Analysis of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
Rewriting Nigerian History Through Literature
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart was written in 1958 and is considered Achebe’s best-known novel. The story centers on the traditions of the Umofian society and the character of Okonkwo, a rich and headstrong elder.
Things Fall Apart Summary
Okonkwo and his people rely on a harmony between beings and spirits that is preserved by precise rituals and beliefs. Okonkwo wins the respect of his tribe and works hard as a farmer, all the while demonstrating his love for his land and people. When Okonkwo accidentally kills a relative, he is sent away for seven years as punishment.
When Okonkwo returns he discovers that the Christian missionaries have come and are threatening to compromise the Umofian way of life. They speak through interpreters, understand nothing of the people’s beliefs and are followed by white commissioners who laws destroy the society they were devised to ‘civilize.’ Okonkwo cannot accept these changes, even though the Umofian society does, and thus he suffers a tragic death in the end.
Political or Social Commentary
Many people believe that this book was written as a way to demonstrate how appalling the British settlers treated the African communities. Achebe’s political points are blunt; however, Achebe insists that the book is actually a social commentary on the need to be able to change and be flexible in life. He admits that change is inevitable and it was Okonkwo’s inability to change that caused his downfall.
Things Fall Apart is not a commentary on the problem with colonialism; it is a commentary on the representation of a lost tradition. From an anthological perspective, the tradition has been compromised, not by the white commissionaires but by the decision of the Umofian society to switch their religion and give up on their traditions.
Things Fall Apart is not a bitter novel about a lost life but rather a celebration of tribal societies and a revelation of his people’s souls. When religion and tradition are lost, things fall apart. Okonkwo is the voice that reminds the people of this and asserts that their traditions contained value. Achebe has created a history of his people that, before Things Fall Apart, was simply never written or even known.
Additional Reading to Things Fall Apart
As a companion read to Things Fall Apart check out A Man of the People, a satirical, bitter farce about what happens when white imperialists leave and the black politicians set up a state on “western” lines or My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, a denser, more Homeric use of Nigerian folk-styles.
Rewriting History and Re Visiting Tradition
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