Things Fall Apart Literary Analysis
David Martinez
Ms. Humphry
English 2
March 24, 14
Literary Analysis Essay “Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay” – Jiddu Krishnamurti. Things Fall Apart is an English-language novel written by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe that was published in 1958 by William Heinemann Ltd. In Things Fall Apart the Umuofia tribesmen refuse to change and show this through killing a fellow tribesmen, an English messenger, and eventually their own death. My arguments will show that Chinua Achebe uses the elements of a tragic hero to support the theme of the struggle between change and tradition in Things Fall Apart. In Things Fall Apart the novel shows the life of Okonkwo, a leader who struggles to adapt to the new environment around him, and always follows tradition. “It was a crime to kill a clansman, and a man who committed it must flee from the land”(105). This quote occurs after Ezeudu’s funeral is held and Okonkwo killed Ezeudus son by accident. After observing Okonkwo’s change in traditions after his return to the now Christian-convert Umuofia tribe, the reader will learn that Okonkwo is too stubborn to change his old ways to the new Christian ways. The author uses juxtaposition to show us that the missionaries and the older tribesmen beliefs and traditions clash. “Umuofia had indeed changed during the seven years…”(142). The narrator put emphasis on the changes in Umuofia in order for the reader to foreshadow the coming conflict between the missionaries and the tribesmen.
In a story about a culture on the verge of change, Things Fall Apart shows that the prospect and reality of change affects various characters. The tension about whether change should be privileged over tradition involves questions of personal status. Okonkwo resists the new political and religious orders because he feels that he himself will not be manly if he tolerates their ways. “Okonkwo and his brothers were set free”(163). Okonkwo’s refusal to change
Ms. Humphry
English 2
March 24, 14
Literary Analysis Essay “Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay” – Jiddu Krishnamurti. Things Fall Apart is an English-language novel written by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe that was published in 1958 by William Heinemann Ltd. In Things Fall Apart the Umuofia tribesmen refuse to change and show this through killing a fellow tribesmen, an English messenger, and eventually their own death. My arguments will show that Chinua Achebe uses the elements of a tragic hero to support the theme of the struggle between change and tradition in Things Fall Apart. In Things Fall Apart the novel shows the life of Okonkwo, a leader who struggles to adapt to the new environment around him, and always follows tradition. “It was a crime to kill a clansman, and a man who committed it must flee from the land”(105). This quote occurs after Ezeudu’s funeral is held and Okonkwo killed Ezeudus son by accident. After observing Okonkwo’s change in traditions after his return to the now Christian-convert Umuofia tribe, the reader will learn that Okonkwo is too stubborn to change his old ways to the new Christian ways. The author uses juxtaposition to show us that the missionaries and the older tribesmen beliefs and traditions clash. “Umuofia had indeed changed during the seven years…”(142). The narrator put emphasis on the changes in Umuofia in order for the reader to foreshadow the coming conflict between the missionaries and the tribesmen.
In a story about a culture on the verge of change, Things Fall Apart shows that the prospect and reality of change affects various characters. The tension about whether change should be privileged over tradition involves questions of personal status. Okonkwo resists the new political and religious orders because he feels that he himself will not be manly if he tolerates their ways. “Okonkwo and his brothers were set free”(163). Okonkwo’s refusal to change