Essay On Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

The novel Things Fall Apart by famous modern Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe is a consisted and grounded investigation of a tribal culture. It provides a great insight into the life and traditions of Umuofia clan, the one of the lower Nigerian tribe. The life within the village of main character Okonkwo is peaceful and harmonic. The author shows that the society is actually non-violent it its nature, as it commonly interpreted in the Western literature. The protagonist of the book is a great warrior, a respected man and a wealthy farmer at one time. He cannot be called primitive in any way because everything he has he achieved on his own. The first chapters provide the reader with understanding of his nature. He is very active, non-working means laziness for him. Therefore, he does not like his son, he is not that hard-working. Besides, Okonkwo has rather bad temper. His main fear is weakness. It will lead to serious consequences in the next chapters. Another thing, clearly demonstrated by Achebe, is a tribe language. It is emotional, complex and rich in proverbs. The further chapters provide even deeper insight in the society of Nigerian tribes. A new member appears in the Okonkwo family. He was taken from another tribe as a prize. Yet he is treated like a part of the family. Here, Achebe demonstrates that the tribe can be sometimes cruel to take boys from their mothers. Moreover, the females are not even counted equal. Okonkwo often beat his wives. It is not an obligatory option but it is not forbidden. The stratification within the tribe is shown. Further chapters show a very important moment. Okonkwo is told that his step son Ikemefuna should have been killed as a gift to gods. He disobeys the law and wants to transfer Ikemefuna to his home village. Later, Okonkwo disobeys once more. He was told not to participate in the death ceremony. Yet, he was the one who cut Ikemefuna down. As in other cultures, there are always people, who do not follow the rules. Achebe shows that the same principles also form the tribe society which never saw a trace of Western civilization. The character of Okonkwo is complex, he is neither negative nor positive.