Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart - The Downfall of the Ibo Essay

One of Chinua Achebes goals in Things diminution Apart is to demo Ibo culturevividly and honestly. Unlike European perspectives of the Africans much(prenominal) as ConradsHeart of Darkness Achebes representation explains intricate customs, rituals, and lawsand develops individual characters. Things Fall Apart shows Ibo auberge to be fullyfunctioning and full of life. However, Achebe maintains his objectiveness and avoidsgiving the Ibo any undue sympathy, painting some of their customs such as themandatory abandonment of infant twins in a questionable light. While it is easy for us especially in this advance of political correctness and multiculturalism to get into upon thewhite man all the accuse for the downfall of the Ibo, Achebe does non make the situationso simple. In fact, it is the acquiescence of his comrades, not the intrusion of theEuropeans, which eventually causes Okonkwo to take his own life. Thus, it is difficult toplace the Ibo and the white men into trad itional categories of good and evil, for eachexhibits positive and negatively charged qualities. Although the Ibo certainly possessed a lively,stable society before the Europeans arrived, their inner struggles contributed to theirown demise.DEVELOPED CULTUREThroughout the novel, Achebe offers detailed illustrations of the richness of Iboculture. legion(predicate) episodes do not directly advance the plot, but rather march to provideexamples of this culture. One of the most significant signs of the development of Iboculture is its ashes of laws and justice. A whole chapter describes the proceedings asegwugwu (important clansmen who dress as hamlet ancestors) determine the verdict in awife-beating case (87). The villagers are not stupid enough to believe... ...ld do if the missionaries brought militaryreinforcements. In any case, if Ibo society can be compared to a sad hero, its irrationalbeliefs would be its tragic flaw. It was these beliefs which directly alienated members of society, such as Nwoye, Nneka, and the osu, and created a rift indoors the Ibo. While suchbeliefs and customs are certainly evidence of the prudence of Ibo culture, their irrationalbasis could not withstand the white mans defiance of them, as shown by the churchssurvival in the Evil Forest. Ironically, it is these beliefs the presence of a socialstructure, the development of a holiness which not only show the richness of Iboculture, but also play to its downfall.Works CitedAchebe, Chinua. An Image of Africa Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness. An conception to Literature. Terry, Joseph. New York, NY Longman, 2001.