More about Things

A couple of points made in the NYT overview of Achebe's Things Fall Apart did show understanding of the novel's complexity, something which is easily lost in a superficial reading of Achebe's seemingly simple prose. Yes, it tells the story of colonization from the point of view of the invaded community. It is also true that the community is already experiencing change before the arrival of the colonial government; the elders comment that Okonkwo's breaking of the week of peace would have been severely punished in the past. Could any community be strong enough to withstand a determined invading force? The example of another village that stood up to the British is enough to convince the Umuofian elders that appeasement is the best approach. (They could not know about the Pueblo Revolt on the other side of the world.)

The other important point to make is that Okonkwo himself is not a typical Umuofian man. His attitudes toward women do not reflect the views of other men in his community. He is not an archetype; he is an individual. His friend Obierika takes a balanced and reasonable view of things. Okonkwo bashes against every problem with his fists. That said, Obierika is the right character to say what we feel when we have seen the whole shape of the narrative-- that Okonkwo is a great man.

Reading beyond Things Fall Apart usually leads to its sequel, No Longer at Ease. Of all the other novels Achebe wrote, I think Arrow of God comes to the closest to continuing the portrait of a village's choices in the face of colonial subjugation. With its focus on a man of peace and spiritual strength, rather than a man of war, it provides a good counterpoint to Things Fall Apart.

For an introduction to African literature, nothing beats the wrestling match in the first chapter of Things Fall Apart, when Okonkwo throws Amalinze the Cat. Read it out loud.