| Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe's first novel, was | | | | illustrates not only the society as it is but what |
| published in 1958 in the middle of the Nigerian | | | | causes it to fall apart and lose its former identity. |
| renaissance. This book tells the story of an Ibo | | | | While all of those revolutionary events were |
| village of the late 1800's and one of its great man, | | | | happening people still were born, but they were |
| Okonkwo, who has achieved much in his life. He is | | | | born into a complete chaos and could not figure |
| described as a champion wrestler, a wealthy | | | | out to which culture and way of life they belong |
| farmer, a husband to three wives, and a | | | | anymore. The issue of being unable to find the |
| proprietor among his people, a member of the | | | | adherence to neither western materialistic culture |
| select egwugwu whose members imitate inherited | | | | or to their native values and believes. Chinua has |
| spirits at tribal rituals. This book gives a vivid | | | | written a book No Longer at Ease about this |
| picture it of Ibo societal structure at the end of | | | | pathetic situation and those people who have |
| the nineteenth century. | | | | been born "between the époques". |
| The order of his life is disrupted, however, with | | | | This novel's protagonist is the same man as in |
| the appearance of the white man in Africa and | | | | Things Fall Apart, a typical educated Nigerian |
| with the introduction of his religion. The conflict of | | | | young man, who first of all wanted to wash out |
| the novel, which is associated with Okokwo, | | | | Nigeria of its evils. He was a brilliant student |
| derives from the series of crushing blows which | | | | whose parents earned some money to send him |
| are demolished at traditional values by a foreign | | | | to England for further studies as it was the usual |
| and more powerful culture. It causes in the end, | | | | practice. Upon return he was supposed to bring |
| the traditional society to fall apart as it could not | | | | honor and prosperity to their village. Obi, however, |
| resist superpower of white man and Okonkwo as | | | | much to his frustration notices that Nigeria his |
| many others in the village is unable to adapt to | | | | loved country is no longer the "Nigeria of his |
| the changes that accompany colonialism. In the | | | | dreams" and it has already moved toward corrupt |
| end, in frustration, he kills an African employed by | | | | practices such as bribe taking. From this point on, |
| the British, and then commits suicide, which is | | | | although Obi's intentions were good, he fails to do |
| considered a sin against the tradition ( thus he is | | | | any good for his village he becomes absorbed by |
| not keeping the tradition) to which he had long | | | | the newly established order. The common battle |
| stuck. | | | | of educated Africans of that time, who stood |
| Achebe manages to achieve a balance in imitating | | | | bewildered between acceptance and rejection, is |
| the tragic consequences of the clash of two | | | | evocatively portrayed in the torn character of Obi |
| cultures. In showing Ibo society before and after | | | | Okonkwo. He feels terrible after accepting his first |
| the coming of the white man the author avoids | | | | bribe, but he was not able to fight the common |
| the temptation to portray the past as idealized | | | | practice. Obi was a child born somewhere "in |
| and the present as dreadful and unsatisfactory. | | | | between" and thus could not find for himself a |
| He is just showing what life was before and what | | | | reasonably balanced scale of values with the help |
| cultural aspects were destroyed when colonial | | | | of which he would have hold on to his honor and |
| movement occupied the village. There are | | | | integrity of his people. In the modern Nigerian |
| numerous issues discussed in this, and all other | | | | society, unlike in the tribal communities, the so |
| books of Chinua, those issues that personally | | | | called "sharing" procedure of any benefit took |
| affected author as an African. He was | | | | place only among the top people. Those get |
| passionately depicted a genuine picture of the | | | | everything and those who are not high class are |
| African environment along with its cultural past, its | | | | not cared for. Nowadays everyone's goal is o get |
| inherent mayhem and its colonial trauma, its | | | | to the top and they freely use bribes to get what |
| stimulating independence period from the | | | | they want. This problem was not even an issue |
| European Imperial powers. He also writes about | | | | during tribal times, before the white man intrusion, |
| uninspiring consequences of post independence | | | | today though it is the primarily source of anarchy |
| era and the current chaos permeating African | | | | and chaos. |
| society. For instance his Things Fall Apart | | | | |