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Thinks Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe describes the life of a fierce
Ibo man, Okonkwo. Growing up in Umuofia, an Ibo village in Nigeria, Okonkwo
strives to be a great Ibo man of his village by earning high titles. When he is
in the climax of achieving this goal, he is suddenly banished for accidentally
committing a crime. When it is almost time for the end of his exile,
missionaries started to invade Umuofia. When he was back from his banishment, he
sets another goal: driving the missionaries out of his village. Even though some
converted to Christianity, Okonkwo held his religion strongly in his heart.
Unfortunately, he ends up killing a white messenger and in the end, commits
suicide. Achebe's main goal for writing this book is to show how Christianity
ruined such great and ancient ways of the Ibo people. In my opinion, the theme
and characterization is very realistic and excellently explained, although he
could have made some transitions in the book a lot smoother.
I feel like the plot is a little rocky because although Achebe describes the
Ibo culture in this book quite excellently, at some times in the book he seems a
little too absorbed in stating facts about Ibo religion and not enough on the
major conclusion which was the destruction of Okonkwo and his culture due to
missionaries.
The other parts of the story, however, are very well planned out because
Achebe foreshadows the destruction of Ibo culture by missionaries many times in
the book. Achebe slips in the mention of a white man when Okonkwo is helping to
decide Obierika's daughter's marriage price. Being a special social occasion,
the wedding was a perfect time to introduce the reader a glimpse of what the
main climax was; it gives the reader a great sense of preparation. Along with
many other social events, Achebe builds more and more on how missionaries slowly
start to affect Okonkwo and the village around him, and I thought that was
brilliant.
Achebe creates the characters very realistically, the story almost seemingly
non-fiction. As he describes Okonkwo, the reactions Achebe gives him toward what
was happening around him are realistic yet perfect for the story. Okonkwo
responds to his father's failure and his own shame with full-fledge
determination of not being anything like that. Given the current situation of
seeing his father's uselessness and laziness turn into a horrible death, any
person would receive a fear of dying that way, too, especially if that person
they see is his/her father. Not only is this showing real human psychology, but
it gives the image of Okonkwo's personality a foundation. Although the main
image for Okonkwo is strong, afraid, powerful, etc., Achebe shows a flawed
emotion every human has, proving to the readers Okonkwo represents real people.
This could also be evidence to emphasize the fact that he holds his life dearer
than anything else, a reflection of his father's worthless death.
Last but not least, Okonkwo suffers major depression over the invasion of
the missionaries. After already killing Ikemefuna with his own hands, losing his
first son to the missionaries, and experiencing pride-crushing torture of
Christian trial, his heart was probably all prepared for such measures as
suicide. The main cause of suicide even today is depression and what he has gone
throughout his life more than makes up for it. After how dearly he held on to
his life because of his father's tragic end, he ends his life no better. It may
be a little to the side of a sloppily fast way to end the book in my opinion,
but the impact of it fits the story very excellently.
Things Fall Apart tells the story about both the life of an Ibo man
and how his way of life is destroyed by Christian missionaries who tried to
convert them into a "more humane religion." In my opinion, Achebe
emphasizes a little too much on the details of the Ibo people. Although
Things Fall Apart has a small glitch, it is well-described and highly
informative.
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