Analysis Of Chinua Achebe'S Things Fall Apart (Essay Sample)

Analyzing Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart
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Analyzing Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart
The world’s population exists as a series of ethnic and racial groupings. These form the building blocks for communities, nations, and regions, which in many cases share a common system of knowledge that defines their way of life. Varied as they are, there is no scientific criterion of pitching one culture as superior to others as ethnocentrism would put it. One globally acclaimed endeavor to show the sustainability of different cultures is Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart in which he depicts Africans as having been complete as pertains to culture prior to the arrival of colonialists. This essay seeks to establish the strengths and weaknesses of the Igbo culture as portrayed in Things Fall Apart, to assess the author’s success in achieving his main goal.
The story in Things Fall Apart is set in an Igbo clan, Umuofia, which consists of nine villages throughout which the protagonist, Okwonkwo, was renowned for his wrestling prowess. Okwonkwo is portrayed as a violent man who had a no-nonsense attitude towards matters pertaining to the Igbo culture. His violent nature is a depiction of a typical Igbo man’s view of violence. Their position concerning violence was rigid in the introductory parts of the story. “To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength,” (Achebe, 1958, p. 28). To appease Umuofia for an accidental murder, a virgin and a young boy are given as sacrifice by the perpetrators.
The same fate befalls Okwonkwo when he accidentally kills a boy at a funeral. The penalty is not compromised despite his high standing in the clan. His homestead is violently brought down and his animals killed. On another occasion, Enoch a zealous Christian convert unmasks an Egwugwu in public to demonstrate the powerlessness of the revered creatures. This action prompts to the violent burning of Enoch’s homestead including the church where he worshiped. These examples portray the Igbo as a people whose culture took a rigid stand on culture in the initial stages of the story.
This position, however, changes on different occasions throughout the story such as when Okwonkwo is punished due to breaking the week of peace by severely beating his wife. Later on, when the clan refuses to join Okwonkwo’s onslaught on the district commissioner’s messengers, this position is portrayed as having changed or undergoing a change to become more flexible.
Apart from their rigidity on cultural issues, Things Fall Apart also portrays the Igbo as an organized people. Prior to colonialism, there existed a well-established democratic system in Umuofia where the ndichie (elders), gathered the entire clan at the market square to make important decisions (Achebe, 1958). Through such gatherings, the Igbo’s attempt to propagate an air of equal and fair treatment for all was evident. Everyone with something to say sought and was given a chance to do so. Moreover, “Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered” (Achebe, 1958, p. 8). Consequently, Okwonkwo strives to amass wealth, earn a place among the mighty men of his clan, and overshadow the legacy of his father’s weakness. Umuofia encourages hard work among its people.
Apparently, contrary to popular belief that Africans were primitive, and would gladly go to war without any reaso...