The story of Chinua Achebe''s novel Things Fall Apart takes
place in the Nigerian village of Umuofia in the late 1880s,
before
missionaries and other outsiders have arrived. The Ibo clan practices
common tribal traditions—worship of gods, sacrifice, communal living,
war, and magic. Leadership is based on a man''s personal worth and his
contribution to the good of the tribe. Okonkwo stands out as a great
leader of the Ibo tribe. Tribesmen respect Okonkwo for his many
achievements.
Even though the tribe reveres Okonkwo, he must
be punished for his accidental shooting of a young tribesman. The Ibo
ban Okonkwo from the clan for seven years. Upon his return to the
village, Okonkwo finds a tribe divided by the influence of missionaries
and English bureaucrats who have interrupted the routine of
tradition.
Only when Okonkwo commits the ultimate sin against the tribe does the
tribe come back together to honor custom.
Critics appreciate
Achebe''s development of the conflict that arises when tradition clashes
with change. He uses his characters and their unique language to
portray the double tragedies that occur in the story. Readers identify
not only with Okonkwo and his personal hardships but also with the Ibo
culture and its disintegration. Chinua Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart
not for his fellow Nigerians, but for people beyond his native country.
He wanted to explain the truth about the effects of losing one''s
culture. Published in 1958, the book was not widely read by Nigerians
or by Africans in general. When Nigeria became independent in 1960,
however, Africans appreciated the novel for its important contribution
to Nigerian history.