Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart

Challenge the mind is what Things Fall Apart does to a person. This novel is about a Nigerian clan and the peoples' lives taking place inside the clan. Okonkwo is the main character and he struggles throughout the book to fight his conscious on whether he is being manly enough. This brought the major themes of change and masculinity into focus every time with the actions of him and his tribe. Things Fall Apart does a great job of making the reader relate to the book.

The major theme of the book was the struggle to accept change for people. Everyone seemed so accustom to the way they were brought up to even consider that some of the customs were unnecessary. The people also seem to blame bad events on their "chi". As the novel even states, "a man could not rise above the destiny of his chi". This is something that was strongly believed in the novel by the characters. The struggle that Okonkwo goes through eventually causes him to take his own life. He always seemed to be focused on being the best, most masculine and never resembling his father, Unoka. Okonkwo always refuses to change himself because he is very stuck in his own world and form of doing things. This character of his causes his banning from his village and eventually him taking his own life. Women throughout the novel are stuck in the customs of their ancestors also. We, as readers, never see a woman stand up and say they want change. They constantly get beaten for minor things and mistreated.

This emphasizes the important theme of masculinity in Things Fall Apart. The ceremonial fights represent how the tribes' men are always trying to prove themselves as the best and strongest. Men want to gain titles and recognition among their people. "They had something to say for every man. Some were great farmers, some were orators who spoke for the clan; Okonkwo was the greatest wrestler and warrior alive". The importance of Okonkwo's crops succeeding throughout the novel is a symbol of his desire to be masculine. Every man always seemed to be trying to prove themselves and when they didn't, they were deemed as agbala. Agbala means a women or simply a man that has taken no title. Men with no titles are constantly seen as unworthy and pitiful. This is reason why Okonkwo is angry with his oldest son, Nwoye's, lack of masculinity.

My critique of the novel is that I understand why it is Africa's best loved novel. Chinua Achebe is a magnificent author that did a great job of catching the reader's attention. The novel was well put together and really allowed me to get an inside view of the customs in Africa. It makes me wonder if it is still like this today. It was very cultural and eventful. For a short novel, it was packed with different events. The fights, the wedding, the deaths, the practical kidnapping of Ekwefi and Okonkwo's daughter Ezinma,