Examples Of Colonialism In Things Fall Apart

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Defiant Children
Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart is set in Nigeria; the novel examines the clash between traditional African culture, and western ideals in the village of Umuofia, occupied by the Igbo tribe, through the protagonist, Okonkwo. Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel, Purple Hibiscus, is a story about a teenage girl, Kambili, which focuses on family relationships and cultural ethics. Moroccan author Laila Lalami’s novel, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, examines the life of four Moroccans who are fleeing Morocco for Spain in search of greener pastures. Things Fall Apart, Purple Hibiscus, and Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, show that defiance within children to their parents beliefs is attributed by generation …show more content…

The clash between the Western, and African ideals on African citizens created by Western Colonialism in Africa resulted to a generational gap within families. Colonialist brought with them a new way of living which attributed a new culture. In Things Fall Apart, Western imperialism affected the family of Okonkwo, especially his relationship with his eldest son, Nwoye. Okonkwo raised Nwoye using the Igbo culture in the village of Umuofia. The igbo culture consisted of its own religion that was intricate and had a number of gods. When the colonialist came to colonize the Igbo tribe, they brought with them a new culture. “We have brought a peaceful administration to you and your people so that you may be happy. If any man ill-treats you we shall come to your rescue. But we will not allow you to ill-treat others. We have a court of law where we judge cases and administer justice as it is done in my own country under a great queen…that must not happen in the domination of our queen, the most powerful ruler in the world” (Achebe 137). The colonialist culture consisted of Christianity because they had arrived to the village as missionaries. They forced …show more content…

Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus takes place during post-colonial Nigeria, and the reader is introduced to a fifteen year old Kambili whose family and country are falling apart. The relationship between Eugene and Kambili’s brother, Jaja, is deteriorating because of cultural gap. “Things started to fall apart at home when my brother, Jaja, did not go to communion and Papa flung his heavy missal across the room and broke the figurines on the étagère” (Adichie 3). Jaja was defying his father’s rule on religion and because his father was strict religious man he expected his son to follow as per his religious beliefs but there was a culture gap between them. In Jaja’s time, religion was not so much respected in the society as Eugene’s teenage time. Jaja was influenced by the new culture in the society and that caused him to defy against his father because the new culture was not parallel with his beliefs. The influence of society on parent and child relationship is portrayed in Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits through Noura’s relationship with her parents. Noura and her father, Larbi have a very good relationship because they attain the same beliefs and they don’t have a cultural gap. Their relationship changes when Noura gains a friend at school, Faten, and she is exposed to a different culture within her society. Faten is a

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