The Two Faces of Reality in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

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The dark and mysterious black hole that is the unknown may often lead to false assumptions concerning what is foreign or distant from personal realities, creating the risk of spawning offensive racial stereotypes that marginalize the truth and result in widespread belief in falsehood. Chinua Achebe looks to combat this phenomenon through his writing in Things Fall Apart, as he narrates the story of Okonkwo and his village. The novel challenges stereotypical characteristics attributed to Africa and its people by offering an insider’s perspective on the complexity of Ibo society and colonialism.
Historical factors and unfamiliarity with genuinely African perspectives cause the establishment of condescending misconceptions, which do not reflect reality within African communities. Superficial knowledge of the peoples and cultures that make up this region generate ideas that are heavily influenced by Eurocentrism and colonialism, resulting in “fragmented, and at times, fallacious, images” of individuals and societies (John Metzler). It is not unusual to associate “savagery” and “lack of civilization” with this continent, or even to consider Africa as “a homogenous place analogous to a country”, brought about only after European intervention (Metzler). Added to the lack of truly legitimate perspectives that can disprove these assumptions, Africa has been stereotyped as a wild, dark landmass ridden with chaos and violence when, in fact, it is not.
The cultural complexity revealed by Achebe’s novel that disproves this stereotype is partially determined by the intricate and developed religion of the Ibo. The diversity of spirits that compose their religion shows sophistication through a structure that comprehends greater gods such as ...

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...of not just the “warlike men of Umuofia”, but an entire culture, which was left destroyed (183).
Thus, the authentic African perspective in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart challenges and entirely changes preconceived notions of colonialism, which is portrayed as a negative influence. As a result, perception stands out as crucial to understanding reality. Acting as colored glass, perceptions allow us to see, however with slight modifications, as they tint every situation with each individual’s personal experiences, values, doubts and fears, leaving us to wonder whether it is possible to ever objectively understand the world around us.

Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print.
"Unit One: Why Study Africa?" Exploring Africa. Ed. John Metzler. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. .

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