Analyzing Cultural Transformation in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

This essay examines Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart,' focusing on the cultural transformation of the Igbo community in Nigeria before and after the arrival of the colonialists. The paper explores the rich traditions, beliefs, and social structures of the Igbo people, including their religious practices, festivals, and patriarchal society. It highlights the impact of the missionaries and the introduction of a foreign culture, leading to conflicts and the erosion of the Igbo's way of life. The essay analyzes the protagonist, Okonkwo, and his struggle to maintain his cultural identity in the face of colonial influence. Furthermore, it discusses the misinterpretations and misconceptions of the colonists towards Africa, as depicted in the novel, and the cultural practices that may have contributed to these misunderstandings, such as the different definitions of masculinity and femininity. Overall, the essay showcases Achebe's literary approach as a call for cultural awakening, offering a rich content of African culture and demystifying the social, cultural, and religious misconceptions labeled on Africa.

Running Head: THINGS FALL APART BY CHINUA ACHEBE
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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Name of the Student
Name of the Institution

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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Culture plays significant roles in the society and more so to a person. It is the totality of
people's beliefs, traditions, values, language, attitudes, and rituals. Notably, many cultures exist
across the world and are central to the formation of an individual's sense of belonging or identity.
The existence of numerous cultures across the world, however, does not render some superior or
inferior to others although some tend to conflict. Chinua Achebe is one of the Nigeria authors
who attempt to portray the culture of the Igbo people in his Things Fall Apart. One would argue
that Achebe, to a greater extent, images the dominant culture in the African continent before the
coming of the colonialists. He, therefore, creates a scenario where there emerge some opposing
cultures which were a result of the Igbo people contact with the colonialists. The role of this
paper is thus to discuss the cultural transformation of the Igbo community, and the role played by
the white's foreign culture in influencing these cultural changes.
Achebe's Things Fall Apart provides a significant model that frames a different
perception of the African continent (Abel, 2017). It is a remarkable text that sets a firm
foundation on which African literary discourses and cultural nationalism are built. Moreover, it
is a text that questions the rather negative perceptions of Africa as depicted in some books, news,
and articles (Eze, 2014: Sen, 2013). In his book, Achebe constructs arguments that negotiate for
the African culture while in the same sense reconstruct the image and identity of Africa (Abel,
2017). He, therefore, brings to the light the cultural values that define Africa. Essentially, Chinua
Achebe deconstructs the language of colonists mainly their definition of African history and
culture (Alam, 2014). The book thus reimages Africa and dejects the negative conceptualization
of Africa by the colonials.

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The Igbo community had a sophisticated culture which was defined by various beliefs.
They believed in the existence of many gods and the ancestral spirits. The goddess Ani who was
the earth goddess and the goddess of all fertility was the most significant of all the Umuofia
gods. Ani judged the morality and conduct of the Igbo people. The Igbo culture was also
characterized by many beliefs including the belief in the Evil Forests and the bad omen of
whistling in the night and calling snake by its name (Achebe, 2009). They had several festivals
that preceded planting and harvesting seasons and one of them was the feast of the New Yam as
well as the festivals of the Peace Week. Wrestling was also an important festival that brought
people together. The Igbo community was patriarchal and polygamous. A man was supposed to
express masculinity in all aspects and own titles and feed for his family. A man who failed to
meet the standards was considered an Agbala or a woman (Achebe, 2009). Women, on the other
hand, were passive objects whose roles were restricted to the domestic sphere.
Achebe from his first to the fifteenth chapter describes the Igbo community and its nine
villages. Conversely, the disintegration of the Igbo culture assumes another face upon the arrival
of the missionaries in the sixteenth chapter. The arrival of the missionaries and conversion of
new believers was going to trigger numerous cultural changes. To some, the period marked the
beginning of abandoning their culture and adopting the new one. It was turbulent and cultural
crisis period for the Igbo people. Okonkwo, the story's protagonist, suffers as a result of the
colonizer's intrusion. He could not withstand their massive influence to the Igbo people and the
consequent erosion of the once elaborate Igbo culture (Islam, 2014).

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According to Uwah (2017), the coming of the colonizers led to the cultural incompetence
and intolerance. The Umuofia people rendered those who joined the religion as worthless men
who had no titles. They had become social misfits in the Igbo. The converts and the missionaries,
on the other hand, saw the primitivism nature of those who failed to shun away from the cultural
bindings. The missionaries and converts condemned the Igbo's polytheism and compared the
gods to stones and woods. The white man alluded that those people who bowed down to wood
and stones would be thrown into eternal fire while those who worshipped God would inherit the
heavenly kingdom. A new culture was introduced to the Igbo people, and some welcomed it.
Okonkwo's son Nwoye was one of the zealous converts.
Achebe also frames a picture of the Igbo society and its prosperity which was founded on
poetry, art, a concise justice system, democracy and music (Aihevba & Ojiebun, 2016). Despite
its strong leadership, the largest percentage of the Igbo people were adamant about adapting to
the changing times and culture. Both the missionaries and the internal conflict that pervaded Igbo
were the main factors that led to the wearing out of the Igbo cultural fabric. Culture tends to
disintegrate when its roots (who are the people that associate with it) cannot withstand the test of
time (Achebe, 2017).
Further, Uwah (2017) maintain that Achebe is critical of the European's narratives,
stereotypes, and myths directed towards Africa as a whole. It should be remembered that the
Things Fall Apart s not a mere representation of the Igbo community but Africa as a whole.
Achebe's approach is, therefore, a counter representation that attempts to illuminate the
complexity and fullness of the African culture. For the longest time in history Africa, mainly
referred to as a "dark continent" has been perceived as an impassable jungle. Nonetheless, the
events that unfold in Umuofia portray a complex society characterized by traditional institutions,

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cultural ideals, and corporate structure that oversees the people's affairs. Okwonko kills a
sixteen-year boy during the burial of Ezeudu who was a great and oldest man of Umuofia (.
Killing a fellow clansman was a crime against the goddess of the earth and the ultimate
punishment was an exile. Okonkwo, a man of title and a warrior and other accomplishments
went into exile. Such an undertaking is a clear demonstration of a complex culture with its rules
and regulations that govern the conduct of its people.
The colonists perceived that Africa lacked written laws that govern its people. The notion
is proven by the District Commissioners address to the six arrested men. According to the
commissioner, he and his people had a court of law where cases were heard and determined, and
justice was served. Arguably, such a misinterpretation is a mere fallacy (Alam, 2014). Achebe
depicts a whole administrative process of the Igbo community. The existence of various
categories of groups including lineage, the oracles of the Caves and Hills, age-grade, and the
council f elders (ndichie) is an indication that cultural, political and social administration.
Additionally, Umuofia people were also guided by gods and deities including Ojuku, Ifejioku,
and Ani. The gods and deities were highly respected and thus guided how people behaved
towards each other.
Nevertheless, even as Achebe makes tremendous attempts in deconstructing the
misinterpretations and misconceptions of the colonists towards Africa (Asika, 2016), he also
points out some of the cultural practices which may have played a role in the construction of
these misinterpretations and misconceptions. For instance, there were entirely different ways of
defining femininity and masculinity. In the first place, women were men's objects and were
considered as a weaker gender (Achebe & Akase 2015). There were also different crops grown
by men and women. Other than fulfilling the household tasks, a woman's primary roles were to

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remain submissive and bear many children. Okonkwo devalued femininity and thus was opposed
to anything or character that expresses femininity (Cobham, 2003). Masculinity, on the other
hand, was defined by the titles owned, prowess on the battlefield, and ability to provide for the
family. In fact, a lazy man such as Unoka was referred to as a woman (agbala). A man was not
supposed to show compassion or affection, and these were signs of weaknesses (Shouqm &
Zubair, 2015).
In addition, a daughter of Umuofia had been killed in Mbaino on her way to the market.
In compensation, Umuofia received a young boy, Ikemefuna and a virgin girl (Achebe, 2009).
Ikemefuna belonged to the community although he was put under the care of Okonkwo. He was
different from Nwoye. Ikemefuna lived with the Okokwos for three years when fate later befell
him. Okonkwo was growing fond of the boy though he could not openly show it. Another
barbaric cultural practice expressed by Achebe include throwing away of twins, and ridicule of
those who gave birth to twins or gave no birth at all.
In conclusion, it is evident that Achebe Things Fall Apart was a literary approach that
was an awakening call. The book offers a rich content of the African culture. Achebe demystifies
the social, cultural and religious misconceptions labeled on Africa mainly by the colonists. He
successfully does this through the illumination of the Igbo community (comprising nine tribes) in
Nigeria. Throughout the novel, Achebe highlights the richness and complexity of the Igbo
community culture. Achebe thus shows the interference and social disorder caused by the
cultural and political disruption of the colonists. Thus, it is clear that the tensions and conflict
that occur after the arrival of colonists were as a result of the colonist's politics.

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