic religion, Christianity. The Igbo people fear what they can’t understand, such as medicine. Igbo people feared the “white man”, however, missionaries successfully convert some Igbo people into Christian, causing them to be shamed by the hierarchy of men in the village. The conversion caused changes in Igbo culture and influenced the Igbo people to behave in a way that was unheard of before the European missionaries arrived. Enoch, a recently converted Christian, committed one of the worst crimes in

Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Chinua Achebe about the tragic fall of Okonkwo, the protagonist, and the Igbo culture from the encounter with white missionaries. Okonkwo – a man of power and wealth – is a well respected and honoured leader of his clan, Umoufia of Ibo. As the novel progresses, Okonkwo accidently kills a man and he, with his family, are exiled from Umoufia for seven years. They settle in Okonkwo’s deceased mother’s village, Mbanta. During their years of exile, white missionaries who follow the Christian religion arrive and settle in Umoufia, changing the village drastically. When Okonkwo returns to Umoufia following the end of his exile, he is faced with the major transformations his village has undertaken over the years.

Throughout “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, aspects of Igbo culture are presented to the reader in order for them to obtain a grasp on how people from a part of Africa live. For the majority of Part I, different sides of Igbo culture are relayed to the reader predominantly through the 3rd person, as well as through the perspective of Okonkwo, in order to gain the understanding that these people do indeed, have a rich, intricate, and sophisticated way of life. However, things turn for the worse and in Parts II and III, where Achebe recreates the conflict between European and Igbo cultures at the turn of the twentieth century by focusing on the cataclysmic changes introduced by the forces of Christianity and colonialism, and how they destroyed the strong foundation of the once proud Igbo people.

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, presents the result of colonization of the Ibo people by the European missionaries. The Ibo culture is threatened to change by the European influence. Villagers are divided between resisting a new lifestyle or embracing it for better opportunities in society. The struggle to keep Ibo traditions alive is reflected in Okonkwo and Obierika’s relationship to one another. Okonkwo represents the resistance of change by keeping traditional values in high regard while, Obierika signifies the openness to opportunity by questioning the current Ibo values. The arrival of European missionaries persuades the exchange of traditional Ibo methods, customs, and community for Christianity, resulting in the community to fall apart.

During the African colonization period, Western beliefs greatly impacted the African mindset and belief system. In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe the impact of Western beliefs is very evident. The novel focuses on pre- and post- colonial life in Nigeria. It was among the first novels to be recognized globally by an African author, and it is widely read in modern African literature. The story is about the fall of the main character Okonkwo as well as the Igbo culture. European beliefs clashed with the traditions that are rooted deep into the society of this Nigerian community. The Igbo, especially Okonkwo, at first try to fight the influence of the evangelists; nevertheless the arrival of Christianity largely affects the Igbo religion,

Chinua Achebe 's Things Fall Apart portrays Africa, especially the Igbo society, during the pre- and post-European imperial era. This novel is about the tragic fall of Okonkwo, the protagonist, and the Igbo culture. Okonkwo is a strong and highly respected leader in the Igbo community of Umuofia. Things Fall Apart examines the demolition of African culture by the appearance of the white man in terms of the destruction of the connections between individuals and their society. Achebe also explains the role of women in this pre-colonial Nigerian community. The position of women in the novel is not respected or honored because they are not treated equally to men; they are overlooked, beat, and oppressed.

Things Fall Apart takes place in a Nigerian tribe such as the one Okonkwo, the main protagonist, lives in. Okonkwo is a very independent, impatient African leader. Throughout the story the tribe Umofia demonstrates many of their religious beliefs, traditions and ways they go about their normal life. In the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe Okonkwo is affected by Christianity, impacting the way he is accepted back into Umofia or the way he lives.

The novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe centers around a man named Okonkwo, and it explores Igbo culture through two tribes that Okonkwo is a part of, the Umuofia and the Mbanta. The novel demonstrates a number of core aspects of the Igbo culture which include religion, tradition, discipline, and unity. After exploring these aspects of Igbo culture, the novel shows how they are affected and changed by European colonialism. Achebe specifically uses interactions between Okonkwo, his tribes, and European missionaries to portray what happened to Igbo culture once European colonialism was introduced.

Of Imperialism, English writer and composer Anthony Burgess once said, “Colonialism. The enforced spread of the rule of reason. But who is going to spread it among the colonizers?”. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe chronicles the life of underdog turned successful clansman Okonkwo, as well as the complexity of the Ibo culture in pre-colonial Africa. With the arrival of British missionaries, Okonkwo’s world crumbles as their cultures clash, and more African people begin to join the church. The Ibo people at first greatly underestimate the power of the colonizers, yet they make a deep and lasting impact on their culture. These missionaries completely change the lives of the Ibo people. Achebe’s main message is to communicate this clash of

The impact of colonialism and the missionary endeavor on Ibo society in ‘’Things Fall Apart’’ novel

This is the time during which the Scramble for Africa is occurring. One of the main problems in this book is the arrival of the European Christians, who are trying to convert what they see as uncivilized heathens. Unfortunately, this also tears apart the villagers, who grow to become wary of both the missionaries and of each other, and the village falls apart internally. “How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” (p.130) In addition to causing the native Africans distress amongst themselves in their village, the Europeans also impose their own government and court of justice upon the villagers, which causes even more distress and

The single story of Africa has been reinforced by European hegemony, which has led to the changed perceptions of Africa in the West. Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, attempts to reverse the single story towards Africa by depicting African culture and customs which has led to the closer study of African way of life that couldn’t be justified with a Eurocentric perspective.

In Jefferey Meyers’s critical essay titled "Culture and History in Things Fall Apart,” he discusses both the positive and negative aspects of tribal life throughout the book. In doing so, Meyers points out that the Igbo people are cruel and that the white men colonizing Umuofia are helping rid of these cruel qualities. However, this is not the case; the Igbo people are simply expressing their culture and trying to protect the village through these “cruel” practices.

In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, rising modern ideals challenge the traditional values in Ibo culture. These confronting principles influence changes formed through chaos and disarray. While some Ibo people are more welcoming to the newer concepts, Okonkwo, a strong warrior, famous wrestler and well known leader in the Umuofia clan stays true to his traditional ways. The devout man assures himself to not stray from the traditional path due to haunting memories of his lazy father Unoka. At a young age Okonkwo concluded to vigorously work on not become his disgraceful father. In the end, Okonkwo’s life becomes dictated by his conscious will to oppose to his father, contributing to several problems with his family, friends and

History is written by the winners, as it has been for a long time, but Things Fall Apart is one of the few retellings that is written from the from the losers’ point of view. In this novel, the Ibo people in Nigeria have a working society, with rules, religion, and relative peace. Then, at the turn of the 19th century, missionaries come/came to the land with their contrasting religion and Western culture. Obierika, a clan member of the village Umuofia, must decide whether to join the missionaries, or to fight against them. However, In Chinua Achebe’s Thing’s Fall Apart, Obierika responds to the collision of Western ideas into Ibo culture with cowardice, because the missionaries and their Western culture were intimidating, influential, and had