Things Fall Apart And European Influence Essay

, Research Paper

Many times when reading a book one develops a nonreversible position of the state of affairs because of the manner the characters are portrayed. Normally, the characters the writer wants to portray as good are cast in a positive visible radiation, intending that merely the good things about them are included and, in most instances, the narrative is told from these characters points of position. The characters the writer wants to portray as bad are cast in a negative visible radiation intending that merely the bad things the characters do or take part in are included. It is on a rare juncture that an writer manages to capture the many different facets of their characters, leting the reader to understand all sides of the narrative and to take for themselves if they like or dislike the character ( s ) . In the book Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe portrays both positive and negative facets of Okonkwo and the Ibo civilization to jointly organize a impersonal ambiance, the reader does, nevertheless, develop sympathy and understanding for the Ibo civilization because the book is written from their point of position ; with the European civilization, in malice of certain positive elements of their presence, one develops a really negative image of them as a consequence of their overall attitude towards and impact on the Ibo civilization.

One positive facet of the Ibo civilization is the strong community ties they portion symbolized by the big small town assemblages that are depicted from clip to clip in the book. In these assemblages everyone in the community is allowed to take part and anyone who wants to can portion their positions. The kin called a meeting after a adult female from Umuofia was killed in a adjacent small town, and when the leaders decided they should discourse the presence of the Europeans. They came together to do determinations on what the small town s class of action should be. They besides came together as a community to see wrestling lucifers and the tests of the egwugwu. These brought the people of the small town together.

The Ibo besides had strong household ties. These were shown when Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, came and took Ezinma off from Ekwefi. Even though Ekwefi and Okonkwo both knew they were supposed to remain at place and allow the Gods control what was traveling to go on to their girl, they didn t believe twice about put on the lining their lives for her when they thought she might be in danger. This was particularly surprising because of Okonkwo s reaction. He tried non to demo any compassion because he thought it was a failing, but here he showed that he cared about his girl really much and would seek clip and clip once more to protect her.

The Ibo besides valued the art of conversation and refer to many Proverbss when they speak ; this was demonstrated many times during the book. Proverbs ranged from He who brings goora nut brings life to When a adult male blasphemes, what do we make? Make we travel and halt his oral cavity? No. We put our fingers in our ears to halt us hearing. The Ibo valued difficult work, and those who work hard were rewarded by the sum of yams they produce and the rubrics they were allowed to claim. They besides valued clip to loosen up, idolize the Gods, and celebrate. The book contains many descriptions of festivals or banquets, such as the Feast of the New Yam. The Ibo knew how to bask themselves and found amusement in wrestling lucifers and dance and going instrumentalists and the dance egwugwu. All these are illustrations of how the Ibo civilization and its characters were portrayed in a positive manner.

In contrast, there are besides many negative facets of the Ibo civilization and the chief character Okonkwo. The traditions of the kin were frequently really barbarous, such as the tradition of mangling the 4th ogbanje ( a kid who repeatedly died and returned to its female parent to be reborn ) and projecting the dead kid into the evil wood, unburied. The Ibo besides abandoned twins in the evil wood and left them to decease, once more unburied. Ibo warriors were expected to convey back the caputs of work forces they d killed, considered a mark of a courageous adult male. The Ibo had designated castawaies in the society osu- who were supposed to be dedicated to a God. They would non allow an osu marry, and an osu had to populate off from the small town, and was non allowed to take part in any of the activities of the free-born. The Oracle was in charge of the spiritual happenings, and the kin listened to any determination made by him ; nevertheless, many of the Oracle s petitions were hideous. He declared it necessary to kill Ikemefuna, a immature male child populating with Okonkwo. To do affairs worse, Okonkwo helped to kill

the male child who had grown to name him father and who Okonkwo looked to as his boy. To kill a immature male child who was like a boy to you is non an admirable trait. This negative side of Okonkwo was apparent throughout the book. Another unfavourable character trait that Okonkwo had was that he beat his married womans and kids invariably to seek and turn out to himself that he could command them and that he was a strong adult male. In one instance Okonkwo got so out of manus he about shot his 2nd married woman, Ekwefi. While the small town did non excuse this behaviour, they did non set a halt to it either.

In this book, the Europeans were the ultimate enemy and danger to the Ibo. Chinua Achebe presents the Europeans from the Ibo point of position. Despite a few positive elements, the Europeans were portrayed in a wholly negative visible radiation because of what their actions towards the Ibo. Positive elements associated with the Europeans were the presence of Mr. Brown and the sheltering of the twins and osu ( castawaies ) by the Christian missionaries. Mr. Brown was a Christian clergyman who made an effort to understand the Ibo ways and explained his ain civilization and spiritual ways to them without coercing his ain positions upon them. He recognized them as people and treated them as he would anyone else. When the Christian missionaries took the twins and castawaies into the church it gave the twins and outcasts a opportunity to belong to something. Alternatively of populating their lives in fright of the mainstream Ibo community they could go a portion of the Christian community. Besides, despite the unwelcome attitude towards Christianity from some Ibo, the missionaries did non coerce Christianity upon the people, they merely introduced the spiritual beliefs and allowed people to fall in the fold if they wanted to.

The negative illustrations of the Europeans behavior far exceed the few illustrations of positive behaviour. The bulk of Europeans were on a mission to take control of the country where the Ibo were populating ; they were rough and hardhearted towards many facets of the Ibo civilization. When the missionaries set up a church in the small town the kin was divided the issue of faith, which had ne’er come into inquiry before. This caused households, such as Okonkwo s, to interrupt up. His boy, Nwoye, decided to change over to Christianity, which made Okonkwo unhappy with his determination to the point that he disowned him. The Europeans besides took many unneeded lives. The Europeans went into the small town of Abame and opened gunshot on the full small town because the people of the small town had killed one European. The Europeans set up a governmental system in Umuru where they hanged any Africans who rebelled against them or the Torahs and regulations that they forced upon the people. Reverend James Smith is an illustration of a European that did non hold any concern or understanding for beliefs other than his ain. He saw things as black or white. And black was evil. He barred a adult female from the church because she allowed her hubby to execute the tribal rite of mangling the 4th ogbanje. District Commissioner took six of the leaders of Umuofia prisoner because they had burned down the church in revenge to an onslaught against the egwugwu. The most obvious illustration of how the Europeans were unfeeling was the last chapter of the book, where Okonkwo hanged himself. The District Commissioner treated Okonkwo s decease as a simple event that he could compose a paragraph in his book approximately. He was so caught up in deriving control of these people he believed he was lenifying them when truly he was destructing their sense of control, power, and their beliefs.

Despite the book being from their point of position, the Ibo civilization was portrayed neutrally, with both their negative and positive facets revealed ; nevertheless, the Europeans come across in a really negative manner because of their attitude towards and actions against the Ibo. The Europeans established a topographic point for themselves in the land where the Ibo lived and took over the Ibo. They forced the Ibo to follow their authorities and introduced their ain spiritual ways. Making so took away the power and command the Ibo had and created a divide in what had been a strong community. They significantly altered a civilization of people that had been lasting on its ain, and didn T seem to care when they destroyed everything those people had faith in. They were on a mission to take control of the land these people inhabited and if it meant destructing those dwellers, so so be it. In the eyes of the District Commissioner it made for an interesting book.