Overview of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

1102 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Things fall apart literary devices

Things Fall Apart
In the Novel Things Fall Apart (1958), written by Chinua Achebe is one of the worlds most read African novels and is a great example of tribal life in Africa at the end of the nineteenth-century (Garner, 2013). It is so much more than just a novel about tradition, customs, and history. It is more about the battle between history versus change and new ideas versus the status quo. It is a story of how when you lead by fear, force and are self-servant you are weak and will ultimately fail. The character Okonkwo’s entire life was based his fear of losing his power and losing his social status within the tribe. He was not just afraid for himself, he also created fear of him; in his tribe, and his wife and his children all feared him. The way Okonkwo wanted to live and the power he desired crumbled around him because he lived with fear of becoming his father and could not adapt to change.
Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, was in debt his entire life and was not a person that the tribe looked to for leadership and bravery. He was a man who lived in the moment and could not look towards the future (Nosek, 2008). This is something that Okonkwo deeply despised, and was ashamed that not only did he notice his father’s laziness, the rest of the village new it too. His father was also in debt to others, he held no official title within the village and was not worth anything to those around him or to his family. Respect was something that was honored and achieved through bravery, hard work and discipline, and this is something that Okonkwo took great pride and at times let blind him. He lived in fear that he would turn into his father and the only way to stop this from happening was to become self-reliant, possess many titles an...

... middle of paper ...

...m http://www.apstudynotes.org/english/sample-essays/literary-devices-things-fall-apart/
Garner, D. (2013, March 22). Chinua Achebe Examined Colonialism and Masculinity - NYTimes.com. Retrieved January 5, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/23/books/chinua-achebe-examined-colonialism-and-masculinity.html?_r=1&
Nosek, L. (2008, December). BestEssay258. Retrieved January 1, 2014, from http://www1.umassd.edu/corridors/bestessay258.html
Smith, N. (2011, November 26). Women, Colonization and Cultural Change in ?Things Fall Apart? by Chinua Achebe. Retrieved January 5, 2014, from www.articlemyriad.com/women-colonization-cultural-change-things-fall-apart/
Unknown (2012, September 11). The Cost of Change in ?Things Fall Apart? | The African Writer. Retrieved January 1, 2014, from http://theafricanwriter.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/the-cost-of-change-in-things-fall-apart/

Show More
Related

  • A Single Story Of African Culture In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

    1675 Words  | 4 Pages

    As wise John Berger once said,“Never again shall a single story be told as though it were the only one”. A “single story” is the story of a culture that we learn from stereotypes and conspiracies developed throughout time in our society. In “Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe defies the single story of African culture while still tying their native language in to show the importance between a physical differentiation of culture, and the similarities with morals and values they have in common. Through gender roles and proverbs used in the language of this book, we have a cultural insight of Nigeria through a new set of eyes given to us by Achebe that detures us from the single stories that we were taught to by our society.

    Read More

  • Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    Things Fall Apart, a novel based on the cultures and the traditions of the Igbos depict a very strong sense of struggle between change and tradition. This story is somewhat an archetype of To Kill a Mocking Bird. Not just centered on sociopolitical views but also cultural and traditional beliefs, Achebe specifically defines each speck of this Eastern Nigerian culture, from the breaking of the “kola –a caffeine-containing nut of evergreen trees to the unmasking of the egwuegwu and spiritual sacrifices to the gods and ancestors. Kola, a very essential part of the Igbo culture is represented in so many ways; it signifies peace, blessing, wealth, abundance, and respect most especially. In this society, the contest for wealth, titles and success was very important, it was a great legacy to be left by any man. Okonkwo being the strongest and most powerful man in the village had more than set a standard in that village by conquering the greatest warrior of all time. He had a symbiotic relationship with his community, as much has he benefited from the community’s societal and cultural values, so did they benefit from his strength and will power to succeed.

    Read More

  • Cultural Change Explored in Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe

    1874 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...adaptive to change. Lastly, by observing the invasion of European Missionaries, it becomes clear that these people are a ‘disease’ poisoning the society of African tribes according to Okonkwo and many others. Change can be truly classified as a positive or negative aspect in the lives of countless African men, women and children, but is the change in African tribes for the better or for worse?

    Read More

  • Destiny in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...t should not forget to be humble” (26). The proverb means that one should remember to be demure because they are nothing compared to the controllers of their destiny. The man who has become successful due to his destiny should be grateful. Okonkwo believed that “he had cracked them himself” due to his “grim struggle against poverty” and hard work (27). This goes against respect and implies that Okonkwo rejects the concept of immutable destiny. Yet his own hard work came from his fear of his father’s qualities, and his father was the way he was because of his destiny. Okonkwo’s father chose to accept his destiny of being perpetually indebt and having “taken no titles at all” (8), as seen by the numerous opportunities he had to change his ways. Since Okonkwo was destined to have Unoka as his father and become who he was, he accepted his destiny by working hard.

    Read More

  • Things Fall Apart

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe is a fictional look at the social and cultural life of an African tribe of the lower Niger River region. It depicts the every day life of the tribe and its members. It also shows the culture and customs of the tribe.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

    1780 Words  | 4 Pages

    Because Okonkwo did not want to follow in his father’s footsteps as a lazy, gentle, and poor man, he decided to create his own legacy. Some may consider this honorable; but as Okonkwo’s character evolves, it is clear that he is crippled by his own desire to escape his father’s shadow. He envisioned his father as weak but his own mindset in turn has weakened him in many areas. This is the narrative in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. The generational traits impact the characterizations of each individual in such a profound way. Okonkwo may have hated the legacy his father left behind but there was no where for him to run away from the bloodline that flowed so heavily through him.

    Read More

  • Okonkwo’s Resistance to Change in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

    1470 Words  | 3 Pages

    From an early age, Okonkwo was ashamed of his father, Unoka, who was unable even to feed his family. The unpredictability of receiving enough food at a young age was enough to inspire fear and embarrassment in Okonkwo who associated this embarrassment with his father and was given further justification for these feelings when he went out into Umuofia, discovering that the other villagers held similar opinions of Unoka. When he was old enough, Okonkwo began farming his own yams because “he had to support his mother and two sisters […] And supporting his mother also meant supporting his father” (25). Okonkwo’s self-reliance was admired, valued in the community where “age was respected […] but achievement was revered” (12); this admiration gave him feelings of security, and the respect of his peers pushed him towards greater self-respect, distancing him from his father. The security and respect became related in his mind as he viewed his acceptance in the community as his life’s goal and Okonk...

    Read More

  • Igbo Culture In Achebe's Things Fall Apart

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    The constant change within the society is inevitable in every culture, ranging from traditional sense of social values to the law and condition of the land that people needs to obey by as time when on. And these changes within the culture can have significant impact on the perspective of the whole community and the mindset of an individual. We can see this in Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” as the old Igbo culture clashing with the Missionaries’s ideals from the western world that leads to the dividing of the two culture and create this social barrier between them as one culture would often contradict with the other. This changes unfold to the reader through the eyes of the main character of the story, Okonkwo.

    Read More

  • Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart - Women's Role in the Ibo Society

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, women of the Ibo tribe are terribly mistreated, and viewed as weak and receive little or no respect outside of their role as a mother. Tradition dictates their role in life. These women are courageous and obedient. These women are nurturers above all and they are everything but weak.

    Read More

  • Social Changes in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

    1129 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, we are able to read about the social changes the white missionaries had on an African tribe. Mr. Achebe describes the way of life before the missionaries arrived and then records some of the changes, which occurred due to the changed belief system introduced by these missionaries.

    Read More

  • The Psychological Impact of Colonialism on the Victimization of Africans

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    While Collins does a succinct job of examining the economic and political factors that heightened colonization, he fails to hone in on the mental warfare that was an essential tool in creating African division and ultimately European conquest. Not only was the systematic dehumanization tactics crippling for the African society, but also, the system of racial hierarchy created the division essential for European success. The spillover effects of colonialism imparted detrimental affects on the African psyche, ultimately causing many, like Shanu, to, “become victims to the white man’s greed.”

    Read More

  • Change And Tradition In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout history, there have been many instances of people struggling to identify and cope with change and tradition, and this is no different in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.

    Read More

  • People Fall Apart in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

    1669 Words  | 4 Pages

    Things Fall Apart. New York, NY: Anchor Books. Doubleday. 1959. The.

    Read More

  • Buchi Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood as an African Feminist Text

    3065 Words  | 7 Pages

    Schipper, Mineke. "Mother Africa on a Pedestal: The Male Heritage in African Literature and Criticism." Women in African Literature Today. Ed. Eldred Durosimi Jones. Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press, 1987. 35-53.

    Read More

  • Colonialism In Things Fall Apart

    2236 Words  | 5 Pages

    The widely known novel named Things Fall Apart was written by a man by the name of Chinua Achebe. Things Fall Apart represents the cultural roots of the Igbos in order to provide self-confidence, but at the same time refers them to universal principles which vitiate their destructive potential (Rhoads 61). As the reader continues through the narrative and learn more in depth about the characters a sense of pride, trust, and faith in history come into view. Seeing Achebe’s duty as a writer in a new nation as showing his people the dignity that they had lost during the colonial period, he sets out to illustrate that before the European colonial powers entered Africa, the Igbos had a philosophy of great depth and value and beauty, that they had poetry and, above all, they had dignity (Rhoads 61). Yet, with the introduction of colonialism the characters must learn to accept and get used to a new culture and set of beliefs or face termination from society. The novel focuses on the troubles of African cultures and their struggle to adjust to colonialism. As the novel progresses, one can also observe the influence of religion over time and how it has changed in many societies. Although many readers would describe the colonialism in Africa as something normal and something you can not prevent; a closer look of this novel would suggest that the needs of human nature to expand their values and beliefs upon others causes ancient cultures to evolve or fade out of existence. Things Fall Apart in part is a statement of what the future might be if Nigeria were to take advantage of the promising aspects of its past and to eliminate the unpromising ones (Rhoads 62).

    Read More

More about Overview of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Open Document