Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, Ezinma battles an internal conflict of wanting to act like the opposite gender, but is looked down upon because of her sex. Ezinma ultimately resolves this conflict by following the expectations of society; however, this choice also illustrates her true character as both rebellious and ladylike. Ezinma’s decision to follow the gender roles also reveals the universal theme that social orders may determine how an individual acts according to stereotypes and gender roles.

All over the world, cultures possess traditions that are uniquely their own. When two diverse cultures collide, there is a cultural shock that is experienced by both sides. In the novel Things Fall Apart, the colonization of Umuofia by the British created a drastic cultural clash that suppressed the Igbo tribe’s unaltered culture. The colonization influenced many people’s lives in the Igbo tribe; some members converted to Christianity, others wanted to keep the Igbo’s traditions alive, such as Okonkwo. According to Okonkwo, war was the only viable option. The British colonization fostered Okonkwo’s change to go from being a momentous man in his clan to an outcast among his village.

Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart, once said: “A man who makes trouble for others is also making troubles for himself”. This concept can be seen in the development of Okonkwo as a character throughout the book. Creating plenty of trouble for others, but ultimately creating the most trouble for himself is possibly the plot for the entire book. Generally, the creation of trouble is not a value that is appreciated in any culture, especially in Umuofia. Okonkwo breaks many of the boundaries and social norms within his culture; his tendency to be immature and unaccountable combined with being very self-concerned and the defiance of elders creates an interesting mix adjacent to the cultural standards.

In Things Fall Apart there are many cultural collisions created by the introduction of Western ideas into Ibo culture. Through careful examination about the character Okonkwo in the novel “Things Fall Apart”, by Chinua Achebe, we come to realize Okonkwo was in fact un-accepting of the cultural collision. Okonkwo was sadly unable to adapt to the new society that was set forth to him.

Change is a natural process that triggers the evolution of human societies; it is the continuous eradication of traditions that are replaced by the new. Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ (TFA), a novel written in 1958, explores the gradual transformation of the Ibo culture as a result of colonialism and also the attitudes the people of Umoufia developed when exposed to foreign ideologies; the change was either accepted or resisted. Peter Skrzynecki’s ‘Crossing The Red Sea’ (CRS) and ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ (FS) from the Immigrant Chronicle, a poetry collection published in 1975 depicts the evolution of the Australian society due to factors including migration, assimilation and different perceptions. These forces of change contributed to the

In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Christianity is introduced to a tribal clan through missionaries. The clan, however, has their own religion, which comprises of a clear social structure. While the mission is beneficial to many members of the clan, others are not content with the new influence. The Agbala—men with no title—are grateful for the new religion: the mission provides them with a new opportunity to become a respected member of society. The powerful men are wary of this change, as it decreases their power and status in the society, and allows for more social freedom and movement. As many in the tribe take to the new religion, the culture is slowly forgotten, causing conflict. When the missionaries enter Umuofia and attempt

As a story about a culture on the verge of change, Things Fall Apart deals with how the prospect and reality of change affect various characters. To some extent, Okonkwo’s resistance of cultural change is also due to his fear of losing societal status. Long scorned, these outcasts find in the Christian value system a refuge from the Igbo cultural values that place them below everyone else. The tension about whether change should be privileged over tradition often involves questions of personal status. Okonkwo, for example, resists the new political and religious orders because he feels that they are not manly and that he himself will not be manly if he consents to join or even tolerate them.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” [Benjamin Franklin] In the book, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo prepares for himself to fail in his later years of life. Okonkwo’s mental attitude kept him from preparing himself for success when his clan started to fall apart. Throughout the book, Okonkwo developed a personality that restricted him from accepting reality, and when his fantasy world fell apart, his lack of preparation and his attitude led him to failure. Okonkwo keeps running from all his fears instead of facing them, in the long-term this creates problems when his biggest fears return and he is unable to conquer them. The next state of mentality that caused problems was that Okonkwo could not adapt to

Before all of commotion began, “Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness” (13). After the beginning of the imperialism, Nwoye converted to Christianity, so Okonkwo acted as if he had never known Nwoye as part of his family. It was as if Okonkwo never had a son, even though he worked so diligently on training him to be a good person throughout Nwoye’s childhood. Okonkwo’s reaction and change in identity contributed to Achebe’s overall purpose for writing the

An intelligent motivational speaker, Peter Senge, once said "People don 't resist change. They resist being changed!" As we go on in life, we come across two types of individuals, ones who see the chance to better themselves by making important changes, and ones who think there is no need for change due to the belief that everything about them is perfect. In the two books, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, the characters Okonkwo, Nwoye, and Pooh all illustrate the effects of accepting and or resisting change.

They felt as if the white men were oppressing their culture, stealing members of the tribe and converting them, and occupying their land. In the haste of all the negativity and anger towards the white men, Achebe put little emphasis on the positive effects of European Imperialization. Nwoye was struggling in Mbanta and he needed redirection and help, none of which he would have received without the white men's presence. Under European influence, Nwoye was able to break away from the chains of his culture and enter into a world where he could earn a western education. If the Europeans never imperialized Nigeria, who knows what would have happened to Nwoye. Perhaps he would have become Okonkwo’s biggest fear:

But he now knew that they were the foolish women and children, and he knew his father wanted him to be a man.” Nwoye knew it was time to grow up even if he didn't want to because his dad wanted him to become a man, this is a good example of person v.s. self conflict, it shows that there were a lot of times in the tribe people were ashamed of themselves. On page 151 Achebe states “Nwoye struggled to free himself from the choking grip.” Okonkwo was choking Nwoye because

All through “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, the portrayal of culture and rituals is astonishingly important and determines the fortune of the men, women and children. Certain rituals or customs that are practiced in their culture would unquestionably be frowned upon in the United States; thus is completely acceptable in their society. For example, the idea that twins are bad luck and should be left to die in the forest twins, normally abandoned in the ‘evil forest’ on account of the belief that they

The belief in African inferiority has existed since at least the 16th century. The 17th and 18th centuries saw European scientists going to great lengths to find scientific proof of the inferiority of Africans, even the theory that Africans were the descendants of apes who raped white women was accepted during the 17th century. Europeans used their belief that Africans were primitive, cultureless subhuman beings to justify the enslavement of what UNESCO estimates to be between 25 and 30 million Africans between the late 17th and early 19th centuries. With the exceptions of Brazil, Puerto Rico and Cuba, slavery in the Western world had been abolished by 1870, yet the belief in African inferiority continued throughout Europe and the United

In the book, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe presents the main character, Okonkwo, to us as a tragic hero. We watch Okonkwo progress through the book, and observe as his tragic flaw leads to his ultimate downfall. Obierika, Okonkwo’s best friend, always stands by Okonkwo and serves as Okonkwo’s voice of reason as they face the British colonization of their villages. The way Achebe presents these characters to helps shape the overall theme of the novel: the interpretations people have of one another’s culture can lead to their downfall when they clash. More specifically, the misinterpretations the Igbo tribe had of British intentions led to their downfall when the cultures clashed in Things Fall Apart.