European Influence in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart follows the events in the life of the main character, Okonkwo. Additionally, the book follows mini-storylines of other characters, such as Obierika. A family is very large in Ibo society because a man typically has more than one wife and children with each wife. Okonkwo has many children, but his oldest son, Nwoye, was crucial in the development of ideas in the novel. Nwoye did not conform to Okonkwo’s ideals, therefore, Nwoye felt out of place in his family. The missionaries aimed to convert people who were outcasts or out of place in the village, to give them a sense of belonging. When the Christian missionaries came to the Okonkwo’s village of Umuofia, the primary people converting were outcasts. This is explicitly said when the Achebe remarks, “None of his converts was a man whose word was heeded in the assembly of the people” (Achebe 143). The detrimental effects of Christian acculturation on the Ibo people are shown in both Achebe’s novel and Adichie’s story, but however, the contrasts are that Achebe concentrates on the methods used whilst Adichie directs attention to the lasting

Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, is a story of a traditional village in Nigeria from inside Umuofia around the late 1800s. This novel depicts late African history and shows how the British administrative structure, in the form of the European Anglican Church, imposed its religion and trappings on the cultures of Africa, which they believed was uncivilized. This missionary zeal subjugated large native populations. Consequently, the native traditions gradually disappeared and in time the whole local social structure within which the indigenous people had lived successfully for centuries was destroyed. Achebe spends the first half of the novel depicting the Ibo culture, by

Change is a reoccurring theme throughout history. It destroys and creates. It displaces and introduces. It can cause death and life. The movement of imperialism in Africa brought great change to the native tribal life. Forcing the indigenous people to turn away from their century-old traditions caused violent rifts between the European settlers and the tribes, as well as internal problems between once amiable members of the Ibo culture. With the introduction of the foreign Western Society in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the tribe’s life and ideals are drastically altered as the new ethics and principles collide with the old traditions and laws, causing the members of the society to either adapt or be crushed underneath the foot of colonialism. Achebe’s character, Okonkwo, was impacted immensely by the cultural collision, as his previous way of life was pulverized before his eyes, and he found no reason to live any longer.

Culture collision is not something that you hear about everyday. Culture collision is the clash of cultures or values. This can be triggered by many things and the way we react to it is due to our personality. When this does occur it can impact our lives in such a great way. It can have an affect on who we are and what we stand for. In the novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe we take a look at the character Okonkwo and see how he is affect by his Culture collision and see that his personality is the the factor in the way he reacts to it.

The novel “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe, is a tale based on the traditional beliefs and customs of an Ibo village during late 1800’s Africa. Through the telling of this story, we witness the remarkable depth of Igbo culture through its functions of religion, politics, judiciary and entertainment.

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

One of Okonkwo’s chief characteristics that we learn of is his extreme masculinity. This is entirely because of his father, Unoka, who was “lazy and improvident” (4). One specific childhood memory that haunts Okonkwo is “when a playmate told him that his father was agbala,” or a woman (13). Men who are called agbala in the Ibo tribe have taken no titles and are seen as failures.

When I read Things Fall Apart, I had a clear mind of what a life could be like Okonkwo’s. For the rest of the reading, a question was contacting me in different places of the novel. Okonkwo was an angry man in front of his Nigerian tribe and changed when Christian missionaries came to the Ibo village; also, I responded to the book, and my personal applications to a different culture were related to a missionary trip that was a powerful one back in 1956 in Ecuador.

Fear is a powerful tool that if used incorrectly, can control how one lives. Okonkwo’s life is one that is dominated by fear. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart follows the Ibo people, set during the time of the colonization of West Africa, in the town of Umoufia. The protagonist, Okonkwo, is a strong follower of his culture’s rigid expectations and practices. While Okonkwo’s steadfast adherence earns the respect of the townsmen, many detest the cultural expectations and practices they are forced to follow. When Christian missionaries introduce Christianity to Umoufia, many of the Ibo people are quick to convert, including Okonkwo’s own son. This new religion slowly undermines the Ibo culture and religion Okonkwo firmly believes in, leading to his downfall. In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s fear of weakness along with the arrival of Christianity causes Okonkwo’s downfall.

A writer who wants to create a suspenseful story never introduces a character into a novel without a meaning or a purpose. The main reason writers include side-characters is to fill in plot holes, create contrasts to the protagonist, or have the character represent a bigger picture. In Things Fall Apart, a novel based in Nigeria, a group of nine villages experienced European Imperialism. During this time period, there were three groups natives, peaceful European missionaries, and several European law bringers. Each one of these groups had varying beliefs and views over what was happening during the start of imperialism. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe uses three characters named: Obierika, Mr. Brown, and The District Commissioner, to help portray how each group acted during the time.

Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” chronicles the life of Okonkwo, a strong man whose existence is dominated by fear and anger, and the Ibo tribe, a people deeply rooted in cultural belief and tradition. As events unfold, Okonkwo’s carefully constructed world and the Ibo way of life collapses. The story of Okonkwo’s fall from a respected and feared leader of the Ibo tribe to an outcast who dies in disgrace dramatizes his inability to evolve beyond his personal beliefs, affecting the entire Ibo tribe beyond measure. The “things” that fall apart in Achebe’s novel are Okonkwo’s life – his ambition, dreams, family unity and material wealth – and the Ibo way of life – their beliefs, culture and values.

When distant and unfamiliar cultures interact, the exchange that ensues is either one of benevolent coexistence or malignant clashing. The key factors to having a mutually beneficial exchange between two societies is open-mindedness, acceptance, and constant effort to overcome ignorance present in cross-cultural interaction. These values, or lack thereof, are demonstrated in Things Fall Apart when European culture first collides with the Ibo people in their Nigerian homeland. The two societies meeting has a profound effect on many characters, however Okonkwo’s son, Nwoye, has the most drastic and impactful change in identity after being with the missionaries. His imbedded personality and desires lead him to stray from his upbringing and his transformation helps display the message behind Achebe’s book: two varying cultures can coexist given the right mindset by both groups.

This paper reflects the novel “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe in 1958. Achebe gives an overview of pre-colonialism and post-colonialism on Igbo, detailing how local traditions and cultural practices can “fall apart” in some scenarios through some introduced, externally created hassles elevated because of colonization. The protagonist named Okonkwo mentioned in the story is a proof showing the lifestyle of the tribe. My main objective and focus is to lay emphasis on Africa specifically the Igbo society, before and after the arrival of the Europeans in Umuofia community; the results of their arrival concerning Igbo culture, thus leading to the clash of cultures between the two categories. I will also draw on post-colonialism with respect to globalization.

In the societal views among the Igbo people, men dominate over women, as the superior species causing internal conflicts within Okonkwo, as he struggles to accept anything less than perfection from his son. Igbo society treats women as the inferior race, a tool of the man per say. This can be seen through marriage. Marriage in places such as America focus of true love for one another, while in some places, such as the Igbo tribes practice

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a novel about the fictional village of Umuofia that experiences the drastic changes brought by the arrival of white missionaries from Europe. The protagonist, Okonkwo, is a well-respected native warrior of the Umuofia clan who must face the challenges that are forcefully brought to his village, while witnessing the changes that unfold around him. Though the narrative itself is fictional, Achebe bases Things Fall Apart on the numerous stories from 19th century Nigeria, which also serves as the setting of the novel, at the time of European colonization. Coming from a Nigerian background, Achebe establishes a message against colonialism through the utilization of rhetorical devices, which, in turn transforms the novel into a staple in postcolonial literature. Things Fall Apart is a staple in postcolonial literature as Chinua Achebe presents his argument against colonialism through the utilization of setting and characterization.