English Lang. & Lit. Blog | Tómas Egilsson

The personal history of an author can have a significant influence on the way meaning is constructed in his/her writing. Comment on specific instances of such influence in Things Fall Apart. Chinua Achebe wrote the novel 'Things Fall Apart' in 1958, two years before the independence of Nigeria, and was a devoted member of the Nigerian independence movement. Although the British did take Nigeria for themselves by destroying the previous culture, and despite his role in the independence movement, Achebe does his best to equal the playing field, and refrains from writing the British as these monsters who ruined the utopia that was Umuofia. The reason for this is because of his personal history, living as a devoted Christian but also a proud Igbo. He uses this complex personal history to help influence meaning in his novel and therefore creates characters that are imperfect, helping to create a balance between the two sides in the novel.

What is the significance of Okonkwo’s character? What does he represent or is symbolic of? He is symbolic of everything that the Umuofian society stands for. He is materialistic, and loves being successful. He aspires to reach to top ranks of his society, and is determined to achieve his goals. He is hard working, strong, and brave, everything that a man should be in his society. He does not follow in the footsteps of his father but rather deviates from him and will do anything to not end up like him. His society does not believe in a man that benefits from his own father's success but rather must build his own success. He is significant in that he is considered important within his society. He is well known and someone that the young men of Umuofia should aspire to be like. However, he is also human. He deals with a lot of internal conflict, mainly centered around the fact that he will do anything to not be like his father which has it's downsides. His father was a very lo

1. When Okonkwo beheads the messenger: This is a very important moment in terms of Okonkwo's character. Throughout the novel, we see him deal with a lot of internal conflict, which is then amplified when he returns from his exile to see that his village has changed tremendously and has been taken over by the British. After his arrival, his internal conflict builds up more and more, until it finally reaches the climax, and he kills the messenger. 2. Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna: This event foreshadows Okonkwo's eventual downfall, and acts as a turning point in the story. During the event, Ikemefuna calls Okonkwo his "father", showcasing how strong the relationship they have formed is. Okonkwo is forced to kill Ikemefuna out of fear that he will be considered weak if he does not do so, and this act leaves a huge emotional scar in him. 3. Okonkwo hangs himself: After he beheads the messenger, the villagers decide not to defend Okonkwo from the British, another example

Things Fall Apart, the novel by Chinua Achebe follows the story of Okonkwo, an Igbo tribesman who is forced to deal with a shift in culture and ideals as white colonials come to take over the country. The first part of the novel focuses on introducing us to the Igbo culture, what it entails, how is society functions, and what is considered important in their culture. He spends a lot of time doing this and puts lot of detail and imagery into his descriptions. So, by doing this, we develop a lot of respect for their culture as we have a good understanding of it. Then, in the second part of the novel, the white colonials come and try to take over the country. Their attempts include introducing them to Christianity and telling the locals that their religion and gods aren’t real. They would also interfere with their traditions, which are very important to their society. Now, if Achebe had decided to start the novel during the context of composition, we would not have as strong of a conne