By Rebecca D.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe follows the life of Umuofian tribal leader, Okonkwo. Although not having had the privilege of being born into a wealthy family, Okonkwo learns at a young age the importance of hard work. Because of this; he becomes one of the wealthiest, strongest, and most powerful men in the Igbo society. Due to his high place in their civilization, Okonkwo becomes the guardian of Ikemefuna, a boy taken captive as a peace offering by Okonkwo’s tribe. Despite knowing the fate of the boy’s life, both Okonkwo and Ikemefuna grow fond of each other; and eventually come to see each other as father and son. After three years, the elders of Okonkwo’s tribe determine Ikemefuna’s fate; deciding that the boy must be killed. In spite of being encouraged to not contribute to Ikemefuna’s death, Okonkwo is the one to give the final blow that kills the boy. It is after Ikemefuna’s death that Okonkwo’s life is thrown into chaos and “things fall apart.” After an incident during the traditional Week of Peace that results in another person’s death, Okonkwo and his family are exiled. It is during this time that the white colonists appear and share their Christian faith with the Umuofians. At first, the Umuofians and the colonists are able to live peacefully with one another, due to the kind-hearted missionary, Mr. Brown. However, when Mr. Brown leaves and the strict Reverend James Smith replaces him, Okonkwo and the other tribal leaders attempt to take control back. After this attempt, the colonists respond harshly and all peace between the colonists and the Umuofians end; eventually leading to Okonkwo’s ultimate demise
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe follows the life of Umuofian tribal leader, Okonkwo. Although not having had the privilege of being born into a wealthy family, Okonkwo learns at a young age the importance of hard work. Because of this; he becomes one of the wealthiest, strongest, and most powerful men in the Igbo society. Due to his high place in their civilization, Okonkwo becomes the guardian of Ikemefuna, a boy taken captive as a peace offering by Okonkwo’s tribe. Despite knowing the fate of the boy’s life, both Okonkwo and Ikemefuna grow fond of each other; and eventually come to see each other as father and son. After three years, the elders of Okonkwo’s tribe determine Ikemefuna’s fate; deciding that the boy must be killed. In spite of being encouraged to not contribute to Ikemefuna’s death, Okonkwo is the one to give the final blow that kills the boy. It is after Ikemefuna’s death that Okonkwo’s life is thrown into chaos and “things fall apart.” After an incident during the traditional Week of Peace that results in another person’s death, Okonkwo and his family are exiled. It is during this time that the white colonists appear and share their Christian faith with the Umuofians. At first, the Umuofians and the colonists are able to live peacefully with one another, due to the kind-hearted missionary, Mr. Brown. However, when Mr. Brown leaves and the strict Reverend James Smith replaces him, Okonkwo and the other tribal leaders attempt to take control back. After this attempt, the colonists respond harshly and all peace between the colonists and the Umuofians end; eventually leading to Okonkwo’s ultimate demise
Chinua Achebe’s novel helps readers understand the African culture better by giving us insight into the mind of a typical African male, Okonkwo. Through Okonkwo, we see that becoming a valiant warrior in one’s tribe was a thing to be proud of; while those who sought pleasure through music and more peaceful means were a disgrace to the society. Achebe allows the reader to understand why many Africans behaved the way that they did; such as not being permitted to be loud at night because of their fear of the dark and belief that ghosts would kidnap them. As well as, explaining why the African people would abandon twins and leave them to die in the forest. In addition, Achebe allows us to see the harm that one causes when they force their beliefs upon one another; violence only came about between the two societies after the colonists began to force their beliefs upon the Umuofians.
Although Things Fall Apart can be difficult to understand at times, due to Achebe’s frequent use of African vocabulary, it is an enjoyable read. Achebe does bounce around quite a bit in the story and refers to several different events that may make it difficult to follow; however, this does not detract from the overall purpose of the story, which is to show the clashing of the two societies and the harm in not attempting to understand one other. Some Christians might have difficulty when reading this novel, partly due to Achebe portraying the Christian missionaries harshly. However, I believe that it is because he is harsh on the Christians that Christians should read it. It reminds us that we are representatives of Christ and that we should represent Him accurately. Mr. Brown led many Umuofians to Christianity because of his Christ-like nature and loving manner in which he presented the gospel. He gave the Umuofians the truth, but was not forceful in the way he did so; allowing the Umuofians to choose to follow Christ for themselves. Reverend James Smith; however, was harsh and cruel and showed no compassion towards the Umuofians, causing them to retaliate with anger and to refuse the truth. Jesus in John 13:15 said, “I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” He calls us to be like Him in every way. In John 4, we see Jesus interacting with a Samaritan woman. Like the Umuofians and the white colonists, Jesus’ culture was highly different from the woman’s; however, we see that Jesus, in spite of their differences, was kind and loving towards her. If we, as Christians, are prideful and harsh like Reverend James Smith instead of being like Christ, kind and loving, why would others ever want to become a Christian?
Although I think Achebe could have done a better job in writing Things Fall Apart and could have made the book easier to understand, I truly believe that it is a novel worth reading. The overall plot is well done and is somewhat enjoyable. In addition, I believe that Chinua Achebe’s harsh representation of Christians will enlighten any Christian and will serve as a reminder of our call to love others as Christ does.
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