Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe\'s

Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart details the personal travails of a father in Nigeria. Colonialism and its impact on social, political and economic conditions in Africa have a huge bearing on how things fall apart for Okonkwo, the protagonist of the novel. A Umuofia warrior and political leader, Okonkwo embodies the changes taking place to his motherland. The old tribal traditions are crumbling before his eyes: Okonkwo's own father Unoka left the clan in a mess, and Okonkwo strives to prove himself different but also to affirm the continued relevance of old Umuofia traditions and social structures. Okonkwo struggles to reclaim his identity in the face of inter-tribal conflict, much of which is due to colonial economic enterprises. Religion and superstition play major roles in the formation of Umuofia tribal identity. Yet Okonkwo is caught between the conflicting needs to maintain the tribal traditions and a changing Umuofia mentality that seems more willing than Okonkwo to surrender to colonial Christianity. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Acheba describes the deleterious consequences of colonialism on the social, economic, and religious institutions of African society as well as on its people.

The Umuofia social structure was tight and rigid; held together by centuries of tradition and established institutions like clan leadership and marriage. Colonialism threatens to unravel African culture through an imposition of European cultural norms onto Nigerian society. Achebe illustrates how colonialism gradually erodes the ancient tribal traditions of Africa in the name of cultural superiority. In one of the most striking scenes of the novel, the district commissioner tricks the Umuofia leaders and takes them as political prisoners. Imposing the colonial will on the Umuofia people signals the brute force used to colonize Africa. Okonkwo experiences the internal and external conflicts associated with colonialism. Proud of his heritage, Okonkwo refuses to succumb to the colonial powers and yet his clansmen seem resigned to the situation. Achebe therefore portrays Okonkwo as the last bastion of Umuofia culture. Okonkwo's father and his poor ethics were like a warning sign, an omen that the Umuofia culture would soon be falling apart. Interestingly, though, Okonkwo tries to manipulate the Umuofia social laws himself. He beats his wife during the Week of Peace, violating one of the core tenets of Umuofia society. He later acts against the suggestion of the oracle by killing Ikemefuma. His own participation in the moral decay of Umuofia culture hastens the demise of the tribal society.

Achebe paints the traditional social, political, and religious institutions of Umuofia society in a nuanced light, revealing their faults as well as their strengths. For example, an unquestioned belief in the word of the oracle conflicts strongly with the birth of Reason that European culture embodied. Moreover, the unquestioned belief in the oracle's word conflicts with Okonkwo's own needs to solidify his family's political leadership and social standing in the tribe. Okonkwo's desire to redeem himself and his family name proves stronger than his respect for the oracle. Thus, Okonkwo at once seeks to preserve the political institutions of Umuofia culture while at the same time subverting core social and spiritual traditions. He wants to retain his position as political leader and establish his adopted son Ikemefuma as his heir. Yet Okonkwo disrespects social traditions like the Week of Peace and religious traditions like obeying the oracle. Interestingly, the oracle's word proves superior to that of Okonkwo. Achebe suggests that the old tribal ways may in fact bear significant wisdom. Umuofia religious traditions were falling apart even before Christianity infiltrated African society with the European missionaries.

Umuofia social structure is tied together by the dual pillars of religion and politics. Religion offers a moral rubric to guide personal and collective behavior. Rituals like funeral exhibit the rigidity of the Igbo traditions, which present a strict system of rewards and punishments that guide behavior. For example, Okonkwo accidentally kills the son of Ogbeufi Ezeudu. Instead of holding a trial, the community exiles Okonkwo and his family for seven years. Punishments and rewards are meted without much flexibility to maintain social order. The encroachment of European culture on Igbo society represents the first major blow to Umuofia mores, lifeways, and norms. In the absence of external influences like colonial society, Umuofia society might have continued unchanged for several centuries more. While in exile, Okonkwo hears of the downfall of neighboring tribes to the colonial powers. Achebe therefore portrays colonialism as the main force of destruction on African society: more so than the personal failings of leaders like Okonkwo.