Things Fall Apart\' Is Not

Things Fall Apart' is not the only novel that has set Chinua Achebe apart from his contemporaries but it is definitely one novel that helps in defining the Ibo culture for us. The manner in which he presents the culture, its traditions and the whole Ibo existence in the framework of this universe speaks volumes about author's abilities, his style of narration and his acute insight. Achebe's greatest achievement is his use of the local proverbs and language to further accentuate the entire experience of living in that culture.

This work has thus rightly acquired the status of a true classic because it defines the African culture especially with regards to imperialism. In order to better understand the novel, it is important to study it in the context of times and culture it was written about. While the novel appeared in 1958, it was written about colonial rule in Africa during late 1800s and early 1900s. The author is not interested in presenting a too-good-to-be-true picture of the African people, rather he allows us to see the contradictions and also explains that when man is not free, his individual destiny is tragically enmeshed with collective destinies of his people.

We may not be able to label this presentation or picture of the Ibo culture as the most accurate or authentic one. This is because the author was definitely influenced by his western education, which often seems to impinge on his creativity. But on the whole, he manages to present an original and more plausible picture of the African culture primarily through his wandering narrative, characters' desultory musings and appropriate use of Ibo terms. There are occasions when Achebe's westernized thinking becomes all too obvious because the author then chooses to comment as a spectator instead as one of the people he is talking about.

The night was very quiet. It was always quiet except on moonlight nights. Darkness held a vague terror for these people, even the bravest among them. Children were warned not to whistle at night for fear of evil spirits....And so on this particular night as the crier's voice was gradually swallowed up in the distance, silence returned to the world, a vibrant silence made more intense by the universal trill of a million forest insects [7].

Here we notice that Achebe is not one of them or he at least fails to feels like one of the Ibo people. The passage hints at his spectator status that he has achieved by virtue of growing up in a world quite different from the one he mentions in his book. He is thus an external observer who chooses to stand on the sidelines. But this helps in assigning greater accuracy to his account of the culture since he manages to stay aloof and is capable of seeing the different shades of this world.

The unpolluted picture of Ibo people comes to life with the helps of such things as the detailed description of New Yam Festival that opens Chapter 5. While some things may appear corny and affected such as sentences like this one: "Drums beat violently, and men leaped up and down in a frenzy" [86], most of the comments are meant to highlight the true meaning of these otherwise demeaning observations. The author explains what beating of drums meant for the people and how it resonated with the true spirit and pulse of the village:

The drums were still beating, persistent and unchanging. Their sound was no longer a separate thing from the living village. It was like the pulse of its heart. It throbbed in the air, in the sunshine, and even in the trees, and filled the village with excitement [31].

Achebe also carefully studies tribal myths to understand their meaning and origin. The author clarifies that every single ritual and myth had a story and meaning attached to it. They were not hollow rituals meant for some evil purpose, as most people would have us believe. Instead they served some deep, ethereal and spiritual purpose such as connecting with the ancestors' spirits. The author explains:

The land of the living was not far removed from the domain of the ancestors. There was coming and going between them, especially when an old man died, because an old man was very close to the ancestors. A man's life from birth to death was a series of transition rites, which brought him nearer and nearer to his ancestors [86].