Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe tells two different stories at the same time. One is of Okonkwo, the villager whose rise to power is halted because of all of his misfortunes. The other is of Okonkwo’s village, Umuofia, and its struggle to hold on the cultural tradition while facing colonialism from the west. Things Fall Apart is a story about personal beliefs and customs, and a story about conflict. There is struggle between family, culture, and the …

…find Okonkwo’s suicide ironic because suicide in the Ibo society is one of the worse acts a person can commit. Few civilizations were able to withstand the threat of Westernization. The force was too powerful, strong, and sophisticated for such common people to fight. Achebe tells the story with an understanding and personal experiences in both English and Native cultures. Achebe realized that neither of the cultures are bad, but they are simply different.