Things Fall Apart With Postcolonialism

            For my upcoming essay on the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, I will be applying the theoretical text on postcolonialism as the central idea. In the novel, the Umuofia clan, a lower Nigerian tribe, becomes colonized by Europeans. White men attack a neighboring village and send missionaries to convert the residents of the Umuofia clan. The missionaries make an attempt to force the people of the clan to desist their belief that there are many Gods. The theoretical text makes an excellent connection to the experiences the Umuofia clan faced in the novel.

           

            In the text, Cultural Studies: Postcolonialism, African-American, and Queer Theory, by Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Tiffin; several writers and thinkers ideas on postcolonialism are expressed. The theoretical text quotes that, “From the perspective of many white Westerners, the peoples of Africa, the Americas, and Asia were “heathens,” possessing ways that must be Christianized.” This quote shows a direct relation to what the missionaries thought of the Umuofia clan in Things Fall Apart. Not only does it relate to the novel, but it also makes a connection to what natives throughout history are faced with when they become colonized. It is also said in the text that when a culture is colonized, they ask themselves the question, “To what country or countries or to what cultures am I forever linked?” and their answer would be that, “He or she is both an individual and a social construct created and shaped by the dominant culture.” However, not everyone would adapt to that idea such as the main character of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo, who would choose death over submitting to the rule of the white men.

           

            As I develop my essay, I will connect the many ideas of postcolonization to the novel Things Fall Apart. I will compare Okonkwo’s rebellious attitude to the colonization of his tribe with other people’s reactions towards colonization.  Also, I will correlate the experiences of the people of the Umuofia clan with what others experienced as they became colonized. I hope that through this essay both myself and others will gain a better understand of postcolonialism.