Work of Literature

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What I found surprising the fact that you also illustrated the negative characteristics of the Igbo society.

In writing Things Fall Apart, I reflected on both the positive and negative aspects of my culture. My goal was not to show the Igbo culture as being perfect because flaws are inevitable. The readers see characters questioning their tribe’s adherence to traditions. For example, after burning down Okonkwo’s house, Oberika questions why certain customs are performed. Since the Igbo people are so used to their traditions, it is difficult for them to understand other cultures. This is significant in term is plot development as their ignorance and inability to adapt changes becomes problematic when newness causes vexation to their traditions.

What about the arrival of missionaries in Things Fall Apart?

There are parallels between the arrival of the missionaries and the British colonization of Nigeria in the 1890s. The readers can understand the struggle between change and tradition that Africans faced once the Europeans began controlling their villages. In the novel, the arrival of the missionaries contributed directly to the breakdown of fundamental traditions. Look at the way crimes are treated: in Part 1, when Okonkwo killed Ezeudu’s son, he exiled for seven years, but in Part 3, when Aneto murdered a man, he is hanged in court. Moreover, the readers can understand how people of different generations reacted to change. For example, Nwoye stays away from long-established traditions after being captivated by the missionaries’ teachings. Conversely Okonkwo resists the Christians and hopes to continue practicing Igbo customs.

The novel is written mainly form an Africans point of view, but on the last page, there is a paragraph told by a white commissioner, what purpose did this serve?

I wanted to address the inaccuracies in the Europeans’ views of my culture. To the commissioner, Okonkwo is a primitive savage who foolishly killed a messenger and whose story is worthy of only a paragraph in this book. This contrast with writing an entire novel to explain the traditional customs that he practices and the beautiful language that he speaks. The ending is a ridicule of literature such as Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and it serves to show the European that the story of my people is not anything like had thought it to be.

END OF INTERVIEW