Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart Exploring the Ibo Culture

Marginalization is the social process of being relegated to the fringe of society. One such example of marginalization is the marginalization of women. This paper is an attempt to explore the Ibo culture and to discuss women as a marginalized group in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Things Fall Apart is a 1958 English novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. Achebe is indebted to Yeats for the title as it has been taken from Yeats’ poem The Second Coming. Achebe is a fastidious, skillful artist and garnered more critical attention than any other African writer. His reputation was soon established after his novel Things Fall Apart. He made a considerable influence over young African writers. It is seen as the archetypal modern African†¦show more content†¦And that is why we say that mother is supreme. (Achebe 122). But Okonkwo gave no response. When he returns after seven years he finds things have changed drastically. White missionaries have established themselves and some people of his village have converted to their religion. Okonkwo tries to rouse his clan to take action against these foreigners and their institutions. He was ready to stand for and fight for his community but others did not feel as strongly as Okonkwo about the new dispensation. Okonkwo’s tragic mood indicates an affirmation of the validity of the past. And movement of the plot indicates acceptance of the present as it is. â€Å"Okonkwo was deeply grieved. And it was not just a personal grief. He mourned for the clan, which he saw breaking up and falling apart and he mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women.† (Achebe 165). In a rage he kills one of the white men and then in order to avoid the disgrace of being caught at the hands of white men he commits suicide. T here is a contrast in the way he lived his life and in the way he faces death. His death marks that unchecked manliness complex may result in a disaster. When his kinsmen find his dead body they refuse to touch it and instead asks the white men to bury him. On being asked the reason one of them explains, â€Å"It is against our custom. It is an abomination for a man to take his own life. It is an offence against the Earth,Show MoreRelatedThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1082 Words   |  5 Pagesvillage head. Many, in this instance, understood things were about to changed. Lives would be ruined, and lives will be saved. We’ve seen many cultural collisions throughout history; such as, Nazi Germany or the Indian Removal in the United States. During the Scramble for Africa many native cultures were compromised and altered. For most tribes this intervention was seen as unnecessary. The Ibo culture was no exception. The majority of the Ibo in Umofia protested foreign influen ce in tribal mattersRead MoreBiography of Chinua Achebe2083 Words   |  9 PagesChinua Achebe: Africa most beloved author The Prominent Igbo writer, famous for his novels describing the effects of western customs and values on traditional African society. Achebe’s satire and his keen ear for spoken language have made him one of the most highly esteemed African writers in English. Chinua Achebe was born in eastern Nigeria on November 16, 1930 Isaiah and Janet Achebe (Bucker pars.1). Isaiah Okafor Achebe was a catechist for the Church Missionary Society and his wife to traveled