A Post-colonial Analysis of a Changing Society in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958)

The desire to conquer land that was previously unexplored has existed throughout history. This desire forced many indigenous societies, who were usually dominated technologically, to adapt to the teachings and overall system of the ‘superior’ conqueror nation with destruction as the only alternative. This causes a major impact on how a certain society functions, even after seeking independence from the foreigners. The rise and fall of indigenous societies can be analyzed through various media. Chinua Achebe is a novelist specializing in African literature, and this essay deals with the themes regarding colonialism in one of his many novels. In …show more content…

The missionaries who arrive also spread Christianity to the people. Those with power in Igbo society are not associated with any of the early converts. However, the “osu” or outcasts quickly join the new religion because the culture practiced by the Igbo do not accept them, and they are therefore easily swayed by the words of the foreigners. Although Okonkwo is a man of power in Igbo society, his son Nwoye is fascinated by the preaching of the missionaries. Eventually, Nwoye decides to cut his ties with his father as evident in the following exchange, “How is your father? Obierika asked, not knowing what else to say. I don’t know. He is not my father, said Nwoye unhappily (124).” Colonization has impacted the Igbo people negatively and their original society has begun to diminish, starting in the second part of the novel Things Fall Apart.
Finally, although colonization may have psychologically destabilized the indigenous way of thinking, there is often a handful of individuals who firmly hold onto their beliefs regardless of the situation. It is those people who typically want to restore their nation to the state that it