Things Fall Apart

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. 1992. 181p. ISBN 0-679-44623-0. Available at FIC ACH on the library shelves.

European colonial powers spread throughout Africa during the 1800s, but some areas were not reached until late in the century. When the white man, his religion and his government arrived in the area, it immediately created conflicts between the traditional ways of the local inhabitants and the new beliefs espoused by converts and those who saw a benefit to joining a new administration.

Okonkwo lives in the village of Umuofia, in what is now Nigeria. Well known for his wrestling and warfare abilities, Okonkwo swore when he was a child that he would never be like his father, a deadbeat who was indolent and had raked large debts with anyone who would lend him money. Even as a child, he promised himself he would be wealthy and secure the tribe’s four titles. Okonkwo worked hard and amassed wives and a large compound. As a serious man he became one of the tribe’s leader.

His relationships with his wives and children were often violent, but Okonkwo always considered himself a just man. When asked by the tribe’s seer to kill a child that had been placed in his care, he did not hesitate. This decisiveness made him a man to be reckoned with in the tribe. Unfortunately, an accidental gun discharge during a ceremony kills a boy, and forces Okonkwo into exile to the lands of his mother.

Taking his whole family there, Okonkwo rebuilds his wealth and awaits the end of the seven years of banishment from Umuofia. During this time, however, Europeans arrive in Nigeria. The missionaries are first to arrive, followed closely by soldiers and administrators. When Okonkwo returns to Umuofia, he sees first hand the havoc Europeans have cause to his tribe. Old cherished customs and traditions are now being replaced by Christianity and new ways of doing things, and Okonkwo is unable to adapt. In the end, Okonkwo would rather die than lose his way of life to the newcomers.

The first celebrated African novel, Things Fall Apart continue to be widely read in schools and remains popular today for its portrayal of pre-colonial life.