Introduction
All literary works are created within a specific historical era characterized by distinct beliefs, cultures, and experiences, which shape the artists’ story, perspective, and style. Published in 1958, Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (TFA) mirrors the everyday socio-cultural context of the Igbo people as they struggled with the complexities occasioned by the arrival of the Europeans in Nigeria. The publication, set in West Africa’s country in the 1900s, is heavily influenced by the traditional culture of the inhabitants as the author attempts to shatter the stereotypical representation of Africans by European writers. For instance, Achebe’s portrayal of Okonkwo, TFA’s main character, mirrors the customs of the Igbo people, including the patriarchal and gendered structuring of the society. Although TFA is a fictional artistic work, its perspective, style, and story are shaped by Achebe’s socio-cultural context, life, and experiences.
The Gendered Life of the Igbo
The highly patriarchal and gendered traditions of the Igbo significantly influence the presentation of Achebe’s TFA. Notably, the first part of the artistic work illustrates the distinctive genderization and structuring of the Igbo ethnic group. For instance, the author portrays the strict gendered socio-cultural organization of the people of Umuofia as demonstrated by the depiction of male power, subordination, and oppression of women. For instance, Achebe gives the impression that men are the decision-makers and women should remain silent. Nwamadi contends that the traditional African societies were characterized by strict adherence to gender issues that transcended all aspects of the community, including the upbringing of boys and girls (17). Consequently, Achebe depicts this socio-cultural reality by illuminating how girls were brought up while being instilled with such values as obedience, silence, yielding to the wishes of men, and not contradicting their male counterparts. For instance, the author presents the tasks that require more energy as the preserve of men, including cultivating yam tubers and splitting firewood (Nduka and Ozioma 272). In this regard, the gendered stratification of the Igbo culture shapes Achebe’s elevation of masculinity in TFA.
Additionally, such Igbo clans were largely polygamous, with the society apportioning disproportionate power to men and placing women in a secondary position. Notably, this socio-cultural context influences Achebe’s publication as seen in the prominent illustration of multiple wives as one of the strong indicators of success. Moreover, women were always marginalized, treated like men’s property, denied entitlement to their opinions, and generally viewed as servants of their male counterparts. For instance, the Igbo tradition valued the role of women in cooking for their families, and men were justified to beat their wives whenever they failed to prepare meals. To underscore the value of this cultural norm, Achebe remarks that “Okonkwo was provoked to a justifiable anger by his youngest wife (23). This perspective shapes Achebe’s story by presenting Ojugo, Okonkwo’s third wife, to be provocatively at fault for failing to cook an afternoon meal. Therefore, disciplining their wives was an exemplification of their masculinity and superiority over women.
Moreover, the indigenous cultural tradition of elevating men’s superiority while suppressing and oppressing women is pronounced throughout TFA. According to Amaechi and Amaechi, the pre-colonial Igbo community was a man’s world where women were subservient, subordinate to their male counterparts, and relegated to the society’s background (98). Notably, the cultural aspect of men’s superiority shapes Achebe’s depiction of such characters as Okonkwo and his father, Unoka. For instance, Okonkwo’s ruthlessness and uncontrollable rage towards his wives are deemed desirable attributes of manliness, which were conspicuously absent in his father’s persona. Nduka and Ozioma posit that Okonkwo’s violent nature was a manifestation of his masculinity and male superiority over women, which were perceived as indicators of strength and courage (273). Abdullahi et al. corroborate this perspective and assert that pervasively patriarchal cultures and predominant male positions are defined by the increased susceptibility of women and their socialization into accepting the abuse (274). From this perspective, Achebe’s life experience and observations influence the inclusion of domestic violence as the most defining characteristic of Okonkwo.
Autonomy of Communities
One distinct feature of pre-colonial Africa is the relative absence of extensive states to facilitate more effective governance. According to Uzoigwe, Nigeria was subdivided into numerous sovereign autonomous communities, composed of small towns and village groups, which ultimately constituted the large state (180). This unified structure of the Igbo significantly shapes Achebe’s TFA as demonstrated by the absence of a single state ruler. However, the various communities were distinct and lived separately to minimize the occurrence of conflicts, although they shared a common culture and economy. The Igbo placed a high value on independence and autonomy since they were particularly concerned about the potential of an abusive centralized authority (Sharif and Mirkhan 936). For instance, Achebe highlights the indirect rulership of the British colonialists, a strategy that recognized the effectiveness of using the traditional political system and such influential and highly esteemed individuals like Okonkwo (Sharif and Mirkhan 936). The Igbo’s hatred for a centralized leadership shaped Achebe’s work as presented in the community’s administrative structure organized in families, villages, and towns and built around social ties instead of political association.
Achebe’s Life and TFA’s Point of View
TFA’s viewpoint is focused on the absolute essence of establishing balance across all the facets of life since its absence implies lost order, which engenders destruction. From the onset, Chinua depicts the Igbo culture as a system that functioned excellently well due to the integrated concept of balance. However, whenever that principle is defied, undesirable events occur in society. For instance, at the beginning of the book, Okonkwo is portrayed as a visionary and highly esteemed individual working so hard to escape from the poverty that currently afflicts his father. At just 18 years, he had built a name for himself across nine villages, and he was highly regarded as a warrior and wrestler. However, things started crumbling when he could no longer control his abusive instincts against his wives. Nduka and Ozioma note that Okonkwo used to beat his wives so ruthlessly that he offended the gods and ancestors of the land (275). In this regard, while wife-beating was acceptable among the Igbo, Okonkwo’s excessive cruelty and violence against his wives contributed to his downfall.
Additionally, the social, political, and religious fabric of the Igbo society survived due to the established demarcation and equilibrium between the three. However, the community is soon fragmented due to its brutal rules, the arrival of the Christian missionaries, and the rulership of the English government, which upset the exiting balance and harmony. For instance, such people as Nwoye, who were dissatisfied with the stringent rules, changed their denomination, although the community had a robust traditional religion. In chapter 20 of TFA, Okonkwo is decrying the social annihilation by the whites through sneaky and divisive action, and the “clan can no longer act like one” and they “have fallen apart” (Achebe 152). This implies that the unity and harmonious coexistence of the various social facets were distinctively impactful to artistic work.
Style
Achebe extensively uses the linguistic repertoires of language variations and other distinctive features of the Igbo language to enhance communicative effectiveness and delivery of the message. It entails the choice of words, structuring, and patterning of sentences, direct translations, and narrative techniques utilized in a given piece of artistic work. For instance, Achebe makes extensive use of folktales, proverbs, straightforward diction, simple sentences, and religious tenets, utilized in speeches, songs, and prayers to enhance the historical aspect of the book (Awa 17). Consequently, although the non-Igbo audience may often encounter unfamiliar names, the sentences are do not pose any challenge in understanding or contain unnecessary embellishments. This is depicted in the novel’s opening statement in which he illustrates how Okonkwo had earned fame in the village by throwing Amalinze the Cat (Achebe 1). Moreover, the widespread application of the verb ‘to be’ subtly underscores the book’s historical realism, which promotes the reader’s belief in the Igbo cultural world. Therefore, the rich and cultural language of the Igbo people molds Achebe’s writing and enriches his delivery of the book’s message.
TFA’s Historical Significance
TFA straddles two critically significant historical moments in Nigeria, with the author depicting the Igbo society transitioning from its initial contact with the Europeans to the progressive dominance of the British over the indigenous people. The setting of the novel is in the pre-colonial past, which is overlapped and intertwined with the days of colonialism in the West African country. Notably, the literary works of this period painted the stereotypical portraits of the native Africans as primitive and savage people, and Achebe’s TFA can be viewed as a response to imperialist literature.
Further, Achebe foreshadows the resultant challenges and destruction that would be occasioned by the arrival of the colonists by likening them to colonists. For instance, he notes that the colonialists would dominate and control all the aspects of Igbo life, leading to the eventual destruction of their culture. He notes, “they settled on every tree and on every blade of grass, the settled on roofs and the bare ground…and the whole country became the brown-earth color of the vast, hungry swarm (Achebe 49). This juxtaposition of the Igbo culture before and after the arrival of the Europeans is critical in contextualizing the historical and cultural era within which the book was published. As a result, the reader easily transitions across the two critical eras of an African community before and after the arrival of white people.
Conclusion
Chinua Achebe’s TFA is a globally acclaimed novel whose style, perspective, and general story are significantly shaped by the author’s culture and life experiences. The publication creatively mirrors past events and explicitly illustrates the socio-cultural aspects of the Igbo people. Although the work is fictional, it extensively reflects the socio-cultural context within which Achebe was brought up and articulated critical information of the Igbo people. At the time of the publication, no African literary artists were projecting their culture to the world, and the Western authors viewed Africans as inferior, uncivilized, and primitive. Achebe’s work is a compelling articulation of the values, ideals, and traditions of the Igbo people before the arrival of the Europeans.
Works Cited
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Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. William Heinemann Ltd, 1958.
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