"Things Fall Apart"

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the novel "Things Fall Apart" by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe which portrays Nigerian tribal life before and after the arrival of colonization. It examines how the themes covered by the book are those of interest to black people and how the novel has views of racial politics. It shows us how as a black writer, Achebe is able to covey language and feeling in a way which is very different than white writers. It describes how the main character in the novel is Okonkwo, a self-made man and how everything seems to fall apart for him, hence the title. It is not just Okonkwo that things fall apart for. It discusses how villagers and tribe members (and indeed Nigerians as a whole) must adapt to a whole new way of life when the white man takes over.

From the Paper:

"Although there were earlier examples, notably by Achebe's fellow Nigerian, Amos Tutuola, none has been so influential, not only on African literature, but on literature around the world. The aim of the novel is to create a complex and sympathetic portrait of a traditional village culture in Africa. Achebe is trying not only to inform the outside world about Igbo cultural traditions, but to remind his own people of their past and to stress that it had contained much of value. Achebe intensely resents the stereotype of Africa as an undifferentiated primitive land. Throughout the novel he shows how African cultures differ among themselves and how they change over time."

More papers on "Things Fall Apart":

• Essay # 137720 : "The End of Clan Unity – Things Fall Apart"
• Book Review # 73875 : "Characterization in Achebe's "Things Fall Apart"
• Book Review # 73851 : "Setting in Achebe's "Things Fall Apart"
• Book Review # 71173 : "Things Fall Apart"

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