THINGS FALL APART

THINGS FALL APART Things Fall Apart, a novel by Chinua Achebe where he 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 to its cultural tradition while facing colonialism from the West. The title, “Things Fall Apart,” describes perfectly what happens to both Okonkwo …

…to the demise of many ancient cultures. The reason this book sold so many copies, I believe, is because it can be applied not only to Africa, but to all of the other cultures around the world that were ruined by Westernization. In “Things Fall Apart,” Achebe not only describes the life and death of one man, but also the life and death of the world’s many different cultures, as a result of Westernization.