“Things Fall Apart” is a tragic account of Okonkwo as the main protagonist. The novel is written by Chinua Achebe. Chapters 13-25 result in the advent of white colonial administration that Achebe correlates with Christianity. These chapters enhance the theory of Post-Colonialism. This is a literary supposition that critically analyzes various colonial, cultural, and politically related insurgences of citizens in a particular setting or piece of work. The ineffective resistance of Okonkwo and the Igbo people highlights various standpoints that proponents of Post-Colonial Theory argue about.
One intriguing episode in the novel that explicitly shows the resistance of colonialism and the rebirth of a new social system is exposed by Okonkwo. A few years after returning from exile loneliness takes the better part of him. He is sorrowful when he reminisces how Nwoye joined the new faith which is a cultural shift. The white men tried to spread the gospel but “the arrival of the missionaries had caused a considerable stir in the village….” (Achebe, page 101). He joins the clan in responding vehemently to Enoch’s unfamiliar act of unmasking one of the egwugwu that whipped him. This shows the effect brought about by the new colonial administration. Enoch’s act enthusiastically gives Okonkwo the zeal to gain courage and make a ploy that will excommunicate these distracters from his village. He leads the people to burn down the church after this abominable act. An anger-fueled response to the misdemeanor! Before this act, Enoch’s devotion “to the new faith had seemed so much greater than Mr. Brown’s that the villagers called him The Outsider who wept louder than the bereaved” (Achebe, page 131). Okonkwo incites the village to alienate the missionaries and followers. Enoch represents the true followers of the new religion which is a post-colonial consequence. This episode resulted in the corporal punishment of clan elders. The fruitless resistance increased his anger and he slashed a man’s head. This showed the legal aspect of administration. With guilt, he commits suicide. This gives a tragic end to him and a hopeless situation to the African people in the novel.
Chapter 13 captures the social institution of death. The demise of a great warrior called Ezeudu. While in the ceremony he accidentally fires a stray bullet that claims the life of the warrior’s son. This act renders him a cast-out member. He opts to seek refuge in his mother’s homeland for seven years as prescribed by the social fabric. The cultural adherence to spiritual gods manifests itself here. When Okoli killed the sacred python, he dies alone and is judged by the spiritual gods. Thus “his death showed that the gods were still able to fight their battles. The clan saw no reason for molesting Christians” (Achebe, page 114). These are the most profound ideologies that surpass the advent of civilization. Although there was resistance people enjoyed a considerable improvement in their products because their village had attracted business opportunities of cowries and yams. But the coming of the white has drifted Okonkwo from his son, his people, and his goal. This not only stalks Okonkwo as he returns to his homeland but also learns of the deviation of the people. What startles Okonkwo the most is that the white man lives amongst the Igbo people! His goal was to be identified and be superior amongst his people. The issues concerning color and albino are raised. Importantly, the educated Africans are seen to teach fellow Africans and thus add to the subjects raised by the proponents of the Post-Colonial Theory. The aspect of racial degradation is expansively shown by Okonkwo. Masculinity and bravado make him overshadow the strength of inevitable change that is rampant in the village.