Literary Reviews

Reviews: 1.

The main point that the book makes is to demonstrate how the Africans were very well off before the Europeans arrived. They had a well-ordered culture and religion and were not the mindless savages many Europeans thought them to be. It wasn’t until the Europeans attacked African culture with their religion and morals, disrupting the balance of African society, that things started to go badly for them (amazon review). This view was revolutionary considering the book was written as colonialism was ending and Africans were still viewed as superstitious, primitive people who needed the light of Christianity to save them. The book is in many ways a quiet rebellion against the stereotype of Africa being a wasteland with no variety in culture or much culture at all (French).

Reviews: 2

Things Fall Apart takes an interesting look at what pre-colonial Africa was like. Even though at first, this novel was not even close to being a bestseller, it has changed how the world views Africa (Washington Post). It is able to do this by showing how Okonkwo’s story of his own struggle intertwines with Africa’s struggle to stay free from colonization. Okonkwo thinks that he will become greater if he shows no compassion and uses his fist to get what he wants, and when he gets exiled, he blames his chi. This parallels with how when the Africans tried to keep the missionaries out with force (i.e. Abame), the missionaries just destroy the Africans (Goodreads). This novel goes deeply into how human nature drives our decisions that define our history through fables. It is shown in how Okonkwo’s own struggle becomes the struggle of his way of life.

Reviews 3:

Things Fall Apart follows Okonkwo not just as a hero and a legend of pre-colonial African tribesmen, but as a man who, even through impressive feats and great things, struggles with the harshness of life, and a man who ultimately loses in the end. The insight of each character seems pure and explains the story’s progression and not just why characters behave a certain way. The description of the customs that they had and the culture forcefully imposed on them is in stark contrast to Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. While Conrad describes the main character’s negative reactions to the poor treatment of Africans in the Congo and the horrors he witnesses his fellow Europeans committing abroad, Chinua Achebe conveys the emotions of those under imperialism, and the sadness each feels at (practically) losing their life. Published in 1958, the time when Ghana first gained independence and the imperial scramble for land was ending, the emergence of this book fits in perfectly into the timeline. Things Fall Apart has gained worldwide recognition, and rightfully so, as it is a perfect description of the colonial era.