The rise and fall of Okonkwo, and the success of the Western Preachers run parrell in Things Fall Apart. Are these connected in the fall of things in things fall apart?
The success of the Western preachers has everything to do with the way the Igbo culture and Okonkwo's life fell apart in "Things Fall Apart." Ibo traditions were destroyed, family relations between those willing to turn their back on tradition and those who wished to hold on were destroyed........ a way of life is destroyed.
Okonkwo is destroyed because he refuses to capitulate to the British, his death is barbaric, the result of the inhumane treatment by those attempting to colonize. Igbo tradition made him the man he was, it was solely responsible for his power, treatment of women, and his place in society. The missionaries changed this perspective in some cases, but it also forced the issue in others, and that's where the problem comes in. Rather than perpetuate a slow change and conversion in the community, less than noble tactics were utilized.
>okonkwo goes into exile
>nwoye is disowned by his father and is among the christian missionaries.
>Abame is wiped out
>the clan and other villages are taken over by the 'white man'
>etc...
The title of the novel illustrates its ending by the fact that Ibo people were hoping that there will be progress in their way of living but surprisingly they saw that things got worst and worst and they lost hope that's why Okonkwo hanged himself because he thought that there weren't any other way to live under western pressure
Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe
The Igbo Society and Okonkwo fell apart in "Things Fall Apart". Although Okonkwo was such a brave man and ready to fight anything and anyone, He could not do it alone. The Igbo society that once stood strong and was feared in all of Umuofia was no longer a unit. The centre could no longer hold. People who usually stood with Okonkwo were now either dead or coverted to Christianity and so they would no longer follow the traditions and customs of the Igbo society.
The goodness which was promised by the missionaries up front turned out to be false after the colonial government was put in place. The rise of the Western Preachers meant that more and more people were converted and thus they abandoned their traditional ways. The more people got converted, the more things fell apart.
Who holds the power in this society?
When Chinua Achebe was crafting the novel, he highlights the true nature of colonialism and how conflict can arise rapidly from a small clash in beliefs. In 1958, when the British Empire was collapsing and losing its grasp on Nigeria, Chinua Achebe rewrites his ancestor to reflect on how far the country has come since Britain took control. This creation of history by using fictional villages and characters, further explains how the British took control and how the system was structured. When the white missionaries came, the clash in beliefs of both Christian faith and Igbo culture, as some villagers chose to convert and some stayed, which shows us how the herd mentality was collapsing, leading to the collapse of the Igbo union. When Reverend Smith arose within the missionary's arrival, an instant opinion arises within the reader from the first few lines, as he is described using biblical references, for example in chapter 22 lines 3 –4, using expressions such as ‘sheep and goats and wheat and tares’, which is a reference to two biblical passages. The ‘sheep and goat’ refers to Matthew. In this parable, Jesus uses the example of a shepherd who separates his sheep from his goats in order to help his followers understand what judgement will be like, which shows how Reverend Smith sees himself, as a shepherd leading his flock of sheep to safety, however ignoring the goats. Tares are weeds that resemble wheat. In the parable, a wheat field had deliberately been polluted by an enemy who sowed the seeds of the weeds intermixed with the wheat. The landowner's servants asked if they should go in and pull out the tares. The wheat represents the people who follows the religion and is committed, as they are valuable. The tares are representing the Igbo, as the God’s are just ‘pieces of wood and stone’. This introduce a sudden surge of familiarization, as the Western readers during the time the novel was published, would have fund the use of biblical terms very common, so using references such as parables, would give the readers a sense of familiarization and more sense of emotion. This is mainly due to his Evangelical beliefs and that it was his duty as a human to convert people, meaning he must take charge as the shepherd as he believes he is the messenger of God. This further fuels violence as his pride and dignity takes over and believes he cannot be judged. This is seen when he refers to how he viewed the Umuofia citizens as ‘He saw things as black and white. And black was evil’, which is not surprising to the Western reader, as some the westerns were highly racist in the 1950’s. The mix with the different religion fueled by racist individuals shows how the tribe fell, and how the traditional Igbo culture started to fall apart. The use of defamiliarization by Achebe magnifies our grasp of how complex the Igbo culture and how the missionaries were both naïve and conceited, as they believed that the Nigerian’s are meant to be ‘pacified’ and were even described as being ‘savages. Achebe challenge these views, for example introducing the term ‘Ogbanje’, an evil spirit that would deliberately plague a family with misfortune entering via their mother’s womb repeatedly. In chapter 9, Ezinma was described to be an example of an Ogbanje, which the Nigerian readers in the 50’s would have found relatable and shocking, on the contrary with British societies of which believe these to be hoaxes and too extreme in the 1950’s, they would have found the terminology confusing as it is a foreign term with limited context and explanation. This is a way of Achebe showing the drastic differences in belief, and the quarrel of the two beliefs would lead to conflict, in turn leading to the falling of the tribe, as Achebe is honest with the Igbo traditions, which further amplifies the ‘barbaric’ thought of the Igbo by the westerners. This and then the sudden change of context in page 58 with the dead ‘ogbanje’ being dragged across the floor further enhances the readers sympathy towards the mother, Ekwefi. This sudden contrast between defamiliarization of the ogbanje belief, and the familiarization of mourning and sympathy for the mother over her dead child builds a connecting feeling of remorse over the Igbo tribe, which is later then backed with the belief of not letting down a man who killed himself in chapter 25, when Okonkwo meets his demise. Another way of this being shown in the novel is by the introduction of the ‘egwugwu’. This is a foreign concept to the western readers and this enhances the idea, shown by Achebe, of civilized justice system in a form of a religious act. The familiarization is the link between the British justice system, with the judge in the court deciding on the fate of the defendant, and the aspect of this is shown in the trial of a man who committed adultery. On page 64, we see the villagers evidently ready for their presence, as “large crowds began to gather.” Once the “egwugwu” arrive, they are accompanied by music, and chanting, such as “Aru oyim de de de de de!” This is evidence of how different the Ibo tribe’s culture is to the Western missionaries. Although the “egwugwu” are simply village elders, the rest of the village have momentary suspension of disbelief, as they believe these are ghosts of past villagers. By including the “egwugwu,” Achebe shows the reader how much difference there is between the two cultures.
