Right, my university applications have been sent off (eek!), I am marginally less stressed and I can finally give my two cents on Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart'. This novel means a lot to me and even though I only read it recently, I've come across it many times. First of all, the title derives from William Butler Yeats' 'The Second Coming', a poem that I studied for AS English Literature and can still quote:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre,
The falcon cannot hear the falconer
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold,
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world...
Turning and turning in the widening gyre,
The falcon cannot hear the falconer
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold,
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world...
Ah, Yeats.
Achebe clearly likes his poetry and in fact, I studied one of his poems, 'Vultures' for GCSE. He is arguably Nigeria's most prolific author and Things Fall Apart was one of the first African novels to receive global and critical acclaim. So, as a Nigerian, this novel is part of my literary heritage and in my opinion, it is one of the best books ever for understanding colonisation from the native's perspective, (I am totally unbiased, of course). The novel shows how British colonialism affected Nigerian culture and society, both for the better and for the worse. Things Fall Apart is seen by many as Achebe's response to Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness', which depicted Africa as a primitive black hole of uncivilised natives who lacked reasonable customs and Achebe disproves this. His novel is set in the late nineteenth century amongst the Igbo people in the fictional village of Umoufia, one of the nine villages of Nigeria. It follows the life of Okonkwo, who is a reverred warrior, leader and wrestler in the village. The character is ruled by his fear of being seen as a 'weakling' like his father was and his determination to be the complete opposite of his father leads to conflict as British Christian missionaries descend on the village.
Although the novel is written in English, Achebe is brilliant in the way that he uses various parables and tales to show the richness and nuances of the Igbo language, sometimes incorporating Igbo words into sentences, with the glossary of words at the back of the novel aiding with comprehending. Some critics state that the novel is difficult for non-Nigerians to understand because some of the names are too complicated (Nwoye, Ikemefuna and Unoka for instance), but these names are essential to understanding the novel as they have meanings and elucidate the characteristics of the various characters. Also, Achebe choosing to write the novel in English could be seen as a further example of the power of colonisation.
Things Fall Apart presents both the good and bad side of colonialism. On one hand, Christianity was good for the people Umofia in the way that it saved the lives of many. Prime example are the many innocent twin babies that used to be seen as evil abnormalities in Nigerian culture. As a twin, I am particulary touched by this. On the other hand, Achebe also shows how a huge change such as Christianity (the Igbo were immensely spiritual and reliant on wooden gods pre-colonisaton) can completely eradicate and change a culture and have negative effects on people like Okonkwo that refuse to submit to it. The novel is one with many layers, interpretations and themes that range from gender, society, success and failure to the aforementioned theme of colonialism vs the native and tradition.
Things Fall Apart is an absolutely brilliant novel that I would recommend to everyone regardless of ethnicity or colour. I loved it so much that it is the book that I have chosen to discuss alongside Maya Angelou's poetry and Wilkie Collins' 'The Moonstone' for my A2 English Literature coursework. The book will also give you a glance into an aspect of Nigerian history, and it was interesting for me to learn about this aspect because I am from the Yoruba tribe, not Igbo, so before reading the novel, I was not too familiar with their customs. In regard to the novel, I would like to end on this question: Can colonialism ever be justified though?
Chinua Achebe, you make me very proud to be a Nigerian.
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