THINGS FALL APART
Things Fall Apart, a novel by Chinua Achebe where he tells two different storiesat the same time. One is of Okonkwo, the villager whose rise to power is halted becauseof all of his misfortunes. The other is of Okonkwo's village, Umuofia, and its struggle tohold on to its cultural tradition while facing colonialism from the West. The title,"Things Fall Apart," describes perfectly what happens to both Okonkwo and his village.Okonkwo's life falls apart and as a result, he commits suicide by hanging himself. Thecultural tradition of Umuofia falls apart, and becomes influenced by the West. In "ThingsFall Apart," Achebe uses Okonkwo and the village's falling out to show how Africanculture, as well as other cultures around the world, suffered as a result of Westernization. In the book, Achebe focuses mainly on the character of Okonkwo. Okonkwo'sstory follows the general pattern of a Greek tragedy. He experiences many successes inthe beginning, but everything eventually comes crashing down on him. His early life isthe typical success story. He starts poor, but works hard to earn ev
He beheaded the head messenger and thus finished hisdownfall. Okonkwo's life finally fell completely apart as his body was found danglingfrom a tree. Heearns three out of the four village titles. The next major event that led to Okonkwo's downfall took place at the funeral ofone of the elders in the clan. His resentment for the missionariesgrew, and he was appalled when he returned to Umuofia after his seven-year exile. Achebe's book shows how Westernization led to the demise of many ancient cultures. Fromthe beginning he is disgusted with his father. The reason this book sold so many copies, I believe, is because it can be applied not onlyto Africa, but to all of the other cultures around the world that were ruined byWesternization. While in his exile, missionaries came to his motherland. He takes three wives and has many children. However, because of the strength ofthe west, the village's falling apart might have been inevitable. Okonkwo and his family fled to his mother's land. He is almost to the top of the clanwhen his journey to greatness starts to crumble. After his father's death, Okonkwo pays offhis debts, and starts his long journey to the top of the clan. " Okonkwo even puts him before his true son, Nwoye.
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Acceptance Essays
