Things Fall Apart

Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is quite an interesting book. I definitely have been told for a while now that I need to read this book, especially if I want to be an English teacher. I love too that even though this book is fictional, it plays on a lot of real events or concepts in his own life, religion and cultural difference being some of them.

            This book really shows a different side of native Africans than many other books of the time period. Those were all a one sided view of the colonial oppressors’ side. This really shows the culture, language and heritage that was already in Africa before they were colonized and forced to change their heritage, such as their religion.

            This theme of fighting against change is a huge part of the book. Whether it be Okonkwo’s fear of changing himself, seeing as he wants to show absolutely no kindness or love, the struggle against change in societal rank, or the obvious fight between white colonial men trying to change the cultural of the natives they meet, this struggle is a basic underlying principle of the book. Though theire are other important themes, I believe that this one, and Achebe’s overall goal to change how society saw native African’s at the time this book was written, is the most important.

            This book is a great book for students, I believe, to get a different viewpoint then, say, Heart of Darkness. Though there are some violent aspects, I think that it over all is a great novel for them.