The Summary of "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe

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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
The novel Things Fall Apart was written in 1961 by the African leading literate, Chinua Achebe. It depicts the situation of the problems that Nigeria and Africa as a whole went through. These challenges arose as a result of the colonialism in which the some high cherished African cultures were at stake. Many disintegrations followed after colonialism. The new culture worked to suppress the African culture that was significantly undermined.
In the novel, the leading character is Okonkwo. Unlike his father, Okonkwo while in his obi thought of his father’s failure and became determined to cling and defend his tradition to the letter. It is important to note that his father failed despite his determination to defend his culture. Nevertheless, as the title of the novel depicts, Okonkwo realized that the change was inevitable. Whatever the means he would use, he could never afford to realize his dreams. He finally succumbed to defeat and failure as his father did. The theme of Disintegration runs throughout the novel.
As the Igbo’s culture is washed away and disintegrates, the Western culture permeates. The people are taught the new culture and out of fear and feeling powerless; they adopt it. Regarding the Umofian’s tradition and culture, Wright denotes that the Ibo’s sense of justice is arbitrary and inadequate (p. 87). From then, traditional culture started disintegrating. Umofian culture started being forgotten.
Despite, the fall, and disintegration, Okonkwo was determined to fight to the end. He was a brave young man that belonged to the leading clan. Okonkwo was successful in wrestling and feared nobody. When men in the society failed to support him, he was saddened and viewed them as efulefu. He would fight with giants, and his determination gave him success. The community saw in him a great leader. In page 39, Okonkwo is branded as the heroic and of tragic status. The title is given after he chose to alienate himself from the society that does not support him in fighting the western culture.
At the onset, the Igbo community saw the colonialism as their savior. They could see them as a source of food and livelihood. As a result, they wholeheartedly welcomed them. Little did they know that their culture was at stake. It then proceeded to the introduction of the new form of religion then schools. After that, the new culture started becoming the norm. Some people could discern the change. However, only Okonkwo came out brave enough. When a messenger was sent to him, he murdered him as an act of revenge. The whites then started a search to get hold of him....