Things Fall Apart

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Things Fall Apart

• A novel
• by Chinua Achebe
• (1958)

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Chinua AchebeBackground Information

• Born Albert Chinualumogu Achebe in 1930
• Grew up in Nigeria, one of the first centers of
  Christian missionary work
• Writes about the breakdown of traditional
  African Culture in the face of European
  Colonization in the 1800s
• Sought to educate his fellow Nigerians about
  their culture and traditions

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Background (continued)

• Achebe was raised as a devout Christian.
• His father was a teacher in a missionary school.
• Achebe recalls that his family called themselves
  the people of the church and thought of
  non-Christians including Achebes uncle, who
  still practiced traditional religion as
  heathen or the people of nothing.
• Achebe later rejected this thought, along with
  his European name Albert.

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Authors Purpose

• His first novel, Things Fall Apart, depicts the
  confrontation between the Igbo people of
  Southeast Nigeria and the British who came to
  colonize them.
• Achebe tells the story from an African point of
  view, showing that the Ibo were not "savages
  needing to be civilized, as the European
  conquerors believed, but intelligent human beings
  with a stable, ordered society and rich
  tradition.

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Authors Work

• Achebe left during the Nigerian Civil War of
  Independence (1967) to travel Europe and America
  to educate people about the cause.
• In 1990, a car accident in Nigeria leaves Achebe
  paralyzed. He accepts a position to teach
  college in New York state.
• He extends his stay in the U.S., due to the
  military coups in Nigeria in 1993 and recent
  corruption in the government.

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Achebes Style

• Achebe blends a formal European style of writing
  (the novel) with African story-telling.
• He influenced other African writers and
  pioneered a new literary style using traditional
  idioms, folk tales, and proverbs.
• Achebe is a social novelist. He believes in
  the power of literature to create social change.

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Historical ContextTribal Society

• The story takes place in the tribal village of
  Umoufia in the late 1880s, prior to English
  colonization.
• The Ibo people worship many gods who are
  represented by priests and priestesses within the
  tribe.
• Each individual has a personal god, or chi, that
  directs his actions.
• The Ibo are a hunting and gathering society, with
  yams as the primary crop.

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Tribal Society (continued)

• People in the village are grouped according to
  family, and the eldest male member holds the most
  power.
• Theres a large emphasis on tribal traditions and
  rituals.
• Village concerns, including legislation, were
  handled by tribal councils.
• System encouraged hard work and the spread of
  wealth.
• In the novel, Umuofia (the villiage thats the
  setting) is respected and feared by other
  villages.

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Historical Context The Spread of Christianity

• Christianity took its strongest hold in Africa
  when the majority of the missionaries arrived in
  the late 1800s.
• Missionaries provided education and attempted to
  convert tribes from their heathanistic beliefs.
• Africans were distrustful of European Christians
  at first, but many eventually converted.
• As more members adopted European values, the
  clans divided and conflicts arose.

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Historical Context English Colonization

• After the arrival of the British, conflicts
  between villages were resolved by white
  governmental rules.
• When violence involved missionaries or
  bureaucrats, British soldiers would often
  slaughter entire villages instead of punishing
  guilty individuals.
• Africa changed from a society determined by
  common language and cultures, to a land divided
  by political borders that divided it into at
  least 50 nation states.

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Colonization (continued)

• The divisions split ethnic groups, which led to
  tension and sometimes violence.
• British colonial rule in Nigeria lasted from 1903
  to 1960.
• On October 1, 1960, Nigeria was granted status as
  a sovereign state and member of the British
  Commonwealth, but was still under the rule of the
  British monarchy.
• In 1963, a new constitution replaced the British
  monarch with a Nigerian president.

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Compare Contrast

• 1800s- religion varies, but most Africans share
  some common beliefs and practices
• Colonial Africa- Missionaries arrive and
  introduce Christianity many tribesmen convert
• Today-more than 25 of Africa is Christian, but
  traditional African religion is still practiced,
  as well as Islam

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Compare Contrast

• 1800s- Africans have their own identities and
  cultures there is little interest in
  participating in the modern world
• Colonial Africa- African children are taught
  European history so they can compete in the
  modern world their own heritage is ignored
• Today-There is a renewed interest in cultural
  heritage, and traditional customs are being
  taught to African children

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Major Characters

• Unoka- Okonkwos father and the root of all his
  fears and problems represents all the
  characteristics the Ibo abhor (gentleness, lack
  of ambition, sensitivity to people nature)
• Okonkwo- the roaring flame- Strong, proud and
  driven despises anything he regards as weakness
  his strengths become his weakness and lead to his
  ultimate downfall

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Major Characters (continued)

• Okonkwos first wife is never mentioned by name
  she is wise, compassionate, peaceful, and adheres
  to tribal traditions
• Ekwefe- Okonkwos second wife courageous and
  strong willed
• Ojiugo- Okonkwos third and youngest wife makes
  her husband angry and prompts him to break the
  sacred Week of Peace

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Major Characters (continued)

• Nwoye- Okonkwos son disappoints him by showing
  signs of his grandfathers sensitivity and
  laziness
• Ikemefuna-comes to live with Okonkwos family as
  a peace offering from another tribe fills the
  void in Okonkwos life that his own son cannot
• Obierika- Okonkwos best friend, more of a
  thinking man

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Themes

• Custom and Tradition
• Choices and Consequences
• Alienation and Loneliness

• Betrayal
• Change and Transformation
• Good and Evil
• Culture Clash