CHAPTER TWO

THINGS FALL APART

 33

Achebe’s efforts to transform his society and culture

are not limited to the discursive formulations in his fictional

and non-fictional works. He has also been concerned with

more pragmatic, tasks that need to be addressed to develop

an African literary tradition.

Achebe’s many and diverse statements about what

constitutes an African writer’s responsibilities all refer back

to one purpose : the writer must restore dignity and self

respect to his people. Although Achebe’s statements are

anchored firmly in his concern for his own people, the

means he suggests, whereby, a writer can restore

confidence in his people are means that other post colonical

writers also incorporate in their works. These include an

effort to reclaim initiative in their own histories, rewrite and

make themselves the subjects of their own histories, and

I i
. k'

write, as well, “alternative” histories (“alternative” histories

for Achebe and other postcolonial writers involve rewriting

 34

both European misrepresentations of ex-colonized cultures

and people and accounts circulated by the indigenous

ruling elite to shore up their power. Often the project of

writing “alternative” histories is conceived of as the task of

memory against forgetting. Achebe’s work, the, both

contributes to and is part of the still-growing body of

postcolonial writing; in this regard the significance of his

work is not limited to African peoples alone. Achebe in his

works focuses on specific instances of Colonial values and

rhetoric on the exclonized peoples and cultures of Africa.

Things Fall Apart portrays Ibo society at a time when

colonialism was just beginning to make its presence felt in

this part of Africa. Colonialism, in fact, makes a decisive

intervention only in the later sections of the novel. The novel

opens with a wrestling match between Okonokwo and

Amalinze, the ‘Cat’. Okonkwo is not only just the best

wrestler of his time but also a highly successful farmer. He

 35

is short-tampered and very ‘masculine’ unlike his father

Unoka.

“Okonkwo is ashamed of his father who died without

taking any title. However, Okonkwo Was clearly cut out for

greater things. He was still young but he had won fame as

the greatest wrestler in the nine villages. He was a wealthy

farmer and had two bams full of yams, and had just

married his third wife. To crown it all he had taken two

titles and had shown incredible prowess in two inter-tribal

wars.” 1

In the very first chapter the emphasis Okonkwo lays

on masculinity is made clear. In spite of the impending war

with the village of Mbiano and Okonkwo’s success in

Intertribal wars, the dominant image of lbo society is not

one of the barbarism and suvageiy. Unoka and his friend

Okoys are musicians. In the lbo society the art of

conversation is regarded very highly and proverb are the

 36

palm oil ‘with which words are eaten.’2 The prosperity of lbo

community is indicated by the fact that Okoya and

Okonkwo have barns fill off yams.

The society is portrayed as highly cultured. It is also

important to note that even at early stage, there is a

juxtaposition of the society’s weaknesses with its positive

features. The first chapter ends with a mentioned of the

death of lkemefuna (a child given to Umuofia by a

neighbouring village in the process of settling a dispute)

which later on points to the cruelty of this society and

Okonkwo’s desperate need to establish his fearlessness, a

need that is his major weakness.

The past that is reconstructed by achebe is not one

long night of savagery but at the same time it has its

imperfection and is thus not flawless.

In addition to being ‘cultured’ the people are also

shown fully capable of governing themselves-contrary to the

 37

colonizer’s claim that the ‘natives’ are incapable of self-rule.

The major drawback of this system of self-governments is its

domination by men. There is a total exclusion of women

from decision making at the level of the community and the

family. The way Okonkwo rules his family and the excessive

importance he gives to that is considered masculine, for fear

of being thought weak, are an indication of male

domination. He rules his family with a heavy hand even

though he is not cruel. His wives and children lived in

perpetual fear of his fiery temper.

“His whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of

failure and of weakness. It was a fear of himself lest he

should be found to resemble his father....And so Okonkwo

was ruled by one passion, to hate everything that his father

Unika had loved. One of those things was

gentleness and another was idleness.” 3

 38

While Okonkwo’s hatred for idleness enables him to

overcome the disadvantages of having inherited nothing, his

hatred for gentleness results in the death of Ikemefuna and

later in the conversion to Christianity of Nwoye, his eldest

son.

Okonkwo’s stress on what is considered masculine is

an extension of this society’s emphasis on masculinity.

Gender differentiation exists at all levels of society. There is

a sexual division of labour, and women’s work is considered

Li'

to be of lesser importance.

Though Okonkwo seems to be more conscious then

others of this pervasive division in society along the lines of

sex the entire society maintains this division. When Unoka

consults Agbala, the oracle of the Earth Goddess, he is

severely reprimanded and told to, “go home and work like a

man”. At different points in the novel the society feels that

Oknonkwo has taken the emphasis on masculinity too far.

 39

There is, however, no criticism of sexual discrimination.

Oknonkwo’s killing of lkemefuna and the Kotma (court

messengers) are instances of his extreme actions, motivated

by his overall desire to be masculine, which is not

supported by his society. When the village decides to

sacrifice lkemefuna, there is, however, no doubt that the

sacrifice is considered to be a masculine affair.

“At the beginning of their journey the men of Umuofia

talked and laughed....about their women and about some

effeminte men who had refused to come with them.” 4

Okonkwo kills the boy out of fear, dazed with fear,

Okonkwo drew his matched and cut him down. He was

*_ *

afraid of being thought weak. Okonkwo’s action has a telling

effect on Nwoye, who, like his grand father, does not share

the concern for the masculine. The emphasis on

masculinity, which borders on cruelty, and the other

imperfections of the society result in the distancing of

 40

people like Nwoye from the other, more /positive’ beliefs and

practices of the Society. Nwoye reacts very strongly to the

death of lkemefuna and senses a connection between this

and infanticide :

"Nwoye had heard the twins were put in earthenware

pots and. thrown away in the forest, but he had never yet

come across them. A vague chill had descended on him and

his head had seemed to swell...then something had given

way inside him, it descended on him again, this feeling,

. j. j. '

when his father walked in, that night after killing

lkemefuna.” 5

Achebe seems to suggest that sharp gender

differentiation and, more importantly, the obsession with

masculinity are among the major flaws of this society.

Achebe’s reconstruction of history serves to

demonstrate that the white man did not bring ‘civilization’ to

Africa don more specifically to Iboland. For this purpose the

 41

novel had elaborate descriptions of the way of life in pre­

colonial lboland.

In his famous essay The Novelist as a Teacher Achebe

remarks :

“It is too late in the day to get worked up about it

(racial inferiority) or . to blame others, much as they may

deserve such blame and condemnation. What we need to do

is to look back and tiy and find out where we went wrong,

where the rain began to beat us.” 6

The depiction of pre-colonial history in Achebe’s novels

is to determine the role played by traditional societies in

their own destruction. Western critics like Charles Larson,

in their anxiety to avoid any discussion of colonialism at

length, or African critics like Chin weizu, in their eagerness

to defend Achebe and other African novelists from the

charges of Euro-centric critics, have ignored this aspect of

the novels of Achebe and others.

 42

In the latter half of the novel in Things Fall Apart, when

the residents of Umuofia come into conflict with the

colonizer, it becomes evident that the points of entry of

colonialism are the factors already existing within lbo

society. It is also important to note that colonialism enters

Umuofia in different phases. Christianity is the first to

arrive followed by trade and commerce. Finally, colonial

administration, gains complete control over Umuofia and its

surrounding areas. The growing influence of Christianity

and trade re not countered until it is too late.

Significantly, the first major incident involving the

white man is reported to Okonkwo while he is in exile. His

friend Obierika tells Okonkwo about the massacre of

‘natives’ by the colonizers at Abame. It is also important

that one of the first things Umuofia hears about the white

man concerns his power and cruelty. The residents have

had no exposure to the slave trade except through stories in

 43

circulation. Predictably, Okonkwo finds fault with the people

of Abame for not anticipating the attack and preparing for it

by arming themselves.

The arrival of the missionaries in Umuofia also takes

place in the absence of Okonkwo. Within two years, they

built a church and win a handful of converts. The leaders of

the clan believe that the new faith cannot last long.

“None of his converts was a man whose word was

needed in the assembly of the people. None of them was a

man of title. They were mostly the kind of people that were

called Efulefu, the worthless, empty men. The imagery of a

Efulefu in the language of the clan was a man who sold his

matchet and wore the sheath to cattle.”7

“In Mbanta, the village of Okonkwo’s exile, his son

Nwoya is among the first to be attracted by the new faith. It

seems to have an answer to the question of the twins crying

in the bush and the question of lkemefuna who was killed.”8

 44

Christianity appeals to Nwoye because it seems to offer

an alternative to the cruel customs of the clan. The white

man wins first three converts in Mbanta because he does

not drop dead in spite of building a Church in the ‘Evil

Forest’. His magic is thus thought to be superior to that of

evil spirits. Then a pregnant woman, who gave birth to twins

four times and lost all of them, converts to Christianity. The

next set of converts are the outcastes who are dedicated by

the clan to a god and thus segregated from the rest of

society.

“These outcasts or Osu, seeing that the new religion

welcomed twins and such abominations, though it was

possible that they would also be received. And so one

Sunday two of them went into the Church.” 9

The converts protest and one of them leaves, but the

priest allows the, outcasts to join the new religion. Soon

 45

nearly all the Osu tribe join them. They are the strongest

adherents of the new faith.

The clan makes no effort to curb the flow of its

members into the Church; each set of converts is seen as a

‘good riddance’ because of their low social status. The clan’s

adherence to the very customs which results in conversions

remains unaffected. No attempt is made at reform. Instead

the converts are excluded from the life and privileges of the

clan. This is not a major loss to be converts as most of them

hardly had any privileges in the first place.

It is after the entry of Christianity that the first major

quarrel breaks out within the clan because one of the

converts kills the sacred python.

There is growing animosity between the two groups

even though the white missionaries do not always

encourage it. In the words of one of the oldest man in

Mbanta, the bond of kinship has been broken.

 46

It is at this point that Okonkwo returns to his village,

thinking that his mother’s people (with whom he had been

living) were cowards and did not deal with the new religion

in the right way. He is sure that his own people would be

more ‘masculine’ in their response. But on his return he

finds that the situation in his village is not very different. In

fact not only the lowborn and the outcast but also

sometimes a worthy man had joined Christianity.

“But apart from the Church,, the white man had also

brought a government. They had built a court where the

District Commissioner judged cases in ignorance.” 10

The administrators, like the missionaries, operate with

< »-> '

the help of interpreters. From its earliest stages colonialism

is dependent on the local people to establish itself. The

District Commissioner used court messengers (called Kotma

by the local people) to bring people to court, to guard the

. prison, to beat the prisoners and make them work

 47

everyday in prison. As a result the Kotma are more hated

than the District Commissioner.

“Our own men and our sons have joined the ranks of

the strangers. They have joined his religion and help to

uphold his government. If we should try to drive out the

white men in Umuofla we should find it easy. There are only

two of them. But what of our own people who are following

their way and have been given pore....? The white man is

very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his

religion, we were amused at his foolishness and allowed him

to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no

longer act as one.” 11

It is impossible for the colonizer to govern without the

active collaboration of the local, people. Christianity provides

converts to aid the colonial administration and commerce

pacifies the lbo. The discontent caused by Christianity and

the colonial administration is overlooked because of the

 48

economic benefits that result from the trade in palm oiland

kamel set up by the administration. Unlike Okonkwo,

people are willing to tolerate the white man :

“There were many men and women in Umuofia who

did not feel as simply as Okonkwo about the new

dispensation. The white man had indeed brought a lunatic

religion, but he had also built a trading store and for the

first time palm-oil and kernal became things of great price,

and much money flowed into Umuofia.” 12

Meanwhile the missionary realizes that in the existing

circumstances the Church cannot extend its sphere of

influence beyond the outcaste.

“Mr. Brown learnt a good deal about the religion of the

clan and he came to the conclusion that a frontal attack on

it would not succeed. And so he built a school and a little

hospital in Umuofia. He went from family to family begging

people to sent their children to his school.” 13

 49

By equipping people to be Kotma and clerks both

lucrative occupations — the school becomes very popular.

Missionary education also supports the administration by

producing the middlemen required by colonialism to extend

its domination. The Church is also

responsible for the confrontation between the Christians

and the clan when one of the converts, Enoch unmasks an

ancestral spirit. This is one of the greatest crimes a man can

commit because it means the death of an otherwise immoral

spirit. In relation the Church is burnt down but the

missionary and the converts are left unharmed.

The District Commissioner who has been away on a

tour returns after some days and for the first time the clan

faces the wrath of the administration. Six elders who go to

meet the Commissioner upon the latter’s invitation are

arrested. They are insulted, starved for two days and

 50

thrashed by the Kotma. In addition the clan is fined two

hundred and fifty bags of cowries :

“The man of Umuofia met in the market-places and

decided to collect without delay two hundred and fifty bags

of cowries to appease the white man. They did not know

that fifty bags would go to the court messengers, who had

increased the fine for that purpose.” 14

Western critics propagate the view that corruption and

violence afflict post independent African societies, implying

that these evils were non-existent during colonialism. The

above incident is the first evidence of colonial corruption

presented in the book. The larger interest in

propagating this view is to ‘prove’ that the natives cannot

govern themselves and in fact have much to lose by

becoming independent.

After being released, Okonkwo repeatedly urges his

people to fight the white men but fails to convince them. For
 51

Okonkwo, the solution to the problems created by the white

men lies in an assertion of masculinity, Okonkwo’s killing of

the Kotma like many of his other actions in the past in a

thoughtless assertation of masculinity which is not

supported by the clan. Okonkwo commits suicide when he

realizes that he is totally isolated.

Oberka, never too well known for his ‘masculinity’ and

always critical of the society’s weaknesses, accuses the

white Commissioner of being responsible for Okonkwo’s

ignoble death. Oberka felt sorry for who was the greatest

man in Umuofia. He was driven Okonkwo to kill himself;

and buried like a dog.

The purpose served by this novel is two-fold; to

reconstruct the history of primitive tribe in the lower Niger

in order to demonstrate, that it is neither primitive nor

savage, and to foreground the imperfections in this society

 52

that allowed colonialism to establish itself. In the words of

Raymond Williams :

“What is impressive about Things Fall Apart is

that....the internal tensions of the society are made clear, so

that we can understand the modes of penetration which

would in any case, in its process of expansion, have

come.....The strongest man Okonkwo, is destroyed in a veiy

complicated process of internal contradiction and external

invasion.”15 '

Achebe himself points out that the destruction of pre­

colonial societies cannot be attributed simplistically to

Europe :

“In terms of explaining what happens to a society, it is

too simple to say that Europeans came and destroyed it,

because there were internal problems that made it possible

for Europeans to come in. Somebody showed them the

way.”16
 53

While the entry of colonialism and its functioning was

facilitated by the active colaboration of intermediaries,

institutions such as the Church and school provided

ideological support.

It is quite evident that Things Fall Apart contains twin

tragedies. One occurs in the life of the protagonist Okonkwo

and the other takes place on the border plane i.e. at the

level of the- society of Okonkwo. Let us look at the personal

tragedy of Okonkwo first.

Okonkwo is a self-made man. Even as a young boy of

eighteen, he had to take care of himself and his family too.

Unfortunately for Okonkwo, his father Unoka. was a man

given to idleness and debts. He could hardly make enough

money to feed his family. He also talked too much. But

Okonkwo was a man of few words. He was a man of action,

a man of war.
 54

In those days of inter-tribal wars, Okonkwo fought like

a warrior and won acclaim, of his people by bringing home,

trophies of human heads. He used to drink his palm-wine

from these skulls, which was considered a matter of great

pride to an Ibo. He was a strong man with an imposing

stature. Tall and well built he looked fearsome and awe in

spring. He was also a wrestler of repute. As a young man of

eighteen, Okonkwo brought honour to his village by

defeating a famous wrestler. So there is no wonder that

‘Okonkwo was well-known in the nine villages of Umuofia

and even beyond’. He was equally strong in the mind. His

mental resilience was proved when the land of Umuofia was

stricken by an unprecedented famine. Many farmers hanged

themselves out of disoperation and inability to continue

farming. But Okonkwo was not so . easily defeated by

challenging situations. He plans his future well in advance.

With admirable foresight he goes to a rich farmer and

 55

borrows eight hundred yam seeds. He plants half of them

and keeps the other half to be used later. He works hard

and puts in labour from sunrise to sunset. His hard work

and determination to succeed in life came true. He

continues his hard work and soon realizes his dream of

becoming rich and prosperous. Okonkwo was motivated in

his ambition to become rich and well known by two reasons.

First, he did not want to be compared with his father whose

life is a shameful failure. Secondly, he strictly adhered to

the values of his society. The society of Umuofia laid great

stress on a man's achievement, valour and courage.

Knowing his culture intimately, Okonkwo seeks to live up to

its standards. However, we feel somewhat disappointed to

know that fear is the reason for his driving enthusiasm. In

his heart of hearts Okonkwo was a tensed individual. He

was afraid to show love and affection because he thinks his

society looked down upon them. Here lies a phase of his

 56

tragedy. In his race to become a man of wealth and material

prosperity, Okonkwo misunderstands his culture. It never

looked down on softer virtues such as tolerance and love.

The Ibo society called them female values. It gave equal

importance to both male and female values. But the

coloured judgment of Okonkwo could not understand this

fact. As a result he suppressed finer qualities. He could not

show love for his children openly nor could he tolerate

people of soft nature such as his own son Nwoye. Because

of his fear of being thought weak he cuts down the boy

hostage Ikemefuna who looks at him as hi father. Later he

suffered from the pangs of remorse for three days. His haste

and anger caused him to live in exile in the prime of his life.

He thought that anger is the only emotion worth

demonstrating. His misconception caused a lot of heartache.

He had beaten his wife for small reasons and bought the ill

will of his fellow men with his harsh words and behaviour.
 57

Finally for committing sin against the Earth Goddess by

killing a clansman inadvertently due to chauvinism

Okonkwo was banished from Umuofia for seven long years.

This is a tragic blow to Okonkwo because he was just ready

to. take the land’s highest title and honour. However, being a

man of great. courage Okonkwo rehabilities himself,

becomes a successful farmer and marries again even in exile

at his mother’s village.

Okonkwo plans his return to Umuofia well in advance,

he gets his ‘obi’ rebuilt and his farm ready for plantation.

But he was into a lot of disappointment. He never expected

that things would change so drastically in Umuofia during

his absence.

He was disheartened and furious to witness the

settlement of the white man among his clansmen. His

reaction was typical of his personality. He wanted the

tribesmen to join him in driving the pale-faced foreigners

 58

away with war like stance. Okonkwo’s tragedy is that he

expected everyone around him to act like him, to be as rigid

as he is in his adherence to the male values of his society,

he could not bend his principles to suit the present needs

and the circumstances. His rigidity and his irrational and

blind allegiance to the clan’s ethic are the reasons for his

ultimate downfall. He overestimated the worth of his

fellowmen. His disillusionment with his own society is all

the bitter at the final stage when he cuts down the court

messenger in a fit of anger. Okonkwo was unable to see the

wisdom of changing with the changing times. He

underestimated the ability of the white man and his

religion. He could not see the rot and ruin that had eaten

into the roots of his own cultural ethic. When his clansmen

did not join him in fight with the forces of the white man,

then Okonkwo realized that the warrior clan of Umuofia is

• i"*i

no more. Now there is an inexplicable change in their minds

 59

and attitude. Whatever it is, for Okonkwo, now it is

unthinkable to live like ‘efelefu’ or men of nothing. He

decided to take revenge alone. He did it by taking his own

life. He was found hanging in his backyard from the branch

of a tree, dressed in full war attire of the Ibo warrior. His

tragedy becomes even sharper when the white District

Commissioner thought of his life and death as a matter of

interesting interlude to be added to the book he planned to

write i.e. The Pacification of the Primitive tribes of Lower

Niger. Little does he realize that he and his Empire in their

ambition to broaden their territorial monopoly, lack of

understanding and sympathy for the native culture are, to a

great extent responsible for the tragic end of this Ibo

r t ‘

warrior.

If we turn our attention to the society of Umuofia and

the culture of the Iboland we can see the great tragedy that

befell on them. As we. read the novel we are filled with

 60

admiration for the extraordinary unity and harmony that

existed in the land of Umuofia. The clansmen’s faith in their

culture, which was of ancient origin, is equally

praiseworthy. They planned their life and religion on firm

basis. Religious structure is well knit and well implemented

in the life of the society. They enjoy a good political system,

which is as good as democracy. The political and territorial

map is clearly defined. The village is the nucleus of the

society of Umuofia. It has nine villages made up ot the Ibo

warrior clan. They expand their territoiy by winning the

inter tribal wars. Any political decision is made by

consensus. Before finalizing issues such as going to war or

internal disputes between people or families, public

meetings are called. The village crier announces them.

People assemble on the village ‘Ilo’ on the fixed day.

Speakers of talent, force and clarity express their opinions

and the society at .large comes to a decision. The Ibo

 61

religious ethic is well founded. They worship nature because

of its fearful aspects. They have a god of rain, and of

lightning. The silk cotton tree is held sacred and royal

python is an incarnation of water. Besides these the Ibos

worship a supreme God, Chukwu who resides high in the

sky. He is more of an obseiyer who broods over creation. He

doesn’t actively take part in it. For that purpose there are

other secondary, duties, who are no less in importance. The

most important goddess is Ala or the Earth Goddess. She

presides over the daily life of the community. All the

important events from birth to death are performed in her

name. The Ibos are a farming people. So earth is the origin

and . basis of their livelihood. The Earth Goddess is

honoured and worshipped at the time of the first harvest of

their agricultural year. A week long celebration is held in

her honour. That is their way to express their gratitude to

the Earth Goddess who is giver of plenty, who blesses

 62

people with her plenty. She is also, the goddess who

represents the female values of their culture such as

ca

charity, compassion and patience and forgiveness. Any

desecration or violation of the laws of this particular deity is

considered a serious offense against her. The week of peace,

held in honour of the Earth Goddess, must be strictly

observed. No man is allowed to lose his temper or use bad

language or indulge in beating or killing during this period.

Any violation of this tenet is dealt with sternly by the village

priest. Crimes committed inadvertently are punished with

banishment or exile. Crimes committed deliberately

deserved stricter punishment and expensive sacrifices. The

Ibos have a well laid out system of values. They respect age.

But they revere achievement. Achievement and valour are

the yard stick with which they estimate a man’s worth. It is

a fearless community. Valour and courage and hard work

are male values. The culture. of the society places equal

 63

importance on both the kind of values. Those who excel in

possessing both kinds of values are indeed remarkable. The

society of Umuofia worships its ancestors.

Ancestors are remembered in almost every function held in

honour of the Earth Goddess. They are supposed to bless

the living people. The Oracle of the Hills and Caves is an

important part of the clan’s life. It is useful in predicting

future events and suggesting solutions to those suffering

from poverty or diseases. They believe in a personal spirit

*
known as the Chi. Every individual is granted a chi at the

time of his birth. According to the Ibo religious ethic, the

Chi is believed to take care of the individual’s fortunes. The

aesthetics of Ibo society are as detailed as the other aspects

of their life. Fine arts like music and dance occupy a very

important position in the life of the society. Almost every

event and festival is invariably celebrated with music

 64

accompanied by dance. The drum, the flute and gongs have

their traditional roles to play in the daily life of the natives.

Into this calm and composed life of the native society

enters the white man with his civilizing and christianizing

mission. Mr. Brown, the Christian Missionary with a

religious zeal attracts the natives in various ways. His

school and hospital are the gateways for his religion. The

Ibos of Umuofia, out of their ignorance and innocence are

bewildered by the ways of the white man. Their 'evil forest’

doesn’t frighten him. He survives living in it even after the

stipulated time period. He gives shelter to many people who

suffered under the rigid laws of the native ethic. He shows

them ways to become rich by selling kernel and other

edibles of the farmland. He makes them teachers and court

clerks and messengers paying way to more money. He

breaks the fabric of their age-old culture down by exposing

many of its shortcomings. Finally he brings his government

 65

and court to the native society. A foreigner is thus firmly

implanted on the ancient land of Umuofia. He made inroads

into their society eroding many time-tested values. The

society of Umuofia is completely confused in the face of a

new religion and new ways of life. Their religion is made fun

of and their culture uprooted. Their value system stands

shattered. There are no more brave men left in the

community. Family morals and values such as togetherness

and self sacrifice are no longer cared for. When the Ibos of

Umuofia let the white man settle among them, they never

imagined that things would take such a dangerous turn.

That in their own house and by their own hearth they would

be insulted and their land would be won in this quiet and

bloodless manner. The tragedy of the society of Umuofia is

well voiced by a character of Things Fall Apart thus :

 66

A man can now leave his father and his brothers. He

can curse the gods of his fathers and his hunter’s dog that

suddenly goes mad turns on his master.17

A very strong point is made by another character as to

the way in which this tragedy takes place in Umuofia. He

tell his friend that the white man says our customs are bad;

and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also

say that our customs are bad. How do you think that we

can fight when our own brothers have turned against us ?2

As for the white man says this character, The white man is

veiy clever. He came quietly aiid peaceably with his religion.

We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay.

Now he has won our brothers and our clan , can no longer

act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us

together and we have fallen apart.18

These two passages sum up the tragic fate that had

fallen upon the society of Umuofia. Things Fall Apart has

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thus convincingly integrated the twin tragedies, namely the

tragedy of Okonkwo the central character of the novel with

the tragedy of the society. This is one of the reasons why the

novel has assumed the quality of a classic.

G. D. Killam a renowned critic of Achebe, in his

perceptive analysis compares Achebe’s Things Fall Apart to

Aristotelian tragedy. We find several factors in the course of

the novel comparable to classical or Aristotelian tragedy

written in the form of stage plays in ancient Greece. To the

European cultures Greek and Latian literature provided

literaiy models. Aristotle, the eminent Greek philospher

prescribed certain prerequisites of writing and staging a

tragedy. In his famous thesis entitled Poetics, written in 330

B.C. Aristotle required two things of the protagonist. He

must be noble in spirit and status and he must be

responsible for causing his own suffering, death or anguish

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of some kind. The hero of a tragedy must be in possession of

the following aspects.

1. He must be leader in his society, exemplifying

both the good and bad elements should have influence in

that social group so that his fall from its favour will seem

that much greater. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo, the

protagonist became a leader and an important man in

Umuofia. When he was found dead his importance was on

the wane due to the external factor of the advent of the

white man and the imposition of an alien religion on

Okonkwo’s society.

His death according to the native culture is a crime.

We read :

It is an abomination for a man to take his own life. It is

an offence against the Earth, and a man who commits it will

not be buried by his clansmen. His body is eveil and only

strangers can touch it.

 69

2. In the classical tragedy the hero is disclosed to

the audience at the height of his prosperity, power.

Accordingly, when the readers are introduced to Okonkwo,

he already reached the pinnacle of status and commanded

the respect of his clansmen.

Okonkwo is noble in spirit and stature. We are told in

the beginning itself that Okonkwo was well-known

throughout the nine villages of Umuofia and even beyond.

His fame rested on solid personal achievements. As a young

man of eighteen he brought honour to his village by

throwing Amalinze the Cat. Amalinze was the greatest

wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten from Umuofia to

Mbaino......in the end Okonkwo threw the Cat.19

3. The Protagonist is driven to his fall by some

innate flaw in his nature, yet appear to have the ability to

alter his course.

 70

In the course of the story Okonkwo as stated in the

rule, was exiled due to his own unnecessary exhibition of

manliness. He advertently shoots a young man and was

banished. But being a man of resilient spirit he prospers in

difficult times also, no doubt he was a free agent to shape

his destiny. So he prospers again. But he is a man who

suffers from a flaw in his character i.e. his rigidity and fear

of being thought weak by his society. His fear is described

thus : It is deeper than and more intimate than the fear of

evil and capricious gods and magic, the fear of forest, and

the forces of nature, malevolent,, red in tooth and claw.

Okonkwo’s fear was greater than these.20

It this flaw that doesn’t let Okonkwo’s personality

develop and blossom in a natural way. It is responsible for

his wrong understanding of his culture which led him

ultimately to a warped view and finally to suicide.

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4. The cause of his own punishment through his

own pride. As the rule says, Okonkwo suffers exile and

banishment due to his own pride. It his assertive nature

and fierced individuality that made him go berserk during

the funeral rites of the village elder Ezeudu. As a result he

killed a kinsman although he did not intend it.

.5. Ready to take upon himself the burden of his

society’s sense of guilt, shame, or shortcoming. This

particular aspect is proves in Okonkwo’s story. When he

realizes that his clansmen are no longer courageous

Okonkwo mourns the fate of his society.

Okonkwo was deeply grieved. And it was not just a

personal grief. He mourned for the clan, which he saw

breaking up, and falling apart, and he mourned for the

warlike men of Umuofia.21

Again we see the same sadness for his society in

Okonkwo after killing the court messenger, Okonkwo stood

 72

looking at the dead man. He knew that Umuofia would not

go to war....They had broken into tumult instead of action.

He discerned fright in that tumult.”22

So he avenges the white man by fighting alone in the

only way he thinks proper.

6. Grander and more noble as the result of his futile

struggle with fate. Despite the fact that the white man with

his religion .and government is going to stay and win the

native society, Okonkwo fights the impending fate. He did

not with to join others and compromise with the events by

serving under the white authority.

So despite the fact that suicide is a terrible sin against

the Earth Goddess, Okonkwo takes his own life One recalls

his father Unoka’s words. It is more difficult and more bitter

when a man fails alone.

“Tragedy is a representation of a serious, complete

action which has magnitude....”. That is how Aristotle

 73

begins the definition of tragedy in the Poetics. In the

explanation of this all-important phrase, we find that the

action must flow from character. The completeness of the

action is assimilated to textual or narrative structure : what

is depicted is "complete action”, the beginning must be a

radical beginning from which the middle necessarily follows,

demanding closure by the end.”

This particular definition is realized to a great extent in

Things Fall Apart. The story of the novel is ‘serious’ and its

action is ‘complete’. The novel contains a theme of great

‘magnitude’. It is not just a story of an Ibo warrior. It is also

representative of the native societies of this part of Africa. It

shows what happened to these erstwhle cultures in the

course of history, what was lost and how and why. These

questions of depth are convincingly answered. It narrates

the life and history of a particular society in a style, which

has an elevating effect on the reader. The novel has a plot

 74

that has an organic beginning, middle and end. It begins

with the personal life of the protagonist Okonkwo that

moves hand in hand with the life of the society at large.

One of the most important themes of Things Fall Apart

is colonial encounter. Achebe introduces the missionaries in

the second part of the novel. The encounter between the

natives and the white missionary was very casual. It was

not an attack. Achebe very subtly creates it, as though it

happened naturally. The Umuofia society regards the white

man as an albino and makes fun of his complexion which is

like ‘a piece of chalk.’ The second time the white man is

discussed when Obierika pays a visit to Okonkwo in exile, at

his mother’s village, Mbaino. Obierika recounts how a

village named Abame ‘is no more.’

During the planting season, a white man appeared in

their village.....he was not an albino. He was quite different,

and he was riding an iron horse. The first people who saw
 75

him ran away, but he stood beckoning thou....the elders

consulted their Oracle and it told them that the strange

man would break their clan and spread destruction....So

they killed the white man and tied his iron horse to their

sacred tree because it looked as if it would run away to call

the man’s friends....the Oracle....said other white men were

on their way. They were locusts it said, and that first man

was their harbinger sent to explore the terrain....For a long

time nothing happened. The rain had come....The iron horse

wasstill tied to the sacred silk-cotton tree. And then one

morning three white men led by a band of ordinary men like

us came to the clan. They saw the iron horse and went away

again....for many weeks nothing else happened. They have a

big market in Abame on every other Afo day and as you

know, the whole clan gathers there. That was the day it

happened. The three white men and a very large band of

 76

other men surrounded the- market...and then they began to

shoot. Every body was killed.... 23

We can see that right from the beginning there existed

an unbridgeable gap between the two disparate cultures.

The natives couldn’t understand the desire and intent of the

white man whom they termed an ‘albino’. Neither did they

know the bicycle or its use, which to them is an ‘iron horse’.

The white missionary was also a little too daring to come to

the interior of Africa without bringing a native escort. By

time Obierika pays Okonkwo his next visit he tells his friend

The white men had come to Umuofia. They had built their

church there won a handful of converts and were already

sending evangelists to the surrounding towns and villages. 1

At first only those who were considered ‘efelefu’ by the clan

joined the missionaries. These included those without title

or wealth, mothers of the twin , babies and the outcastes

belonging to the cult of the Osus. So the clansmen of

 77

Umuofia made fun of the missionaries. Eventually they

appear in Mbanta and the villagers surround them.

Okonkwo too pauses to listen to the missionary who started

speaking in a strange Ibo dialect of the interpreter.

He told them that the true god lived on high and that

all men when they died went before Him for judgement. Evil

men and all the heathen who in their blindness bowed to

wood and stone were thrown into a fire that burned like the

palm-oil. 24

The natives laugh at them derisively and make fun of

the doctrine of Trinty. You told us with your own mouth

that there was only one god. Now you talk about his son. He

must have a wife then.25

Then the missionaries stop the blunt argument and

burst into hymn singing. It was one of those gay and

rollicking tunes of evangelism which had the power of

plucking at silent dusty chords in the heart of an Ibo man.

 78

The interpreter explained each verse to the audience, some

of whom now stood enthralled. It was a story of brothers

who lived in darkness and fear ignorant of the love of God. It

told of one sheep out on the hills, away from the gates , of

God, and from the tender shephered’s care. 26 Nwoye was

captivated by the song of the new God.

It was not the mad logic of the Trinity that captivated

him. He did not understand it. It was the poetry of the new

religion, something felt in the marrow. The hymn about the

brothers who sat in darkness and in fear seemed to answer

a vague and persistent question that haunted his young

soul—the question of the twins crying in the bush and the

question of Ikemefuna who was killed, he felt a relief within

as the hymn poured into his parched soul.27

Then the missionaries were given a patch of the ‘evil

forest’ by the natives to live in, the shrewd villagers thought

that the white man and his followers would definitely die in
 79

the forest where they buried their fetishes. The people of

Mbanta expected them to die within four days. They were

amazed to see them living and presumed that the ‘white

man’s fetish had unbelievable power’. Soon the

misssionaries won three converts. Jesu Christi, the

Christian God may not equal the great Chukwu. But he can

answer all the questions which are not answered by the

rigid native religion. The questions that Nwoye wouldn’t

dare asking his people or the doubts expressed by Obierika

regarding the punishment meted out by the native code of

conduct to those who committed inadvertent crimes like it is

in the case of Okonkwo when he was banished. These are

ways in which Christianity makes inroads into native

culture. Then it is backed by the colonial government which

brought a court of law and trade facilities.

The new religion has grown in strength and the

Europeans started consolidating their position by bringing

 80

their government. Intelligent missionaries like Mr. Brown

found various ways to inqrease the number of Christians in

the native societies. He was shrewd enough to restrain

himself from a frontal attack and goes towork by building a

school and a hospital in the village. He argued with the

natives, if Umuofia had failed to send her children to the

school them strangers would come from other places to rule

them. 28

These elements further shattered the native culture.

After the conciliatory methods of Mr. Brown, the unorthodox

ways of his successor Mr. James Smith attenuated the

strength of the natives even more. A native convert named

Okoli is rumoured to have killed the royal python held

sacred by the clansmen. Soon after that a Christian convert

Enoch dared unmasking an ancestral spirit during a clan

function. This final gesture is symbolic in disarming the

native religion which is now almost in its last phase. Soon

 81

there was trade and money prospects attached to the new

religion. It is said, there were many men and women in

Umuofia who did not feel as strongly as Okonkwo about the

new dispensation. The white man had indeed brought a

lunatic religion, but he had also brought a tading store and

for the first time palm oil and kernel became things of great

price and much money flowed into Umuofia.29

Finally the government of the white man arrives in

Umuofia and other native societies. It was said that the

white man had not only brought a religion but also a

government. It is said that they had built a place of

judgement in Umuofia to protect the followers of their

religion, it was even said that they had hanged one man

who killed a missionary.30

The white man started sitting on judgement over the

natives who committed crimes against one another. For

example, a man named Anito killed another named Oduche

 82

over a piece of land. Anito ran away to escape the wrath of

the Earth goddess. But white man’s court

messengers arrested Anito. He was imprisoned with all the

leders.....was taken to Umuru and hanged.....31

When Okonkwo returned to Umuofia rapid changes

took place. As Obierika had observed, The white man is very

clever, he came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We

were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay.

Now he had won our brothers and our clan can no longer

act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us

together and we have fallen apart.32

The District Commissioner used deceitful methods to

suppress and overcome the native strength and confidence.

For instance, when Okonkwo and five other leaders were

summoned by the D.C. who sent his ‘sweet tongued

messenger’, they never imagined the subsequent turn of the

events. It happened so quickly that the six men did not see
 83

it coming. There was only a brief scuffle, too brief even to

allow the drawing of a sheathed matchet. The six men were

handcuffed and led into the guardroom. 33

Now the colonial encounter is shown in full command

by making this point of assuming authority over the native

population. And in the final part of the book Okonkwo died

because for those who did hot with to follow the methods of

the white man. and unwilling to obey his culture there was

no more a possibility to live. The final gesture of tragic irony

occurs when Okonkwo’s last rites were performed by the

representatives of the white D.C.A. native culture that views

the body of an erstwhile lord’ of the clan as abominable was

. V V

finally proved to be lacking in sympathy and understanding.

Achebe makes us see that it is better for that culture which

failed to admit change to exit.

Mr. Brown who was a man of tolerance and

understanding was quite a popular man in Umuofia and

 84

other villages around. He succeeded in keeping the relations

between the Christians and the people of native religion

quite normal. But soon he had to leave Umuofia on grounds

of failing health. His successor was Mr. Smith who was of a

fiery mentality. He did not like the tolerant ways of Mr.

Brown. He believed in numbers. The more the converts, the

better. In this aspect he went against the norms of his

religion. It is not quantity that mattered to Christianity but

the faith of its devotees. Soon after his arrival he suspended

a woman convert because she had let her mutilate her

‘ogbanje’ child. He encouraged the over zealous converts

who did not like the restraint of Mr. Brown. Mr. Smith gave

them full authority to practice their unorthodox methods of

irritating the natives. So the population of Umuofia was

much displeased with his rough tactics. Enoch was one

such ruffian. During the festival of Ani or earth goddess he

fell on an egwugwu and unmasked the ancestral spirit. This

Q
 85

has enraged the clansmen beyond limits. So as a means of

retribution they went to the little church of Mr. Smith and

reduced to red earth and rubble. Mr. Smith proved too

impatient and hasty and unforgiving. He had neither respect

nor consideration for the native practices. He wanted to

civilize natives too soon and his methods proved too rash.

As the Umuofians said he danced a furious step and the

drums went mad. It is this arrogant attitude that finally

caused displacement of the native cultures. '

Condescending and often deceitful behaviour of the

whites was evident when District Commissioner gets

Okonkwo and other leaders of Umuofia arrested under false

pretext. They were told to pay a fine of two hundred cowries

each as compensation for destroyng the church. Later they

were humilated and insulted for three days. Their heads

were shaven and knocked against one another. They were

beaten and their anklets of titled status thoroughly

 86

ridiculed. They were not given any food or water. Neither

were they allowed to go into the bush to attend to call of

nature. All this amounts to uncalled for bossism and

inconsiderate nature on the part of the westerners. In the

face of these and many other unexpected events the people

of Umuofia were completely startled. Achebe describes the

mood of Umuofia thus :

Umuofia was like a startled animal with ears

erect sniffing the silent, ominous air and not knowing which

way to turn.34
The native society is confused because they were not

given a chance to think about the reasons for the changes

that have been sweeping into their lives. The same

unconcern for the native modes of life was seen in the white

District Commissioner who comes to see to the formality of

the funeral of Okonkwo. To him the incident of the death of

this man is an interesting interlude to be inserted into the

book he plans to write.

 87

Reference

1. Achabe Chinua, Things Fall Apart, 1975, P. 7

2. Davidson Basil, Let Freedom Come in Modern
History, Africa Boston, 1978
3. Achabe Chinua, Things Fall Apart, Pp. 12-13
4. Achabe Chinua, Things Fall Apart, Pp. 52-53
5. Achabe Chinua, Things Fall Apart, Pp. 55-56
6. Achabe Chinua, Novelist As A Teacher, P. 43
7. Achabe Chinua, Things Fall Apart, P. 43
8. Ibdi, P. 134 .
9. Achabe Chinua, Things Fall Apart, P. 142
10. Achabe Chinua, Things Fall Apart, P. 158
11.. Achabe Chinua, Things Fall Apart, Pp. 159-160
12. Achabe ChinUa, Things Fall Apart, P. 161
13. Ibid, P. 163
14. Achabe Chinua, Things Fall Apart, P. 177
15. William, Raymond, The Country and the City,
London 1974, P.288
16. Achabe Chinua, Interview, Towards African
Literary Independence, 1980
17. Things Fall Apart, P. 118
18. Ibid, P. 124
19. Things Fall Apart, P. 125
20. Things Fall Apart, P. 1
21- Things Fall Apart, P, 9
22. Things Fall Apart, P. 129
 88

23. Things Fall Apart, P. 145

24. Things Fall Apart, P. 97
25. Things Fall Apart, P. 101
26. Things Fall Apart, P 102
27. Ifetd, P. 102
28. Things Fall Apart, P. 108
29. Things Fall Apart, P. 104
30. Things Fall Apart, P. 128
31. Things Fall Apart, P. 126
32. Things Fall Apart, P. 110
33. Ibid, P. 125
34. Things Fall Apart, P. 124
35. Ibid, P. 137
36. Things Fall Apart, P. 138