The post-colonial novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is regarded as one of the best of the 20th Century and a major work of literature. It is a short and simple story. Through a unique narrative story, Achebe demonstrates how European colonialism affected Africa.
The story follows Okonkwo and his family as they reside in Umoufia in the late 1800s, a region of modern-day Nigeria, and describes their encounters with European colonialists.
The story follows the life of Okonkwo as he transitions from being a respected warrior in his village to being exiled after killing a family member, and things happen after he witnesses the world, he had fought tirelessly for crumble right before his eyes.
The narrative is divided into three parts. The cultures and religious practises of the village are the main topics of the first section. The second and third parts are concerned with how British colonialists assimilated their way of life. They carefully took over various areas of the village, one by one. The British frequently succeeded in their attempts to convert Unuofians to Christianity. Anyone who disagreed with British policy was punished.
We realise that Okonkwo was extremely ashamed of his father, Unoka, when he was growing up in the village of Iguedo. He claimed his dad was a lazy person. Given that their fathers would have given them land, many men got off to a better start than Okonkwo did. However, Okonkwo was still able to succeed and earn fame and respect.
One day, news surfaced that a Mbaino guy had killed an Umuofian girl. Ikemefuna, one of Okonkwo’s sons, is taken away by the village elders as a form of punishment. They decide that Okonkwo will look after the boy till further notice. As a result, Ikemefuna has been living with Okonkwo for three years while they have ignored the issue.
Okonkwo will eventually start adoring Ikemefuna. However, because Okonkwo views emotions as weak and feminine, he would not show them. Ikemefuna and Nwoye, Okonkwo’s son, became close friends as well. Years after Ikemefuna’s arrival, the village’s oracle predicts that the boy must die. What next? Find it yourself.
Okonkwo is overly ambitious. However, at the end, you can’t help but feel bad for him. He strives to protect everything, but all he has ever worked for has been taken from him. Everyone should read this book, but young minds in particular. They need to be trained and instructed in how to critically analyse the past and the future.