Introduction
Chinua Achebe’s “Things fall apart” is one of the most influential pieces of literature from the African continent. The paper shall examine why this is the case, especially through textual examples.
Why Achebe’s novel is so influential
Achebe succeeds in giving an African viewpoint of colonialism thus breaking the stereotype that Africans’ opinions are insignificant during cultural interactions with the West. In so doing, he renders meaning to the traditional African way of life and he also dignifies the people of the continent. Achebe is able to do this through several mechanisms. (Achebe, 2003)
First of all, the entire novel focuses on African characters while white colonialists are merely mentioned. This means that the writer explores the strengths, weaknesses, insecurities, traditions, beliefs, motivations, and other characteristics of the African people. In so doing, one can then identify with their struggles as well as their assertions. This means that Chinua Achebe’s novel has succeeded in rendering legitimacy to the African culture. There are several ways in which he has been able to do this. For instance, he talks about the political system of the Ibo people. (The Ibo are a tribe in Nigeria and the focus of the entire novel) the latter group did not have a king, chief, or a single ruler; instead, they settled matters through a council of elders. For instance, after the village made a peace treaty with another village, the council of elders decided that they would take a boy called Ikemefuna as a peace meal offering. Achebe also reveals the religious beliefs of the Ibo people; they worship a god known as Chukwu as well as a harvest god, rain god, and other nature gods. The culture of the Ibo people is largely patriarchal in that women play a minor role in childbirth and child-rearing. This is the reason why the main character Okonkwo was ashamed of his father because he had ‘feminine traits’ i.e. he was lazy. Also, the people of Ibo valued hard work as was seen through Okonkwo’s superior status in the village. “long stacks of yam stood out in his barn.” (p, 10) He had acquired this position as a result of his farming activities.
More importantly, Achebe is able to bring an insight into the social values that drive individuals in any society. Through the main character, we learn that persons are defined by the values in their society. Okonkwo believed that one’s strengths lay in one’s wealth as well as one’s masculinity. The latter traits were highly valued at the beginning of the novel before the Ibo were colonized. However, towards the end of the novel, both these traits became insignificant as colonialists dominated the economic and social systems of the land. This was why the main character became distraught and disillusioned. He lost a sense of place and ended up committing suicide.
This novel also illustrates what occurs when two cultures come together. When one culture perceives the other as being suspicious or superior, then this usually ends up in tragedy. The colonialists regarded African culture as inconsequential and thus mistreated and oppressed the African people. They paid the price for this by losing their place in Africa through independence; where the people of Africa reclaimed their sovereignty. On the other hand, Africans also mistrusted the colonialists who were seen as selfish individuals interested in taking what was not theirs. This level of mistrust caused many Africans to lose much of their cultural identity. In other words, the novel illustrated that the best stance for any two interacting cultures is to treat each other as equals and to learn from one another.
Achebe also shows that change is a must in life and those who try to resist it will only be phased out. Okonkwo wanted to be seen as strong and as masculine as possible. These traits were valued in the past but were rendered insignificant later on in the novel. Okonkwo’s ability to adjust to those modifications made him what he became at the end of the novel; a suicide case. Achebe asserts that “Okonkwo was not a cruel man but his entire life was driven by fear of failure”. Change is a necessity in life and one cannot escape it.
Conclusion
Achebe helped the African people as well the world to understand: how cultural interactions occur, the truth about the African people as well as change in general. This is why the novel is so influential.
References
Achebe, C. (2003). Things fall Apart. New York: EMC Corporation