Things Fall Apart is a novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It was first published in 1958.

The novel
reflects pre-colonial life in the southeastern part of Nigeria and how the Europeans conquer this part
during the late 19th century. It is considered to be one of the modern African novels in English, and one
of the first to receive global critical acclaim.

CULTURE CLASH

In Things Fall Apart the Igbo people are the genuine example of the primitive culture where natural and
democratic society was in action peace. People can find culture is the same in different parts of the
world. The values and ideals of the Igbo culture may be different from modern European cultures. But
the essential ideas of African or European cultures are equally respectable and life-sustaining. The Igbo
people form one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa, most of them are living in Nigeria and a few live
outside. Before the twentieth century, the Igbo was not a single village rather they were made up of over
two hundred separate groups with their own traditions, customs, and languages clearly related. Each
group could have been considered a separate society for such relations and it surrounded perhaps
twenty or thirty villages into one group. However many realized that languages were actually the
different dialects of the same language and that all Igbo-speaking people had the same basic culture and
sociopolitical organization among them as part of African culture. The notion of a common Igbo identity
is a product of the twentieth century western thought.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century most European states migrated to Africa and other parts of
the world where they established colonies. Nigeria was amongst other African nations that received
visitors who were on a colonising mission; introducing their religion and culture that is later imposed on
the people. The setting of the novel is in the outskirts of Nigeria in a small fictional village, Umuofia just
before the arrival of white missionaries into their land. Due to the unexpected arrival of white
missionaries in Umuofia, the villagers do not know how to react to the sudden cultural changes that the
missionaries threaten to change with their new political structure and institutions. Also the culture of
the people of Umuofia (Igbo culture) is immensely threatened by this change.

Achebe’s primary purpose of writing the novel is because he wants to educate his readers about the
value of his culture as an African. Things Fall Apart provides readers with an insight of Igbo society right
before the white missionaries’ invasion on their land. The invasion of the colonising force that threatens
to change almost every aspect of Igbo society; from religion, traditional gender roles and relations,
family structure to trade. Achebe also writes Things Fall Apart to encourage his fellow countrymen to
take advantage of the educational system that the missionaries introduced to them so as to better their
lives. He is determined to take the modern African Literature genre to greater heights as well as to prove
to the Europeans the value of the African culture. Before Things Fall Apart most novels written about
Africa were by white Europeans who portrayed a stereotypical Africa. But Achebe writes this to influence
other african writers, the novel was published during a period when a lot of writers emerged from
Nigeria; among them are Wole Soyinka and Ben Okri.

In Things Fall Apart, Achebe describes the history of Igbo; he described both the advantages and
disadvantages of their culture and traditions that made them different from European cultures. For
example, their beliefs in the power of ancestral god, the sacrifice of young boys, the killing of twins, and
the oppression of women to name a few. Clearly, there were many advantages in the Igbo community,
for example working together as one in any issue, if there is a dispute between two villages, the clan
leaders listen to each one of them and decide who the one who committed a crime is.
Igbo is a society that also appears to be sceptical about change. They refuse to send their children to
school where they stand a chance to be able to read and write in the English language. Despite Mr
Brown’s efforts to show the villagers that they need to learn English because they are now being ruled by
the District Commissioner and other white missionaries who only communicate in English, the villagers
still remain reluctant in educating their children. Language is also a very important element to Igbo. It
gives them a sense of belonging and they also use it as a means to preserve their culture and heritage.
And although language is important to Igbo, it ultimately leads to the fall of their society. The Igbo
depend on their language to differentiate them from other cultures. They also depend on language to
define their social rank in their society.

For instance, Okonkwo’s father Unoka was a drunkard who had only one wife, not many yams and had
no titles to his name by the time of his death. The village had named him agbala a term Igbo use to refer
to “women as well as to men who have not taken a title”, consequently a man who deserves no respect
from society because he is not “wealthy”. Based on the definition of agbala it is evident that a man
needs to gain the respect of Igbo society by fulfilling either one of the three requirements that are used
to define the social status of a man. That is by either having more than one wife, producing many yams
or by defeating the strongest man in the village in a wrestling match, which also determines the number
of women he marries because families usually marry off their daughters to strong wealthy men.

The people of Igbo are also not interested in life outside, they are a secluded community with no
knowledge whatsoever about the world outside Umuofia. They also do not show any interest in learning
about other places outside Umuofia, it can be safely concluded that anything outside of their territory is
disregarded, hence its non-existence to them. Accordingly, it comes as no surprise that the Igbo deny
their children the chance of mobility from Umuofia into the competitive world which the white man’s
education assures them.

the Igbo already have their own judicial systems that are based on the knowledge that their forefathers
have passed onto them about their culture. Their courts are spearheaded by the oldest men of the
village, whose wisdom and knowledge is trusted in the power of their ancestral gods to guide them to
give fair and unbiased ruling. However, one of the first things that the white missionaries do when they
arrive in the village is to replace Igbo courts with theirs. This disadvantages the villagers as well as they
do not know what is lawfully right or wrong in the white man’s courts. That is why the leaders of the
village are surprised when they are imprisoned after burning the missionary church.

The missionaries show no interest in learning about the culture of the Igbo people, rather, they appear
to be so keen on forcing their own culture on the Igbo. This lack of consideration of the Igbo and their
well-being from the Europeans further creates the drift that exists between the two cultures and drives
them further apart from where they first started. Moreover if any of the villagers are responsible for any
type of crime they are not even questioned by the british court, instead they are imprisoned.

Igbo is also a violent society. This is seen through the character of Okonkwo who is generally a
representative of the tribe. However, Okonkwo’s actions show that they only become violent when
certain factors force them to be. For example, Okonkwo shoots one of the messengers who are sent by
the missionaries to break up their meeting. He does this because he is tired of the white missionaries
and the power of authority they have claimed over their village. Although it is not the best decision to be
taken by him, it is understandable why he does it
As far as the Igbo are concerned the white missionaries are aliens because their origin is not known to
them. They do not even understand the concept behind Christianity. This is because until now the nature
of white people and their culture has existed outside of their language, and this ultimately leads to the
doom of their culture as they are confused about how to react to this new religion. The white
missionaries are also convinced that the Igbo are primitives and it is their obligation to civilise them even
though the so called primitives do not ask to be civilised. They believe themselves to be the long awaited
answer to the problems Igbo society faces. The white missionaries arrived in Umuofia and almost
immediately expect the people to submit to their authority and without any question.

However for some people they were also a ray of hope, Some villagers were excited to go along with the
white men’s idea seeing that it is the only way to escape from their own religion. Okonkwo’s son Nwoye
is among the first converts to Christianity, which happens right after Ikemefuna’s murder. He protests
against this act by joining the church and choosing to attend school. His father on the other hand is not
at all pleased with Nwoye’s decision to join Christianity and soon disowns him. The decision by Okonkwo
to disown his only son for following another religion is yet another example of Igbo’s inability to deal
with change.

Another convert to Christianity is a pregnant mother. She has watched her children on more than one
occasion being put to death because they were twins. She converts to Christianity to protect her unborn
child or children. Along with Nwoye and the pregnant mother, many outcasts of the village become
passionate followers of Christianity. The decision to follow Christianity by some members of Igbo society
is greatly influenced by the suffering they had encountered from their own culture. Because they are so
eager to get out of the pain and misery that Igbo religion had put them through.

When Okonkwo returns from his exile he finds his village changed by presence of the white people. He
and other tribal leaders try to reclaim their hold on their native land by destroying a local Christian
church. In return, the leader of the white government takes them in prisoner. By the end Okonkwo was
one of the few and perhaps one the only one who went on believing the white man must be driven out
by force. Only when he had killed the government messenger, he relied that maybe the fight against
white men will end but ultimately realizes there’s no way out and hangs himself, instead of being part of
the colonial court.

In conclusion the novel presents two identities, the first one is Okonkwo who symbolize the love and
respect the ancient people had for their culture and tradition and someone who realized that british
people are there to ruin it. The other identity is the modern Igbo society who gets benefits from the
colonization as they stopped the bad habits like throwing twins or oppressing women and applying the
Christian Religion in the Igbo people. This helped the modern Igbo people to be educated and benefited
from the colonizers in many things like civilization, education application of the English language. In
addition many people also adapted the English language and started writing in colonizers language
about their experience.

Moreover , both the culture could have benefited if they both positively learned about one another, but
the white men saw Igbo as a burden that they had to take care of by informing and educating them of
things they did not know. The white man believed his culture to be morally superior to Igbo culture and
the igbo society had no interest in learning about things outside of Umuofia. They were scared of change
which ultimately lead to their downfall. Although these problems seem resolved in the present time,
they still very much exist and are causing a clash between the two cultures
TITLE SIGNIFAGANCE:

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a novel whose title bears the central massage of the work. The
very title ‘Things Fall Apart’ foreshadows the tragedy which takes place at the end of the novel. The
novel depicts the tragedy of an individual as well as the tragedy of a society. The protagonist of the novel
Okonkwo who was rich and respectable at the beginning of the novel meets a tragic fate at the end of
the novel. Achebe portrays how an ambitious, well known, and respected African Okonkwo’s life falls
apart. But when he suffers, his whole tribe also suffers. At the beginning of the novel, the Ibo society was
a peaceful, organic society, but at the end of the novel it falls into pieces. Thus, the novel records not
only falling apart of Okonkwo’s life but also his whole society.

The phrase "things fall apart" is taken from the poem, “The Second Coming” by W.B Yeats, which Achebe
quotes more extensively in the epigraph. Things fall apart" can be said when something we believed
would last forever, comes to an end. The title Things Fall Apart refers to the fact that without proper
balance, things do fall apart. The notion of balance in the novel is an important theme throughout the
book. Beginning with the excerpt from Yeats' poem, the concept of balance is stressed as important; for
without balance, order is lost. In the novel, there is a system of balance, which the Igbo culture seems
but at the end of the novel the society people can not listen the leader, so a chaotic situation is created.

At the beginning of the novel we see Okonkwo as a prosperous leader of the Igbo people. But
the novel ends with his tragic end. Thus, we can say that the novel Things Fall Apart depicts how
Okonkwo’s life falls apart. Okonkwo is definitely a man of importance for his society. He is a well-known
person throughout the nine villages and beyond. He is a warrior and wrestler who gains respect through
his athletics. He is a fierce-free individual. He hasn’t lost one fight or any battles. And for this the people
of the village love him. He is also respected because of his wealth. However, his life first begins to fall
apart when he kills Ikemefuna, a prisoner who stayed at Okonkwo's home. Okonkwo considers
Ikemefuna as one of his own sons. When the oracle declares that lkemefuna is supposed to be killed,
Okonkwo takes part in his murder, despite warning from his friend. This becomes his first tragic flaw.

Another significant incidence where Okonkwo's life falls apart was when he was thrown out of the clan
for seven years. From this event, one can see that Okonkwo's hopes dreams have begun to fall apart. His
hopes of being a rich and popular individual had drifted away with this disturbing incident. Okonkwo had
no longer had his farm or animals. Also Okonkwo lost faith with most of his friends. This goes to show
that Okonkwo lost faith with his friends, like his father lost faith with his friends. Moreover, when
Nwoye, his oldest and favorite son, converted to the white mans.Okonkwo’s life is finally shattered.
After his return to the village he finds that everything is changed. He tries to fight for his culture and
tradition by burning down churches and killing missionaries. However under the white law he was
sentenced for years of humiliation which ultimately leads him to commit suicide and his life completely
falls apart.

The Igbo society also falls apart. In the first part of the book we see a socially, politically and religiously
organic Igbo society. But this organic society becomes divided and virtually loses all energy at the end of
the book.
At the beginning of the book we see that the Igbo people have a strong faith in their traditional religion.
The religion of the Igbos consisted in the belief that there is a suspense God, the creator of the universe
and the lesser gods. People made sacrifices to the smaller gods, but when the failed, the people turned
to suspense gods. Ancestor worship was also an equally important feature of the religion of the Ibo
people. There were man superstitious ideas related with their religious belief. They believed in evil spirits
and oracle. One of such Oracles is responsible for Okonkwo’s sacrifice of Ikemefuna. This incident
underlines the superstitious brutality of traditional Igbo society. We also find the brutality, injustice and
the inhuman activities in some other rituals or rules such as – people who are affected by some severe
diseases are carried on the Evil Forest to die and they do not get any burial and twain babies are thrown
out in the Evil Forest just after their birth. The ultimate result of such brutality is when the people, who
are dissatisfied with these rules, such as- Nwoye, the mother of three twin babies, when get the
opportunity to change their religion they do and the society ultimately falls apart.

Prior to the coming of the white people the political life of the Igbo people was also very organic and
strong. They were very loyal to their political leaders. However, when the white man arrives, they ignore
the Igbo’s values and trie to adapt their own beliefs and religious practices. Missionaries would convince
these tribesmen that their tribe worshipped false gods and that its false gods did not have the ability to
punish them if they chose to join the mission.

In the novel the only time the title is mentioned is when Okonkwo is having a conversation with Obierika,
about the invasion of white men into their community. ”The white man is very clever. He came quietly
and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has
won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us
together and we have fallen apart." his passage clearly ties the destruction of the Igbo people's way of
life to sneaky, divisive action on the part of European missionaries and imperialists.

The novel concludes with the end of the Igbo society and the death of the hero. In the face of the chaos
caused by the incursion of Christianity, Okonkwo becomes a murderer and then hangs himself. His world
has literally fallen apart, and it symbolically represents that Igbo society has fallen apart. Thus, we can
say, the title of the novel, Things Fall Apart denotes its theme appropriately.

CHARACTERS:

Obierika:

Obierika is Okonkwo’s best friend and also a respected man in Umuofia. He often offers reasonable
counterpoints to Okonkwo’s desire for rash action, although Okonkwo rarely takes his friend’s advice.
More than any other character, Obierika is a thinking man, one who works things out in his head. He is
one of the few characters who is truly concerned with moral ambiguities and he encourages Okonkwo to
view the world in a more balanced and less hasty manner. Obierika uses his intellect and reason to come
to decisions. However, his rationality is not cold and calculating, nor is it used to further selfish means.
Obierika mediates his intellect with compassion. All his efforts are dedicated to being a good friend,
father, husband, and responsible community member. He is one of the few characters to view the white
men with a slightly sympathetic and curious eye.

As a character, Obierika’s tends to fill the role of advice-giver to Okonkwo. He forces his friend to think
about the deeper matters at stake – like morality and universal truths. He tries to bring reason and
compassion into Okonkwo’s decision-making process, but Okonkwo rarely listens. He is too blinded and
bound by his all-encompassing fear of becoming his father to hear Obierika’s wise word. Obierika is also
less driven to prove himself than Okonkwo, which allows him to see things more clearly. However,
Okonkwo rarely heeds Obierika’s advice. Although Obierika is sympathetic to Okonkwo’s depression over
Ikemefuna, he still rebukes Okonkwo for his part in the killing. Obierika detests violence, condemning the
ritualistic killing. While Obierika values tradition, he also knows that Okonkwo’s role in Ikemefuna’s death
was unnecessary.

Obierika gives insight into many events in the novel. He discusses the changes the white missionaries
bring and the Igbo traditions of gift-giving and mysticism. For instance, part of Chinua Achebe’s Things
Fall Apart is devoted to the cultural tradition of marriage. Obierika’s daughter is married off, and he
negotiates a bride price and his daughter’s Uri, a type of marital celebration. Obierika invites Okonkwo
to attend these important celebrations, highlighting their friendship and Obierika’s respect for
Okonkwo.

While Okonkwo is exiled, Obierika helps the other clansmen burn down Okonkwo’s hut and farm, as is
tradition following a banishment. Obierika visits Okonkwo in Mbanta, informs Okonkwo of news from
Umuofia, and grows some of Okonkwo’s yams for him in Iguedo to sell to sharecroppers. Obierika brings
these profits to Okonkwo when he visits Mbanta. During Okonkwo’s banishment, Obierika tells him the
rumors about the white men and missionaries coming to the villages. The next time Obierika visits, he
tells Okonkwo that the missionaries have taken over Iguedo. He tells Okonkwo that Nwoye has
converted to the missionaries’ religion. Obierika’s observations during these tumultuous changes are
level-headed. He serves as a balance to Okonkwo’s often violent decisions and Okonkwo’s wish to go to
war with the white men.

Okonkwo, at the end of his seven-year banishment, asks Obierika to build new huts for him for his
return, representing the trust between the two. Near the end of Things Fall Apart, Obierika is angry and
confused about Okonkwo’s death. He berates the white men who come to help bury Okonkwo, saying
that Okonkwo “was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now he will
be buried like a dog.” Obierika can’t finish his sentence and his emotions take over. Obierika’s show of
emotion illustrates the many changes that white men have brought. Here, the established “manliness”
of not crying or showing grief is overturned.

Ikemefuna:
Ikemefuna comes to Umuofia early in the book, as settlement for a dispute with a nearby
village. Not knowing what else to do with him, Okonkwo lets Ikemefuna live with his first wife.
Ikemefuna quickly becomes a well-loved member of the family. He serves as a role model for
Okonkwo’s eldest son, Nwoye, and over time he also earns Okonkwo’s respect. But more
important than the role he plays in Okonkwo’s family is the effect his death has on the
unfolding events of the novel.
When the village elders decide the time has come to kill Ikemefuna and finally settle the dispute
with the neighboring village, Okonkwo insists on taking part in the execution, despite the fact
that the boy calls him “father.” Okonkwo ends up killing Ikemefuna himself out of fear that his
failure to take responsibility would make him look weak. Ikefuma’s death irreversibly harms the
relationship between Okonkwo and Nwoye. His death is also a bad omen that has a symbolic
connection to Okonkwo’s later exile from Umuofia. In this sense, the death of Ikemefuna signals
the start of things falling apart.

Nwoye:

Nwoye is the son of Okonkwo’s first wife. Within the family hierarchy, this positions Nwoye as the
highest ranking and eldest son. Nwoye often does not exhibit the supposedly manly qualities that his
father values. Instead, he shares similarities with the kinder, gentler Unoka. He is sensitive, troubled by
some Umuofian practices, and drawn to music, hope, and the poetry of the new religion, Christianity.

As a young boy, Nwoye is frequently a target for Okonkwo’s harsh criticism. He tries to please his father
but often fails. His behavior and interests, which Okonkwo considers feminine, remind Okonkwo of his
own father. Nwoye also exemplifies the familial aspect of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. In contrast
to Okonkwo, Nwoye creates bonds with his family, especially with Ikemefuna. Nwoye also prefers his
mother’s folktales to Okonkwo’s violent war stories. Although Nwoye is negatively affected by
Okonkwo’s rough treatment of him growing up, Ikemefuna, whom Nwoye develops a close relationship
with, helps him. It is Nwoye’s brotherhood with Ikemefuna that helps Nwoye emulate the masculine
traits that Okonkwo prefers.

However, Nwoye is on the brink of separation from not only his father but also his culture. Nwoye is
disturbed by some of the practices of his clan, specifically the casting off of infant twins into the Evil
Forest. He feels something “snapping” inside of him when he hears the twins crying in the forest, and he
again feels a “snapping” when he sees Okonkwo return home after killing Ikemefuna. These two
instances are the start of Nwoye’s separation from his father and his clan.

After moving to his father’s motherland, Mbanta, Nwoye is influenced by the kindness the Christian
missionaries display. He leaves his father and family to be a part of the new religion, and he promises
himself that he will go back to his mother and siblings, convert them, and take them away from
Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s lack of hesitation in disowning Nowye highlights how poor their relationship is.
When Okonkwo reflects on Nwoye’s actions, he views himself as “living fire” and Nwoye as “ash,” a
metaphor that exemplifies his belief that Nwoye is weak. Near the end of Things Fall Apart, Nwoye takes
on the name Isaac as a symbol of his conversion to Christianity and goes to study in Umuru.