Book Review: Things Fall Apart
Student Name
Program Name, Institution
COURSE CODE: Course Title
Instructor Name
Date
Book Review: Things Fall Apart
Numerous literary scholars consider Things Fall Apart to be an alpha in English African literature. The book told a tale from Africa from the eyes of an enlightened and knowledgeable African, depicting the conflict between African cultural practices, traditions, and values and the Christian stance in Nigeria. Okonkwo, an Igbo man from the Umuofia clan, is the focus of the story. Okonkwo is a combative man who is determined to be a leader and driven by his need for power; he follows its rules, even the toughest of them, but in the end, this recognition pushes his child away. In this novel, Achebe guides readers through the nuances of the Igbo world, including its deep sense of justice, sometimes aggressive assertions, and noble yet damaging bravado. When the British imperial commissioner arrives at the end of the novel to mark the natives as barbarians, we understand how erroneous and incorrect that idea is. After an unintentional shoot, all Okonkwo considers precious is shattered. Okonkwo flees with his family from his hometown for a long time, abandoning the life he worked so hard to gain. At the end of his seven years as an outsider, Okonkwo returns home to discover that all have transformed and that colonial rulers have arrived to transform his men to their traditions.
Brief Description of Sections
The tale is told in three parts, with Achebe gradually moving away from a narrow focus on Okonkwo’s daily struggles and into a broader cultural and social focus. The first section has an ageless, almost mythic feel to it, providing no visibility about when or where events are taking place. By some turn of the imagination, claiming that events outside the agricultural cycle of planting and harvesting are happening is a stretch. Achebe’s focus is undoubtedly shifting away from plotting and empowering society and constructing complex representations of his flawed icon. This feature shifts dramatically towards the end of the main section, allowing Achebe to progressively and consciously construct a more detailed description of his historical and social context in the second and last sections. The style of writing of Achebe, which is both mellifluous and sparse, is reason enough to read this book. Even though the novel is far from iconoclastic, there is not a mere unnecessary term in it: rather, it is a strong portrayal of a credulous and murky universe. Despite being written in English, the story is told by the idiomatic and proverbial constructs of Igbo lingo, which Achebe mentions at the beginning. We can learn about the prosperity of Igbo culture and understand his viewpoint through the protagonist, Okonkwo, and others he brings in. Readers will quickly pick up on something he can’t, or won’t, see with the same breath as he can. Okonkwo’s ability to adapt to an evolving world is being hampered by his visual impairment, whether intentional or not.
Themes
The theme of a novel is often the guiding factor behind the book’s formation for several authors. Even if the author does not realize it, the artistic process is driven by at least one guiding idea — a philosophy, theory, opinion, or reason that is important to the author. There are three major themes in “Things Fall Apart,” including the Igbo society complexity, the clash of cultures and language as a sign of cultural difference.
Igbo Society Complexity
One of Achebe’s themes, according to his claims, is the complexity of Igbo culture prior to the emergence of European powers. He provides extensive explanations of the justice codes and trial procedure, family and social practices, marriage traditions, food production and preparation procedures, the society’s joint governance system theological values and activities, and the prospects for nearly every man to mount the dynasty’s pinnacle of prosperity through his own attempts to uphold this theme (Alumona, 2003). The novel could have been simply expressed as an analysis of Okonkwo’s decline in character in an incredibly aggressive and unstable world, but imagine what might have been missed if Achebe had not stressed the theme of the Igbo in Umuofia’s nuanced and diverse values (Kenalemang, 2013).
Clash of Cultures
The clash of cultures runs counter to Achebe’s theme of Igbo cultural complexity. This clash of cultures happens on both a personal and social basis, and cultural ambiguity arises in both directions: The Igbo originally denounces the Christians as foolhardy, much as the implacable Reverend Smith regards African people as blasphemers (Mull, 2017). According to Achebe, Africans’ falsehoods of themselves and European settler
Quality Work
Unlimited Revisions
Affordable Pricing
24/7 Support
Fast Delivery