Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe represents life in the 1890s of the clash between the white colonial government of Nigeria and the native or traditional culture of the Igbo people. The author shatters the stereotypical portraits of the Europeans towards the natives. Achebe carefully portrays the Igbo peoples’ culture’s complex social institutions before coming into contact with the Europeans. Throughout, the author is careful to portray the Europeans stereotypical nature; he presents certain depictions of some of the white men such as Reverend Smith. Some of the novel’s themes include cultural change, cultural differences, masculinity, colonization, and others.
The primary influence brought by the Europeans was on the tribes’ religion. The missionaries introduced Christianity beliefs and other laws that were incompatible with the native’s traditions and practices. The church led to the destruction of the clans. White men highly protected those who converted to Christianity. The other influence was on the legal system of the tribes. This played a critical role in the collapse of the clan. There were new rules that were subjected to those who refused to convert to Christianity. The alien legal system’s imposition confused the natives and added up to the hatred that the Igbo tribes had towards the Europeans. Before the whites invaded the land, the heads of the clan made most of the decisions. The white police took over their role where they passed laws, gave the final verdicts, and punished the wrongdoers. The new system was neither just nor attractive to the locals.
As depicted in the novel, masculinity was part of the Igbo culture, as portrayed through Okonkwo’s main character. He was an ambitious and violent person, and his character is entirely based on aggression. For instance, he beats up his wife and threatens to take away her life. In most African cultures, social rank and wealth play a critical role in determining a person’s position in society. Men are viewed as superior to women, as shown by the life of Okonkwo.
From the context of the novel, it is clear that Achebe is mainly interested in showing the Igbo society during the time of transition when rooted, where their traditional values are in significant conflict with Europeans. The European’s’ culture come out more powerful and tear them apart. The author paints a vivid picture of the natives both before and after the white men’s invasion. Throughout his writing, she avoids idealizing any of the two cultures. Thus, the author avoids any form of social commitment. Through his writing, the novelist tends to promote quality and seek to prevent inequality in terms of race and gender.