In the beginning, Achebe unfolded the story gradually to introduce the reader about the culture, life style, and beliefs of the Ibo societies to gain the reader’s trust. The years before the white men arrived to the Ibo societies, they lived their lives the traditional way- following the customs of their fathers who lived and

This book was very powerful and I thought it did a remarkable job on depicting the emotions that stirred when the British came to Africa. It also showed the power that affluent nations held over the economy of less fortunate countries. I didn’t think there was any weakness to this book, for the entire book’s elements unified with each other well. I would recommend this book to anyone, because it’s great to read and the view was not placed from an American’s perspective.

There was a part of the book that I believe to capture the theme of the story. It was first stated by Obierika(162): “But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peacefully with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” That section on page 162 marks when the people of the village have already noticed the change in their people. Obierika was conversing to Okonkwo on the subject of the white men’s influence among the villagers, and how things could not be changed because of the solidarity of Christian beliefs in their own people’s hearts.

This novel’s structure was organized chronologically so that events were narrated by time. Each chapter was separated by key events, so each occurrence did not seem abrupt or cut off, but connected smoothly throughout the story. The story plotted its setting in the Ibo village of Umoufia, and then there was the rising action which occurred before the execution of Ikemfuna; the turning point assembled when Umoufia exiled Okonkwo and finally the falling action landed when Okonkwo has already returned to his fatherland and noticed the changes in the clan.

The language and word choice of the book makes a big impression upon the reader. Chinua Achebe’s word choice was simple but strong. It got to the point and did not water down. His language was neutral and concise, with the diction indicating the region where he came from- which was Africa. These elements presented to the reader the kind of air that about the village. One can feel the restriction and flatness of the African days through the tone that Achebe wrote with, and the strength that he demonstrated through his diction after the tragedies.

The tone that Achebe expressed in this novel was of patience and anger. It truly showed his view towards the subject of the missionaries’ arrival to his homeland, which was Africa. There was patience in the all of the events that occurred, especially when the white men came and Christianity first stepped onto Umoufia. The tone of his patience showed he has endured those things, and he’s been through that and perhaps can even experience it again. But yet there was also the irritation from the outcomes of what the white men have done to his country. Although these two emotions contradict each other, Achebe has expressed them through Things Fall Apart, as what he felt after all the consequences became a result of the new reality from the presence of the British.

Some topics in this essay:
Chinua Achebe, Christianity Christians, Chinua Achebe’s, Fall Apart, Evil Forest, British Caucasians, Mbante Okonkwo’s, France Britain, Feast Yam, Umoufia Okonkwo’s, fall apart, ibo societies, titles clan, christian cross, evil forest, chinua achebe, reoccurring images, okonkwo’s dream earning, returned fatherland, father unoka, tribes’ people, held fallen apart”, knife held fallen, dream earning titles, earning titles clan,