Things Fall Apart

Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37781.Things_Fall_Apart

Just finished reading this book by Chinua Achebe and I must admit it struck a chord.

I had actually read the simplified edition when I was younger and recently came across a really negative review of the book on goodreads website. This review prompted me to read the book again just to see things from the reviewer's point of view and I must say it felt like we both read two completely different books.

The story of Okonkwo the great warrior and how he fell from grace is such a compelling tragedy. In part one Achebe does a really good job of portraying the nature and practices of the Igbo tribes. Personally their practices seemed really extreme but I like the fact that he neither showers them with praise nor criticism. He simply states them as they are.

It is clear that Okonkwo has a lot of daddy issues. As a result he is very determined not to allow his father's short comings to ruin his life. Unfortunately arrogance is another vice that contributes greatly to his downfall. I especially like the parable of the tortoise attending a party in the sky which teaches a very good lesson about inter-personal relationships.

Things really begin to fall apart when the British missionaries come to spread the gospel in the surrounding villages. I believe that if the foreigners had stopped at spreading the word a lot of the ensuing conflict could have been averted. Unfortunately this was one of the ploys of colonialism / imperialism in which they used their religion to gain ground and confidence within the tribes and then started imposing their statutes and governance on the local people.

The fact that some of the clans men weren't united to a common cause also contributed to their downfall. This can be seen in the situation where the court messengers (local people working for the white people) disrespected their own elders who where held in custody and collected bribes from the villagers in addition to the initial fine required to release the elders.

Conclusion: Overall a very good read, I would highly recommend.