Things Fall Apart Essay

Chinua Achebe, in an attempt to portray the tribal life more accurately, employees various proverbs in his novel Things Fall Apart. The proverbs are introduced at specific moments in order to symbolize the characters and themes of the novel. Towards the end of the story, Achebe manages to utilize his final proverb, which essentially “wraps up” the novel and thereby emphasizing the main theme. Under the pressure of an imminent clash of two seemingly contrasting cultures, Okika addresses the entirety of Igbo culture using the proverb, “‘Eneke the bird was asked why he was always on the wing and he replied: ‘Men have learned to shoot without missing their mark and I have learned to fly without perching on a twig’” (Achebe 203). This explains the concept of change, that one’s life can

Okonkwo and Nwoye are the two characters that are especially representative of the concept. Interestingly, the father and the son choose different paths as a response to the drastic change in life and the conclusion of the novel shows a significant contrast between the results of the two. Since the beginning of the story, prior to the European influence, Okonkwo and Nwoye find themselves in many small conflicts due to their differences in nature. Nwoye’s innate emotional and sympathetic qualities are greatly abhorred by Okonkwo, who is a strong adherent of Igbo masculinity-oriented tradition. The tradition often involves the use of violence and aggression, which Nwoye becomes detached from following the murder of Ikemefuna. At this point, the two distinct forces in Umuofia are represented: Nwoye supporting societal changes and Okonkwo resisting any change. When the Europeans arrive in the name of Christianity, Nwoye is more than willing to abandon his tribal identity. Now Isaac, Nwoye no longer associates with Igbo, but the “strangers” and their values, culture, and