Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe.

Introduction

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart represented the negative impact of European
influence over the Igbo culture through a lens that provides the complete colonial perspective
of Africa under European rule. The novel demonstrated the alienation of African culture by a
tactical introduction of Western traditions and cultural practices intended to soften the
subjects for Britain to rape the continent’s resources. The book relies on several themes to
show how European missionaries inflicted pain on the Igbo community by taking advantage
of its inferior and backward cultural systems, especially religion. However, the manner that
Achebe reacts to the splitting beliefs between European faith and his traditional beliefs and
practices, resulting in the death of his son and loss of his identity, is an excellent example of
the adverse effects of foreign ideals in an indigenous society.
Background

Things Fall Apart is Chinua Achebe’s novel published in 1958. It is a fictional novel
depicting the story of Nigeria’s Igbo people during the pre-colonial era and colonialism.
Europeans migrated to different parts of the African continent in the last decade of the
nineteenth century. Nigeria is one of the countries where it established a colony. The visitors
introduced Christianity and education, which led to a great deal of cultural change,
particularly for the Igbo community. The main goal of Achebe’s book is to enlighten the
readers about the impact that colonialism had on the cultures of the African people. Achebe
also intended to educate the readers about the value and validity of the traditions and cultures
of Nigerians and the entire African continent.
The Igbo community is presented as a well-developed community with its own
identity and roles. Its religious and cultural practices were widely regarded as advanced
before the European invasion and even respected by surrounding communities (Achebe,
1994). In truth, the culture of the Igbo people was considered to be so strong that it was

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impossible to destroy it. Achebe explains that, before the Europeans invaded Africa, the Igbo
people “had a philosophy of great depth and value and beauty that they had poetry and, above
all, they had dignity” (Achebe, p. 8). He attempted to revive the culture of the people of
Nigeria and to show that Africans had their own cultural identity and history before the
arrival of the Europeans. The primary theme of Things Fall Apart is the conflict that existed
between the African and the European cultures and the cultural transformation that resulted,
which are visible through the destruction of the traditions and religious system of the Igbo
people (Edgar, 2000). Achebe also demonstrates how the people resisted the social, cultural,
and religious changes introduced by the Europeans. Perhaps that is why European
missionaries decided to use Igbo to destabilize African identities and cultural structures by
painting them evil and backward. While the Igbo community held a special place in ancient
African society, their attachment to extreme cultural practices, as demonstrated by the death
of Ikemefuna under Okwonko’s machete, makes the European case in Achebe’s novel. Such
practices cemented the European missionaries’ agenda in deconstructing Igbo religion and
culture as both backward and in dire need of an update.

Impact of European Colonialism on the Igbo Culture

Throughout the novel, Achebe paints the image that the Igbo culture was well-
structured and revered in the African context but was entirely unacceptable by European
standards. The missionaries quickly demanded a change of the specific aspects of the Igbo
culture and traditions, which, according to Achebe, was inappropriate. Incidentally, those
aspects they wanted to change are the elements that glued the Igbo culture together, creating a
peaceful and harmonious indigenous group respected across Africa.
The Igbo culture is strongly patriarchal, and a typical man was required by tradition to
marry more than one woman. Women and children are required to be submissive to men,
which is acceptable in society. The first wife sometimes helps to look for younger women

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who can become co-wives. The younger wives must respect the first wife to create harmony
in the family. The Igbo people also value paying dowry as an essential aspect of marriage and
part of the community’s rituals. The family of the groom pays the bride price before marrying
the bride. As Achebe demonstrates, the groom is also expected to impress the clan elders
from whom he wishes to marry with presents and other goods.
On the contrary, polygamy is unacceptable in Christianity. The missionaries
emphasized the practice of monogamy among Igbo men, creating a cross-cultural clash.
Moreover, the misinformed notion that Christianity could coexist with Igbo religious
practices was intentionally under-communicated and abused to encourage the Igbo people to
adopt the new faith. Both religions relied on adversity because Christianity shunned gentiles
while Igbo shunned non-Igbo people (Oparanozie, 2019). Therefore, the idea that such
adversity-oriented beliefs could complement each other and even benefit Africans was a
White lie intended to shield the actual beneficiaries of the entire arrangement – the British
monarch.
The religion of the Igbo people is based on polytheism, which professes the existence
of a supreme God called “Chukwu.” Chukwu is all-powerful and supreme that ordinary
people cannot offer sacrifices or pray directly to him. Perhaps, this is why people make
sacrifices to lesser gods because they are easily accessible. The lesser gods coexist with the
people and are part of everyday life. The Igbo people also believe in the divinities of the
natural world, for example, the sky (Igwe), the lightning (Amodiaha), and the sun
(Anyanwu). Before the coming of the white missionaries, the Igbo worshiped their ancestors
as they were believed to influence the successes of day-to-day life. When death occurred,
some people were responsible for conducting funeral ceremonies and inducting the deceased
into the afterword. This way, the departed would not return and cause mischief to the living.
Achebe demonstrates the conduct of the funeral after the death of the elderly Ezeudum

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(Achebe, 1994, p.114). The role of the dead in Igbo is evident as they are considered to be
part of the social hierarchy of the clan structure.
The doctrines of Christianity and the Igbo religions differ in certain areas. The Igbo
people found it challenging to incorporate Christian traditions into their belief system. For
this reason, cases of backsliding after conversion to Christianity were common, indicating
uncertainties about which Igbo religion and Christianity is the right religion. The Christianity
doctrines of Trinity, Atonement, and Incarnation conflict with the beliefs of the Igbo religion.
In particular, the Christianity doctrine of the incarnation is challenging to adopt for Igbo
people who believe in many spirits. This is depicted in Achebe’s words, “mad logic of the
Trinity” (Achebe, 1994, p. 137).
The differences in the two belief systems result in splitting the Igbo community into
two. One of the groups adheres to the Igbo religion, while the other converts to Christianity.
There is a seemingly permanent conflict between the two groups as those who adhere to
Christianity are considered incomplete clan members. The lift is demonstrated through the
case of Nneka, the first Igbo woman to convert to Christianity. Nneka has no living child as
his four sets of twins had already been killed as per the Igbo traditions. Her husband
criticized her for not having a child. She converts to Christianity, where the possible twins in
her current pregnancy are safe. The clan members viewed this step as a good way of getting
rid of an unwanted person (good riddance) (Achebe, 1994, p.141).
In the Igbo culture, killing certain community members is permitted as long as the
reasons are justified. For example, giving birth to twins is considered a bad omen because of
the belief that they are supernatural and could bring suffering to the people and the land. This
explains why newborn twins are terminated immediately, within hours of birth. In addition,
the Igbo people offer peace sacrifices to their gods by killing small boys. On the flip side, the
white missionaries opposed this practice based on God’s commandment that people should

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not kill because life is sacred and only God should decide when to take life. Despite the
condemnation of killing under Christianity, the two cultures also seem to differ on the
acceptable degree of killing. The Europeans condoned fighting and killing for the sake of
religion, for example, during the crusades, in which thousands would die. Achebe shows that
the murder of only one white man could make the British wipe out a whole village (Achebe,
1994, p. 129). However, fighting and killing of that degree, for the Igbo, is an abomination.
The political systems of the Europeans and that of the Igbo also differed
fundamentally. The British colonialists believed in a structured political system containing a
parliament to legislate policies and a powerful ruler (king). They expected all civilizations to
have similar political systems. This is demonstrated when the missionaries land in Mbanta
and hope to find a ruler (king) (Achebe, 1994, p. 138). On the contrary, the political system
of the Igbo is informal and clan-based. The lack of a formal governance structure was why
the British established a new political system in the Igbo community drawing power from the
monarch. The new political system uses arrogant and high-handed white administrators
dubbed “Ashy Buttocks.”
Achebe emphasizes the loss of the traditions and culture of the Igbo after the invasion
by the European through the ceremonial human sacrifice that Okonkwo undergoes. Okonkwo
has strong beliefs about traditionalism, an ideology that pits him against his son Nwoye,
especially after he (Nyowe) joined Christian missionaries. Okonkwo runs away from the
village and stays in exile for seven years after accidentally killing the son of Ezeddu with his
gun. After returning to Umofia and finding it divided under European rulership, Okonkwo
commits suicide after killing a white massager who fails to obey him. The death of Okonkwo
comes inevitable, especially after going against the wishes of his clan members: igniting the
colonial system. Therefore, he represents how the Igbo people and other African societies
that underwent colonialism and lost their sacred traditions and cultures through imperialism.

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Shahzadi (2015) observes that the Europeans perceived the African culture as non-
progressive and futile.
Achebe used Mr. Brown to show the perceived complementary relationship between
Igbo and European cultures to ingrain Eurocentric ideals into the African community. He
believed that just like Igbo culture was revered and respected in the ancient African
community before the European advent, European culture could also be respected due to the
advances it introduced, especially education and Christianity. Mr. Brown’s belief that
education would enable Igbo people to govern themselves was flawed in the sense that the
Igbo people had already governed themselves before racist settlers invaded Nigeria and stole
both the land and the peoples’ identities (Njoku & Uzukwu, 2014). Additionally, the
introduction of European cultural beliefs on the foundation of the said perceived
complementary relationship between Igbo and European cultures was part of a larger goal of
colonialism, not a partnership or mutual development, as Mr. Brown insinuated.
Mr. Brown, who represents the white missionaries, comes as a benevolent person
after constructing trade posts, a hospital, and a school for the people of Umuofia. He implores
the people of Umuofia to send their children to school to receive an education. He warns
them that if they did not educate the children, strangers would come in the future and
overrule them. The villagers seemed to rejoice about these developments, especially the
hospital, which provides treatment and medicine to the locals. Through this, Mr. Brown
manages to convince the villagers to abandon their traditions and culture and adopt the
culture of the Europeans and Christianity. According to Aziz (2015), a change of culture was
fundamental for the success of British imperialism. Although the community benefited from
education and hospitals, the ultimate goal of the colonialists was to exploit the Africans
economically and through unfair use of resources.

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According to El-Dessouky (2010), Achebe’s novel shows that humanity exists in all
cultures. Therefore, any society that intends to endure must be prepared with all varieties of
cultural arsenals. The Igbo had powerful traditions and culture, which included an elaborate
moral code, art, and an economic base. However, all of these were destroyed after the society
allowed the British imperialists to invade. They were unable to adapt to the sudden change
that Europeans brought.

Conclusion

There are several similarities between European and Igbo cultures. However,
polytheism, patriarchal social system, polygamy, and the intentional killing of certain
community members like twins set the two cultures apart. An attempt at painting Achebe’s
book in a complimentary light where Igbo and Christian cultures complemented each other to
increase cooperation was both a sham and unfortunate for the victims. No colonialists
believed that an African society should be improved or even benefit from their presence,
mainly because the main objective was to annex indigenous natural resources. However,
some missionaries did manage to improve the welfare of the Igbo and other African societies
through education, civilization, and healthcare before the ugly truth about why Europeans
came to Africa came to light. By and large, the interventions of the European missionaries in
Umuofia had an overall damaging effect on the Igbo people. The social hierarchy was
destroyed, and the colonial system of governance was imposed on them. Achebe uses
Okonkwo’s death as a metaphor that represents the death of the traditions and culture of the
African people under European imperialism.

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References
Achebe, C. (1994). Things fall apart: A novel. Penguin Books.
Aziz, S. (2015). Multiculturalism in Chinua Achebe’s novel things fall apart and no longer at
ease. Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 13, 142-157
Egar, E. E. (2000). Rhetorical implications of the theme in Things Fall Apart. In the
rhetorical implications of Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart.” New York:
University Press of America.
El-Dessouky, M. (2010). The cultural impact upon human struggle for social existence in
Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart.” English Language Teaching, 3(3), 98-106
Njoku, A., & Uzukwu, E. (2014). Interface between Igbo theology and Christianity.
Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Oparanozie, P. (2019). Christianity, Igbo traditional religion, and Islamization. PEOPLE:
International Journal of Social Sciences, 5(3), 133-
141. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2019.53.133141
Shahzadi, M. (2021). The representation of cultural comparison in Chinua Achebe’s things
fall apart. Elementary Education, 20 (5), 4790-4793.