Things Fall Apart Essay

Change, no matter the time or event, is inevitable. As the Earth rotates and time roles forward, people change, different customs are adopted, and civilizations evolve. This type of transformation is demonstrated in the world renowned fictional book Things Fall Apart, written by the Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe. The story illustrates a culture on the verge of change when the European’s are introduced into their society. By showing how the Ibo society reacts to the Christian’s new cultural ideas, how the change impacts the lives of the characters, and how the change affects the overall society, Things Fall Apart is able to depict the consequences of an evolving civilization. “The arrival of the missionaries had caused a considerable stir
One of the book’s main themes is the struggle between change and tradition. This struggle can be found in the villagers of the nine clans. The Igbo people are caught between embracing the change or rejecting it. For example, characters such as Nwoye and Okonkwo are forced to confront the radical cultural shift. To start, with the introduction of the Christian missionaries, Nwoye’s life was forever changed. Growing up in a household where he was scrutinized for his unmasculine ways, hearing the words of salvation gave him a new understanding of his troubles. The hymn the missionaries’ sang about men living in “darkness and fear, ignorant of the love of God” (Achebe 146) had a lasting effect on Nwoye because he was able to connect with the feelings of fear and insecurity, feeling he experienced with his father. Ergo, with the new change came understanding and fulfillment. Okonkwo’s life, on the other hand, was negatively impacted by the drastic change. His life was turned upside down, for Okonkwo relied on the tribe’s morals and beliefs. Thus, he found himself unable to adapt to cultural changes, dieing with his old traditions. Therefore the change so negatively affected Okonkwo’s life that he fall