Book Review
An insider’s view of an African Culture that Changed
“Things fall apart” by Chinua Acheba is not just the story of the death of a powerful warrior from a clan, but that of the disintegration of the tribal system of values. It shows how colonization caused the destruction of a way of life which had sustained a number of clans to co exist and prosper, having evolved its own set of laws on various aspects of life such as war, marriage, distribution of authority, crime and punishment. A number of words from Ibo, a tribal language give this novel in simple prose a unique flavour.
The success of the novel lies in opening the eyes of the readers to the richness of the African ideals. They had no king, as the white man is surprised to hear; just a group of elders who were respected for their age and revered for their achievements, who made all decisions after consulting each other. While fearlessness and strength are important, it was also imperative to submit to the laws of their faith. Even the most valorous of the leaders obeyed the dictates of the mystic powers. While the white man preaches that only his God is true, he fails to see the values that sustain tribal life.
Okonkwo, wrestler, warrior and a successful farmer earns his position as a village elder and is very ambitious to earn as many titles as possible. But all his plans and disciplined efforts go in vain when a stroke of bad luck puts him in exile for seven years, and in this period a new government takes ove. His tribe too has seen many changes and is not prepared to fight the white man. Okonkwo commits suicide, as he cannot redeem his respect through war.
Okonkwo’s flaw is that he is afraid of becoming useless like his father was. So he hates weakness and gentleness. This alienates his sensitive son Nwoye, who converts to Christianity. Similarly, the weakness of the tribal culture is its superstitions such as the of killing twin babies. These tragic flaws aided the t falling apart of all things. However, the white man believed he was civilizing the tribes of Lower Niger.
Sources
1.Oliver, Mary. “Humble Beginnings of Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’” www.washingtonpost.com. Web.March 22 2013
2. Foofo, Fafa. “Review: “Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe” www.ghanaweb.com. Web. March 24 20013
