Perhaps one of the most influential elements of literature, a environment may potentially determine the plotline of a tale, establishing lifestyle, tradition, and a backstory. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart sees an African world that largely revolves around the geographical location of Nigeria, this agricultural world serves as the vast basis for a polytheistic religion and a respect for the land by itself. Not only will be the values from the community of Umuofia meaningfully constructed upon this locational guideline, nevertheless the very importance of the leading part, Okonkwo, great unparalleled attitude, originates from this kind of venerable frame of mind. In turn, the author himself, Chinua Achebe, brilliantly shares a traditional culture that may be inherently determined by the land itself, and how it without doubt leads to a clash of civilization where things truly “Fall Apart”.
Chinua Achebe endeavors, and works, to share an exclusive African traditions that is inevitably and coldly based on an agricultural culture. Within this traditions, the great worth of yams, palm oil, and the kola nut are demonstrated as varieties of wealth. Inside the first part of the book, Okonkwo is described as, “still young[, ] but he had won fame as the highest wrestler in the nine towns. He was a wealthy character and had two barns packed with yams, together just hitched his third wife” (Achebe 3), which shows that his wealth is definitely accompanied by his status as being a farmer, and the amount of yams he possesses. Thus, the large social standing of an specific is influenced by the quantity of land he owns, and the fruitfulness of his agricultural labor. Because the weather and environment serves as a key defining factor in one’s economical prosperity, a polytheistic faith revolving throughout the elements of character prevails as well. A fear of the gods of mother nature are instilled within the users of this community, ultimately impacting the very which means of life: to you should the gods for one’s own welfare. This kind of strength of culture and value leads to the creation of the leading part, whose incredibly ambitions will be rendered outdated and worthless without the actual culture that is certainly made possible with this land.
From the onset of the novel, Okonkwo creates himself being a man of uncontested strength. He strives to the maximum to become the very opposite of what his father once was: a man who had been a “failure” in Okonkwo’s eyes. What constitutes since “failure”? Inside the context with this novel, Okonkwo’s father can be poor and lacks the wealth that may be measured in yams. This very prosperity is only made possible by the ability of the terrain to produce yams. When Unoka, Okonkwo’s dad, consulted a priestess back in the day, he mourns of his misery, “I also eliminate a dick at the shrine of Ifejioku, the the almighty of yams. I crystal clear the rose bush and set fireplace to that when it is dry. I your seeds the yams when the first rain provides fallen, and stake all of them when the fresh tendrils seem [] every time a man reaches peace with his gods and his ancestors, his harvest will probably be good or bad according to the strength of his arm” (Achebe 6). The display of sacrifice towards the goodness of yams shows the omnipresence with their religion. Moreover, the Umuofian community avoids angering the gods at any cost and makes all their fear blatant. When Okonkwo beats his wife during the Week of Peace, he is reprimanded, although not for the assumed factors of his abuse. Okonkwo is forced to repent, to prevent his wrongdoing in spurring the gods to unleash their particular wrath for the community all together. This displays a relatively interconnected mother nature of each and every individual for the welfare with the whole tribe, in efforts to preserve the actual essence from the land plus the life that reaps advantage and wealth from that.
Thus a clashing of two vastly different cultures leads to the inevitable downfall of Umuofia if the Christian missionaries make all their long-lived and vastly harmful impact on a great already booming society. Without the origin of your agricultural culture, the European missionaries don’t realize the achievement of a traditions that is founded upon foreign roots, because demonstrated by an connection between Reverend Smith and Oberieka. The Christian missionary is unable to appreciate this polytheistic religion and means of life, acquired he recently been brought up through this physical environment, he would not need disregarded and demeaned the spiritual essence of characteristics as foolish. Thus it can be noted that as Umuofia is located in Nigeria, the missionaries originate from Europe. The outcomes of the contrasting adjustments are on contrary sides from the spectrum. Achebe’s very objective is founded upon the greatness of the culture that may be ultimately damaged by overseas powers who are unable to start any form of cultural diffusion. He information on this potent destruction, and just how it damages Okonkwo’s nature and character at the end, rendering him impossible and to his untimely death. This country placing of yams and gods of nature ultimately pieces a unique warrior culture that Achebe properly shares, justly glorifying a unique African community that is loyal at no ends to its very roots.
