Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (A Reflection of IGBO Traditions)

 

Things Fall Apart

by Chinua Achebe

(A Reflection of IGBO Traditions) 

Achebe’s novels focus on the traditions of Igbo society. His style relies heavily on the Igbo oral tradition and combines straight forward narration with representations of folk stories, proverbs and oratory. Storytelling was a mainstay of the Igbo tradition and an integral part of the community. Chinua’s mother and sister Zinobia Uzoma told him many stories as a child. In his work we find the weaving of folk tales within the fabric of the main story. Each story illuminates community values in both the context and the form of storytelling. The tale about the Earth and Sky in Things Fall Apart for example emphasises the interdependency of the masculine and the feminine. Although Nwoye enjoys hearing the tales his mother tells, he pretends to dislike such “women’s stories” in order to avoid beatings from his father.

Achebe devotes more than half the text to portray the Igbo society with all its myths, legends, beliefs, customs, superstitions and taboos which are deeply rooted in the consciousness of the people. It is as if he wants to bring back an entire society into the folds of history. The central character of the novel, Oknokwo is a kind of an African everyman, a staunch champion of the Igbo tradition. In his tragic fall we witness the disintegration and fall of an ancient society.

Depending for their subsistence on land, the African people live closely and in harmony with nature. They respect seasonal changes with an almost religious fervor, preparing themselves for the best and the worst. The myths and beliefs associated with season compel them to perform certain rites and rituals which shape their consciousness and their daily lives. They even have their own judicial system – a village council to settle disputes and punish offenders. The daily life of these people is governed by the belief in gods and goddesses whose “omnipotence” they dare not challenge lest they incur their wrath. Ancestral worship as also respect for old people are as deeply ingrained in their psyche as the need for the worship of the deities. The novel’s appeal lies primarily in Achebe’s portrayal of the communal life of the Igbos. He also brings to attention the weaknesses of these people, the ruthless laws of a tribal society, its treatment of women and children and the custom of discarding new-born twins. Such subtle practices observed by the society are deftly woven into the fabric of the text to lend them the legitimacy of a tribal way of life.