Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe takes place in the 19th century, during the pre and post European imperial era. It is based on the Igbo civilization, traditionally known as traders, farmers and craftsmen with a great social organization. Their culture was rich with traditions with a great emphasis on justice and fairness. The story follows the tragic fall of the life of Okonkwo, a respected leader of the Igbo tribe, Umofia, located in Nigeria. Okonkwo, in response to overcoming his cowardly father, lived his life in constant approval of people; he became highly known for his actions of a wrestler, warrior, farmer, and family provider. He had three wives and a son, Nwoye, whom he controlled and dominated to prove his strength and power.

An important event starts with a man from the neighboring village, Mbaino, who was required to give up his son, due to killing a woman; Okonkwo took the son into his own family. A strong bond was developed between Okonkwo and the boy, Ikemefuna. Ogbuefi Ezeuder, an elder of the village, informed Okonkwo that Ikemefuna must be killed in revenge for the murdered woman three years earlier. Okonkwo refuses to look weak and kills Ikemefuna himself. Ogbuefi

Court messengers were then sent to put a stop to their meeting. Outraged, Okonkwo killed one of the messengers in hope to find villagers doing the same. However, they ended up setting the messengers free. Okonkwo then realized that his people would not fight off the white men in order to obtain their old way of life. With this knowledge, he could not go on living his life; in result, Okonkwo hung himself. Suicide, according to Igbo’s traditional beliefs was forbidden, therefore it proves that Okonkwo’s true desperation of his transformed village, due to European colonization, outweighed his loyalty to the traditional views and