Achebe

Jeremy Stanley December 2, 2008 Imperialism in Africa In the novel by Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart, he projects a culture unsettled by imperialism. Even though the characters are fictional, the novel definitely presents a genuine account of society in Africa, and the poignant criticism that Achebe points at the Europeans for trying to imperialize the nation. Okonkwo, the novel’s main character, and his family life is a window into the societal pedagogy before and after imperialism in Africa. Okonkwo is a man of high power, with three wives and has a few children. He struggles with the idea of his father, Unoka, who never made money and was regarded as lazy. Being the son, Okonkwo has to rid these characterizations for himself and for the perception of his family. The Ibo village relies on the strength of the patriarchy, a culture dominated by the male leader. Okonkwo justifiably needs to act strong in order to not be lumped into his father, as shown with the difficult decisions that he has to make (when Ikemefuna is sacrificed). In this is his determination, and in some ways, his hubris to be the clan’s leader. When Oknokwo is exiled after the accidental death of a boy, a massive change comes to Umofiain the form of Christianity. It gains traction, especially among men of lower class, and soon his oldest son converts and leaves the home. Not only does the religion begin to gain ground, but so does a new government in the form of European Imperialism. Okonkwo eventually decides that he wants to fight against the “white man’s government” but is soon defeated after killing a “kotma”, or a court messenger. He hangs himself so as to not be tried under the “white man’s law.”

What Okonkwo’s experience in Things Fall Apart reveals about imperialism in Africa is that it was simply a bad idea. Achebe is more or less one sided in this argument, discrediting it, making it that the novel’s protagonist would rather die through the loyalty to the standards of his own clan and not “the white man.” However, it’s not like Umofiais presented as a utopian society with birds chirping and no conflict. No, there’s conflict with other tribes, but the government among the Ibo tribe there makes it so that all decisions are made democratically. The society’s breaking point is when Christianity takes hold and a new government takes over. Okonkwo, not willing to change his mind, tries to fight back, but some of his fellow tribal leaders have converted. The society there was ready to modernize, but Okonkwo was not, and it pained him so; which gave rise to his disgust with the Europeans. The spread of religion could in fact turn into another nation’s reign over a nation, and Things Fall Apart demonstrates just that. It also shows that change is in fact a constant. When removed from culture, one’s aspirations, one’s belief about it may not change, but once returning one may find that change has come in a tragic way. Okonkwo encountered this in the later part of the novel, which ultimately leads to his death for the past he clinged on to.