Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart follows the tragic fall of Okonkwo, the leader of the Umuofia tribe, and the Igbo culture. Okonkwo as the leader of his tribe is extremely steeped in the culture of his Indigenous African tribe. He resents the idleness of his father, and the shame his father brought to his family, and so Okonkwo resolves to show his manliness and strength through extreme acts of violence and insensitivity. Although brutal and unforgiving, Okonkwo upholds the culture and tradition of his people through actions that could be considered brutal and savage. However, Okonkwo and his family are exiled from their village after committing a crime against an African Goddess. Meanwhile, while living in exile, Okonkwo comes into contact with Christian missionaries who begin to convert indigenous people to Christianity. Okonkwo's son Once Okonkwo's exile ends, he returns home to Umuofia only to find that his village has been utterly transformed. Despite his attempts to rid his home of European colonization, Okonkwo finally recognizes that his people have given in to colonization. Everything has fallen

Rather, the British understanding of a civilized people stems from British understanding, European culture, and Christian values. The British fail to recognize that their understanding of the Indigenous African people is incorrect. Based on the action of dismantling of African culture, the British are clearly incapable of colonizing and simultaneously retaining native tradition. This fact is clearly illustrated by the failure of the British people to understand the African people before attempting to fundamentally change who they are as a people. In fact, the British make no attempt to understand the Indigenous culture. Instead, the British assume the superiority of their own way of life and seek to impose it on others with no real