When Things Fall Apart
The theme of the novel “Things Fall Apart”
Discuss the theme of the novel Things Fall Apart
ANSWER:
Things Fall Apart is the most loved novel in Africa. It narrates the downfall of LBO society and the tragedy of the
main protagonist-Okonkwo.
The critics agree that Achebe has taken the title
and the themes of the novel from W.B. Yeats, the famous poem' The Second Coming.
The related lines are :
"Things
fall apart, the centre cannot hold
Mere
anarchy is loosed upon the world.
“Things Fall Apart, is qualified to
enrapture the consideration of the peruser by a supernatural play of many
themes. These can be taken as follows:
1. Social
disintegration:
The events are knit in this way,
that they indicate the fall of LBO society. In the beginning, Achebe demonstrated the culture and social system of Ibo society. This system is
targeted by the Whiteman and we witness the events by which LBO society begins
to fall apart. Religion is threatened, Umuofia losses its self-determination
and the very centres of tribal life are reflected and distorted. These
events are more painful for the reader because lbo society is described in a
detailed and sympathetic way by the writer. It gives a sense to the reader that
the LBO society does not exist anymore.
The arrival of the Whiteman and
their culture heralds the death of lbo culture. The Whiteman does not harm the
tribe's customs and strives to convince tribesmen that the White'mans culture
is better than theirs. Realizing this success, the Whiteman encourages the
tribesmen who join him, to increase the Whiteman's power and popularize his
customs. Consequently, the tribe is split, piloting brother against brother and
father against son. Tribal practices diminish as the bond that ties tribesman,
deteriorates.
2. The memory of Ibo society:
The novel reflects the social
digression that Achebe uses as a major tool for his description. The novel
narrates the story of Okonkwo's tragedy, but it is also a record or memory of
LBO's life before the coming of Whiteman. The novel documents and preserves what
the Whiteman destroyed. The reader learns much about LBO customs and
traditions; depicting this world as a central part of the novel.
Things Fall Apart, is a documentary
rather than the memory of the writer, about a clan which once thought like one
SPOKE like one, shared a common awareness and acted like one. This unity was a
symbol before the arrival of the Whiteman. He comes and his arrival broke this
unity. The life and the world of the clan were changed, it was occupied by the
thoughts and the ideas of the Whiteman and the clan people lost their identity.