Things Fall Apart

In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, he tells a fascinating and intriguing story about a culture on the brink of change. Within the novel, Achebe discusses how change affects the traditional people in the Igbo community of Umuofia. When Europeans take over Okonkwo’s village, they threaten to eradicate the traditional methods of Okonkwo and his people. As the novel continues, the traditional methods that were essential to surviving in some ways become expendable. Throughout the entire novel, Chinua Achebe shows how dependent the people of Umuofia are when it comes to their traditions like storytelling and language; however, the presence of the Europeans could lead to the eradication of their traditions. In chapter two, Chinua Achebe
In the chapter, it says, “Okonkwo has just blown out the palm-oil lamp and stretched himself on his bamboo bed when he heard the ogene of the town crier piercing the still night air” (9). All of the men in the village gather around the hear the town crier’s message. The town crier tells the men that he wants them all to gather in the marketplace the next morning. After relaying the message, the town crier leaves; however, Okonkwo begins to wonder what the town crier will have to say the next morning in the marketplace. The novel states, “Okonkwo wondered what was amiss, for he knew certainly that something was amiss. He had discerned a clear overtone of tragedy in the crier’s voice” (9). This quote is important because it proves how the men in the village relied on the town crier to spread important news and gather the village leaders. By doing so, this demonstrates the importance of speech within community of Umuofia. Later on in this chapter, the narrator begins to describe how the night went after the town crier left. The narrator says, “The
When the men gather in the marketplace, everyone begins to chatter about what is going on. One of the elders known as Ogbuefi Ezeugo “stood up in the midst of them and bellowed four times, ‘Umuofia kwenu,’ and on each occasion he faced a different direction and seemed to push the air with a clenched fist. And ten thousand men answered ‘Yaa!’ each time” (10). The narrator then continues to say, “‘Umuofia kwenu,’ he bellowed a fifth time, and the crowd yelled in answer” (10). This quote is important to the theme of tradition versus change because the speaker gets the men of Umuofia’s attention with a traditional cry, and his speech about Mbaino’s crime insights anger into the hearts of the men gathered in the marketplace. His speech shows readers how important language is because that is what influences the emotions of the crowd. The novel soon progresses, and readers begin to learn more about Okonkwo’s life and character. According to the narrator, he says, “Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children” (13). According to the novel, Okonkwo has a short temper, which his children and wives fear. The narrator then gives readers a more in depth description of Okonkwo’s characteristics when the relationship between he and his father is described. Okonkwo