Change In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

The idea that "things do not change, we do" is incorrect. Although it can be the case at times, it is entirely inaccurate as the phrase "we do" in this view can be easily replaced by "circumstances". "Things" may not change, but circumstances, which we usually have no control over, certainly do change. Also, this view can be rearranged to state "things change, we don't", showing that people may be resistant to change. The main focus of the book Things Fall Apart is on the changes that not only take place in Okonkwo's life, but in the lives of his people. The Macquarie dictionary defines "change" as the process of being made different, altered in appearcne, turned into something or someone else. Ant student can find this out but still to grasp the actual truth about the value of change and the effects of it you need to get an in-depth look at our prescribed novel that will be able to project the feelings, emotions, outcomes and circumstances that surround why and how we change. Using the novel as our source of information, we can use the above ideas to determine how and why the viewpoint we are discussing is incorrect.
In Things Fall Apart, unforeseen events caused the lives of Okonkwo and his family to change dramatically.
At a burial, Okonkwo's gun exploded and a piece of iron pierced a sixteen year old boy's heart. From that moment, the only option open to Okonkwo was to flee from the clan. Okonkwo's life and the lives of his family changed overnight. The novel tells us that "his life had been ruled by a great passion - to become one of the lords of the clan. That had been his life spring. Then everything had been broken". Everything Okonkwo had worked towards in his life was destroyed, destroyed by unexpected circumstances. Hence, this event shows that the view "things do not change, we do" is incorrect, as Okonkwo and his family did not change or cause change; circumstances changed their
lives.

After completing his seven years of exile, Okonkwo returned to Umuofia to find it no longer the place that he once knew. "Umuofia had indeed changed during the seven years Okonkwo had been in exile". There was now a church in Umuofia, which many had joined, and the white men had also brought a government. The white men had also built a school and a hospital. Many men and women did not feel as strongly as Okonkwo about the new dispensation. In Okonkwo's eyes, "the clan had undergone such profound change during his exile that it was barely recognizable". In this example, "things" which can be substituted for "clan", was changing. The clan was breaking up and falling apart and losing its power. Okonkwo felt he was the only one in the clan which had not changed. Okonkwo resisted the change that was happening and stood firm. He tried as hard as he could to prevent change occurring. Okonkwo chose to end his own life, committing a sin against the Earth according to his own beliefs, rather than conform to what was in his eyes the abomination of the Christian church, and in doing so failed in his mission to prevent change. Therefore, this event follows the concept of "things change, we don't", which once again proves the view "things do not change, we do" as incorrect. This example follows the concept on changing self that "change may incur a mixed reaction from others". The change to Umuofia was generally accepted or even just acknowledged by the clan, however Okonkwo was heavily opposed to the change happening and found it to be extremely negative.

Once again, the view "Things do not change, we do" is inaccurate because there are situations that when circumstances change, then "things" are also altered. A change in circumstances may cause a change in "things". Consequently, this may mean that the viewpoint could be written as "Things change when circumstances do". A change in circumstances may be caused by a catalyst. This catalyst may be a person or thing causing a change. This change, in turn, may have an effect on "things". For example, in the novel Things Fall Apart, a sudden change in conditions resulted in the death of Ikemefuna, which in turn had a great effect on Nwoye. We do not see the consequences of the effect that Ikemefuna's death had on Nwoye until towards the end of the novel, but the change in him is clear. The catalyst in this situation which caused the change in circumstances was The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves. This Oracle pronounced that Ikemefuna must die, and in Okonkwo's culture, the authority and the decision of the Oracle was never questioned. This Oracle was the catalyst in this example. The Collins English Dictionary defines "circumstance" as an occurrence or condition that accompanies or influences a person or event. The occurrence of the decision that Ikemefuna must die was accompanied by action that obeyed the command. This sudden change in circumstances, the occurrence of Ikemefuna's death, had a great effect on Okonkwo's son Nwoye. "...Nwoye knew that Ikemefuna had been killed, and something seemed to give way inside him, like the snapping of a tightened bow". This event, this unexpected change in circumstances, left him with "...a vague and persistent question that haunted his young soul...". Towards the end of the novel, we see a change in Nwoye occurring which had a lot to do with Ikemefuna's death. Nwoye becomes a Christian, and this event has a lot to do with Ikemefuna's death. The missionaries with their hymns and poetry answered the persistent questions that had haunted him about Ikemefuna's death, hence, he was captivated by this new religion, which had poured relief into his heart.

In conclusion, I still strongly believe that the viewpoint that "things do not change, we do" is entirely incorrect and inaccurate and these are my reasons to back it up. Circumstances may cause change, "things" around us may change, yet we may stay the same, and a change in circumstances may result in a change in "things". To come to this conclusion, one must analyse the novel in depth and discover why this viewpoint does not apply and what can be substituted in this place.