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Things Fall Apart Essay
Things Fall Apart Essay
Things Fall Apart Essay
well-being. Many times, a society’s health is being reflected upon individuals and group attitudes
toward the traditions and values. The author, Chinua Achebe explains this idea through the novel
Things Fall Apart in which the Umuofian values of religion, personal achievements, and male
superiority are questioned by many individuals. These questions spark conflict among the tribe
and its people. As a result, the inflexible Umuofian traditions and values cause the culture’s to
fall apart.
The religion in the Umuofian tribe has a dominant control over the social and political
life of its people which caused the tribe to break apart. The head of the religious hierarchy in the
tribe consists of the oracle which is perceived as the most “supreme” (Clayton 1). Being the most
supreme ruler, the Oracle has the absolute power in making arbitrary decisions in both social and
political issues. The Oracle is fixed in its decisions and not tolerant of any changes. Therefore,
even the most far-fetched decisions are expected to be carried out in full obedience. In the scene
where Ikemefuma is told to be killed, the messenger, Ogbuefi Ezedu confronts Okonkwo and
says “The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves has pronounced it. They will take him outside
Umuofia as is the custom, and kill him there” (Achebe 57). This issue is resolved by only one
representative, the Oracle. There is no consensus from which bodies of members could discuss
over these issues. As a result, the decisions which are made are irrational and illogical as shown
separation between low class of tribal members and the high class of religious members, which
weakens the tribe as a whole. A similar situation is shown by where “old people and twins are
left in the Evil Forest to die” (Sarr 2). Both the killing of Ikemefuma and twins left to die in Evil
Forest are highly related. All of these decisions are based on superstition in which individuals
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question their moral standards. Nwoye, son of Okonkwo describes seeing twins left in the forest
as the same “feeling” when Ikemefuma is killed (Achebe 62). This feeling that Nwoye had
eventually made him realized the cruelty and immorality of the tribe’s beliefs. Consequently,
when the missionaries arrive, Nwoye accepts the Christians’ alternate view of love and
acceptance. He responds to their message by turning away from his tribe, which influence many
others to do so with the same values. Moreover, Obierka’s reasons for opposition to religious
authority are even more subtle. While Okonkwo ask for his presence in Ikemefuma death,
Obierika simply replies “Because I [do] not want to” (Achebe 66). This defiant assertion
demonstrates Obierika direct disagreement on the full authority of the religion. It may be
assumed that Obierika wants a change in this society where the full control of religion is
minimized and transferred to the hands of the people. Not only would religion be a factor in the
culture’s destruction but also other traditions and values which would open up the Pandora’s Box
in the society.
Besides religion, the emphasis on individual values and achievement cause major
downturn in the Umuofia tribe. The Umuofia tribe greatly focuses on the value of masculinity by
demonstrating the significance of the wrestling match. In the beginning of the book, Okonkwo
has a lot of fame by “throwing Amalinze the Cat” (Achebe 3). Since this society stress the value
on physical strength, individuals have to prove themselves in order to receive a high position in
the tribe. Thus, individuals will eventually become obsessed with strength and fearful of
weakness. Okonkwo is one prime individual who is greatly impacted by this notion. During the
slaughter of Ikemefuma, the author states that Okonkwo “[draws] his machete and [cuts] him
down. He [is] afraid of being thought as weak” (Achebe 61). The action that Okonkwo made is
rather irrational and rashful based on his fear of weakness. However, the cause of Okonkwo’s
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attitude is influenced by the tribe’s culture of achievement and masculinity. As individuals such
as Okonkwo try to become strong, they become unnoticed that their downfall is right at their
doors. As a result, the tribe’s unity is broken as a whole due to individual downfalls in the
society. Moreover, the positions in tribe are important in determining economic success such that
“a man’s prestige is in direct proportion to the size of barns and compounds, number of titles”
(Sarr 2). A detriment problem is associated with this tradition as individuals who have physical
strength tend to have higher recognitions in the tribe compare to those who do not have the
masculinity. As a result, those individuals with higher status will own more economic wealth
than the lower class. This unequal distribution of wealth in the society causes the immense
division of the Ibo society and eventually leading to its downfall. The fear of failures in
individuals and the separation of social classes lead to the disunity of the tribe however the
The lacks of feminine importance in the Umuofia tribe bring the tribe to its end. Women
are supposed to be partners and helpers of men and have to be treated with respect. However, the
Ibo tribe reverses this idea of women and brings male to superiority. Uchendu describes the
status of men as “the head of the family and his wives do his bidding” (Achebe 133). The Ibo
culture is base on male prosperity where only the men could achieve high social status. In
contrast to men, women are regarded as unnecessary objects and had to obey the commands of
men. Hence, women could not voice out their opinions and ideas in the society. These opinions
and ideas could help advance the society in politics, technology, and education. Without the
equal rights of women and men, the Ibo tribe would not develop but rather contract and wither
away. In the content of agriculture and farming, men own “the yams, the king of crops” (Osei-
Nyame 8). Even through agriculture, the men gets dominate rights over the women in deciding
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the crops to own because the male society believes that women are weak and failures.
Consequently, women are deprived of their natural abilities and a division among males and
females occurs in the tribe. In addition to men’s superiority, men could also abuse their power by
beating their wives. The author states that “Okonkwo [walks] back to his obi . . . and when she
[returns] he [beats] her very heavily” (Achebe 29). Since wife-beating is common in the Ibo
tribe, women have a large opposition against the superiority of men. The form of opposition
comes through passive questions and doubts which provide a further insecurity in the tribe.
Fables and folktales told by women suggest the fact that female questions and ideas are
implemented into the male culture of the Ibo tribe. The unequal rights of women and the
disrespect for female virtues lead to the devastating fate of the Ibo tribe.
The authoritarian attitude towards the questioning of traditions and values in the Umuofia
tribe result in the downfall of the tribe. In fact, the dominant control of religion over individuals’
life, the emphasis on the value of achievement, and the lack of feminine importance contribute to
peoples’ distrust on higher authority. When people doubt and seek change in a society, the
welfare of a nation falls apart just like the Umuofian village in Things Fall Apart.