Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

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The antiquity of Igbo culture, is in ‘Things Fall Apart’ challenged by the arrival of Christian missionaries. The imposition of a new way of life on the customs and practices of the Igbo leads to profound and irreversible change.  Documenting, through the rituals and patterns of daily life, a complex system of religious, social, and legal protocols that are entrenched and largely uncontested, Achebe exposes the repercussions of disrupting the continuity of tradition.  However, whilst the text unquestionably exposes the damage wrought by change, Okonkwo’s refusal to moderate and reform his own behavior also results in negative outcomes.  Unwilling to learn from his mistakes, it is because he cannot modify his overtly aggressive masculine behavior that Okonkwo loses his position as a man of title and is forced into exile. Set in 1899, the pivotal juncture that divides pre-colonial rule and its aftermath, is the focus of Nigerian author Chinua Achebe’s postcolonial novella.  The intersecting moment of disruption is poignantly revealed to have permanent consequences for the Igbo people yet despite the tragic demise of Igbo culture, transformation is also acknowledged to be inevitable and in some ways, an essential part of growth.