‘Things Fall Apart’ chronicles the great tragedy of the displacement of traditional African societies by encroaching Westerners with imperialist ambitions.
This complexity of the African individual and society marks them out as ordinary, rather than exciting or exotic. Within individuals, there is much complexity, as Okonkwo himself isn’t innately evil but rather forced into that way as a result of childhood trauma and pressure to meet the expectations of society. In between them, we have the likes of Obiereka and Ogbuefi Ezeudo, who do not lose their sense of sentiment and passion while subscribing to the patriarchal tenets of their society. Rather, there is a wide range of personality types, ranging from the extremely chauvinistic and aggressive Okonkwo to the sentimental and gentle Unoka and Nwoye. The temperaments of people in the community are not uniformly animalistic or primitive as depicted in the works of Joseph Conrad. In Umuofia, we see disputes settled between members fairly, as seen in the case between Mgbafo’s brothers and husband before the Egwugwu. His aim was not to create a perfect society, but one more true to the facts of the situation. Achebe creates a fairly sophisticated and self-sufficient society with organized institutions. Themes in Things Fall Apart The Humanity of African SocietiesĪchebe was motivated to write ‘Things Fall Apart’ because he wanted to re-tell the story of the Africans who European imperialists and their enablers in the arts had depicted in unfair one-dimensional representations. ‘Things Fall Apart‘ contains themes that reflect the richness and sophistication of African cultures as well as the debilitating impact of outsiders on this culture.
The plot might move irregularly for large sections of the book, but this pacing represents a deliberate attempt to conform to an essentially African literary tradition and style. This impact is outlined in a very simple manner, but within this simplicity, there is a rich and inventive use of language. In ‘Things Fall Apart,’ Achebe details Western colonialists’ impact on African societies.
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