Chinua Achebe 's Things Fall Apart

White. White everywhere. White men everywhere. White men with new idea everywhere. These are the thoughts running wild in a person’s mind who has never seen a person with white skin and when they begin to bring new things and ideas their thoughts begin to build. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe what seemed to be a normal day in Umuofia turned into a day of new faces and later to come, a new clan. As white men arrived they brought many things from their culture and at the beginning they seemed to be making a difference for a more positive society but readers quickly find out that these things were only brought to manipulate the Ibo people into doing the desired actions of the white men.

The single story of Africa has been reinforced by European hegemony, which has led to the changed perceptions of Africa in the West. Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, attempts to reverse the single story towards Africa by depicting African culture and customs which has led to the closer study of African way of life that couldn’t be justified with a Eurocentric perspective.

What would you do if Christianity came and took over your world? In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, describes a man who was affected by Christianity which not only destroyed him but also his family and his tribe. Okonkwo is the main character who faces the demise of his world when the missionaries came in and took over his world. Okonkwo is a very independent, impatient African leader and is affected by Christianity, impacting the way he is accepted back into Umofia or the way he lives. Achebe 's description of life in the village after colonization, helps to create a setting that condemns colonization. In the Caryl Phillips interview, Achebe believes that “Conrad is for the colonizing mission, and he concedes that the novel, in part,

Imagine having your lifestyle and culture by a group of unknown men who has contradicting beliefs, and single handedly changed in the course of your lifetime, some changes are for the greater good and vice versa. In the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the people in the igbo culture lived with their culture being not tampered for quite some time with living in a polytheist religion, inequality in gender roles, and practices of ancient tribal rituals. Rumors started to arise from distant villages about unidentified white men with iron horses were roaming around land, converting and dissembling the way the igbo people lived with, but it took some years for those same white men to arrive and tamper with the village of Umuofia. Time

Growing up in an environment where one’s parents and society restrict the behavior of that individual, can be a very challenging situation to be in. This was so for Nwoye. Raised in the Igbo culture, social order was said to demand conformity. It was a culture where he was forced to act a certain way, or be punished by his father Okonkwo, which wasn’t a type of lifestyle Nwoye would want to be living all his life. The book, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe uses Nwoye to exemplify the outcomes in a relationship, of a father forcing masculine and cultural tradition values his son, Nwoye. Although, Nwoye’s curiosity on the Igbo culture and will to become the person that he wants to be, comes before him even if it calls for going against

In the novel, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe demonstrates how the integration of two different cultures can result in the destruction of one entirely. The story is centered around Umuofia, one of the 9 Ibo villages in Nigeria, Africa. It is a confined, well-structured society that is commonly viewed as a Utopia, or an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. It is a tight-knit community with little to no conflict. All inhabitants share the same cultural beliefs, the village has a well-developed justice system to keep things in order, and they even have traditions that bring them all closer together. However, it doesn't take too long for things to completely fall apart. Sooner rather than later, the village

In the book, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe presents the main character, Okonkwo, to us as a tragic hero. We watch Okonkwo progress through the book, and observe as his tragic flaw leads to his ultimate downfall. Obierika, Okonkwo’s best friend, always stands by Okonkwo and serves as Okonkwo’s voice of reason as they face the British colonization of their villages. The way Achebe presents these characters to helps shape the overall theme of the novel: the interpretations people have of one another’s culture can lead to their downfall when they clash. More specifically, the misinterpretations the Igbo tribe had of British intentions led to their downfall when the cultures clashed in Things Fall Apart.

In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe conflict is almost inevitable when two cultures come into contact. Okonkwo has a normal life as a male villager he has to grow his yams and live normal but when foreigners show up conflict occurs. This is shown in the book by showing the villagers saying to the white men to build their church in the evil forest and the white men go on and do it. This attracts some of the villagers to this which leads to major conflict in the village and they start to attack each other by burning things and arresting each other. It does not have to lead to conflict right away but it does happen at some point hence the name Things Fall Apart when the Christians first arrive all is ok but later on it all breaks loose. By looking

When people read books, they look for the shared connections, ideas, and similar memories to advance their insight of the book, or make it more interesting. I guess you could say this makes the character more personable. When the characters share common characteristics with the reader, they begin to feel attached to the story and they feel what the character feels. The book I felt the most in sync with was Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I feel like I shared the greatest connection with Okonkwo out of all the characters in the novel. I feel this way because I can relate to the feelings he holds toward his father anger, embarrassment, and hatred just to name a few.

The most traumatizing and destructive statement someone can say is to “Be a Man.” As Carlos Gomez once stated, “So many men in this world (are) living in this sort of quiet desperation, confined in this box of toxic masculinity.” In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, some characters are the epitome of this toxic masculinity. Things Fall Apart shows the dimension of both Igbo people and culture, while highlighting the tale of a tragic hero, Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s rise to glory was demonstrated by his humble beginnings and eye for prosperity. However, abundant cultural differences show how conflict emerges between individuals and what society expects of them. The novel also in part traces Okonkwo’s lack of emotional awareness as he murders his surrogate son while simultaneously criticizing his other biological son for being effeminate. Ultimately, Okonkwo’s obsession with masculinity sparked aggression between the white missionaries, and eventually he was driven to commit suicide. Chinua Achebe reveals that the overpowering theme of hyper masculinity portrays one as emotionally unacceptable, and although one ideal, the author demonstrates how heavy masculine qualities tear apart relationships and structure in life.

Another form of political resistance is through the characters in Achebe’s Things fall Apart. The character’s use their bodies and morals to rise against oppression. What the characters do is isolate difference or let, “Umuofia…decided to kill him… [in fear] of being thought weak” (Achebe, 1986, pp. 40-43). Through the physical act of death the end is inevitable and while the Africans decide to act upon it, the colonization is what refrains the movement of the town. There is a clash of cultural conflict because of the way societies deal with political situations. Resulting in separation in Okonkwo’s morals, especially when, “All was silent… Okonkwo’s gun had exploded and a piece pf iron… [In] the…heart… [Forced] to flee.” (Achebe, 1986,

For centuries, women have been and continue to be the quiet leaders and the backbone of our society. Although they are often times not in high positions of power they are powerful, and vital for society to function. In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, it is clear that women are viewed as the weaker sex. Throughout the novel, women are treated as property, shown as weak, and are ruled by men. Okonkwo's greatest fears are failure and weakness. When he was a child he learned that, "… agbala was not only another name for woman, it could also mean a man who had taken no title" (Achebe, p.13). Although they are viewed as weak and powerless, when Okonkwo returns to his motherland, Uchendu explains to him that, "… when there is sorrow and bitterness

At the conclusion of Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart it states how profound changes lead to the demise of Umuofia’s great warrior. “ Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was dangling, and they stopped dead.”

In the novel “Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe teaches us that two cultures are unable to thrive together when they are forcing themselves onto the other through his use of the main protagonist, Okonkwo. This novel, “Things Fall Apart”, is about the African culture of the Ibo people being invaded by western influences in which Okonkwo is trapped within the feud. This book depicts differences between the two colliding cultures, Okonkwo’s culture, and his response to the newly changing environment to present Achebe’s theme.

In 1958, Chinua Achebe a famous Nigerian author publishes one of his most famous novels Things Fall Apart. The novel takes place in a Nigerian village called Umuofia. During the time that this novel is published Nigeria is being criticized by the Europeans for being uncivilized. In response, Achebe uses his brilliance in this novel to express the valued history of his people to his audience. His focus in the novel is on the pre-colonized people of the Igbo tribe and their tribal leader Okonkwo. Achebe discuses early in the novel that the tribe is outlined by many rituals and values that they follow religiously. However, when the well-respected leader Okonkwo mistakenly