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Things Fall Apart: themes and context
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Achebe wanted to show the richness of Igbo society before colonisation, and what was lost.
Context
Set in the late nineteenth century, as British missionaries and colonial government spread into Igbo land.
Nigeria became independent from Britain in 1960, two years after the novel was published in 1958.
Achebe was responding to European novels that showed Africans as simple or savage.
Nigeria became independent from Britain in 1960, two years after the novel was published in 1958.
Achebe was responding to European novels that showed Africans as simple or savage.
The title
The title comes from W B Yeats's poem *The Second Coming*: "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold".
It suggests a whole society coming apart under pressure.
It suggests a whole society coming apart under pressure.
Key themes
Tradition and change: Igbo customs face Christianity and colonial law.
Masculinity: Okonkwo's idea of manhood is narrow and destructive.
Colonialism: the newcomers divide the clan.
Fate and free will: Okonkwo's personal choices and wider forces both cause his fall.
Achebe uses Igbo proverbs and folk tales to show the depth of the culture.
Masculinity: Okonkwo's idea of manhood is narrow and destructive.
Colonialism: the newcomers divide the clan.
Fate and free will: Okonkwo's personal choices and wider forces both cause his fall.
Achebe uses Igbo proverbs and folk tales to show the depth of the culture.
Why does Achebe include so many Igbo proverbs and customs?
- They show Igbo society as complex, wise and organised.
- This challenges European stories that showed Africans as primitive.
- It also makes the loss caused by colonialism more painful.
Answer: To show the richness of Igbo culture, challenging colonial stereotypes and making its destruction more tragic.
Context: late nineteenth-century Igbo land, missionaries and colonial rule, published 1958, Nigerian independence 1960. Title from Yeats. Themes: tradition and change, masculinity, colonialism, fate. Igbo proverbs.
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