Things Fall Apart

                In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe we see into a society that we have never fully explored before. What we consider to be naïve and barbaric is actually was strict and knowledgeable.  This book gives us a tale of a man who tries to run from his past.  Okonkwo works to be the opposite of his loving and kind father which causes his hatred and pain.  He refuses to embrace the good qualities his lazy father had, so he became a hard and bitter man. This story explores facets of the character that come from greed and selfish ambition. 

                Along with the exploration of a man who cares little about his family, this story weaves many traditional African myths and lore into an otherwise depressing story.  They give a deeper and meaningful insight into the truths believed by these people. How they teach their children wrong and right. They use it as proof and examples for their actions, such as Okonkwo justifies many of his decisions and actions based on the beliefs taught in the simple stories.  The use of these stories show how well the author understands the culture and is familiar with its customs.  The fact that we see so many situations in their culture makes the story more relatable. We see a court case, a proposal, punishment for customs and how they accept the new society pressed upon them by the whites.

                Chinua Achebe is an author who can carefully craft a story that teaches us about a society and yet teaches about human nature. He shows an exceptional knowledge of the downfall of man, how he scorns what he good he had in exchange for something that could never satisfy. This novel is well written and intriguing, bringing you into man’s inner struggle.  The story itself is heart breaking and eye opening, how the African society works and the cruelty and stupidity of the missionaries. The lessons taught in this book extend across all cultures and times.