Things Fall Apart; An introspection on “Civilization”, and stereotyping

    Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is an important book if one wants to understand both European colonialism of Africa, and Africans’ response to such colonization. This is done mostly through analyzing how European imperialism perpetuated stereotypes of Africans, and also by Achebe trying to counter such stereotypes. This of course requires background contexts, and yes I wrote “contexts”. 

    The first context is that of the story itself. The story takes place in Igboland, in what is now modern day Nigeria, during the tail end of the 19th century. Its central focus is on one Igbo clan, and in particular, one warrior of that clan, Okonkwo. It follows both before (major) European contact, as well as after a certain point, when Igboland became a major investment for British colonial efforts. 

    The second context is that of when the book was written. It was written in 1958, and published in 1959. At the time, Nigeria gained self-rule in 1954, and were in the discussion of full independence with the British Empire, which would occur in 1960. To say the least, Achebe definitely would have such topics on his mind. This is further reinforced by the fact that Achebe himself would be bridging the two worlds. Being Igbo, he also received a Western style education at University college (now the University of Ibadan), where he studied English and Literature (and presumably English literature). 

    Achebe's education is relevant, as this actually helps refute one of the first stereotypes that Europeans foisted upon Africa; that Africans are ignorant and uneducated. Achebe is clearly well educated, and by the very nature of what he studied, he is probably better read than most people I know. The very name of the novel itself is a reference to another English/Irish poem, The Second Coming by William B Yeats. Some copies of the book will even have the specific part of the poem where it comes from: “Turning and turning in the widening gyre, The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world” (Yeats). Extra layer to further reinforce Achebe as educated is done by the fact that the quote also very much applies, as the poem discusses the panic and seeming anarchy of the end of the First World War, an end of an era and worldview, much akin to the ending of Things Fall Apart. 

    Perhaps the most important way that Achebe tears into the concept that Africans are “uncivilized”, is to not only show the customs, laws, traditions, and social order, but to also show the logic behind such customs. He shows the consistency of it all, that the Igbo people aren’t some savage people, but a people that have their own morals, codes, and customs, even if they don’t appear as such by a Western Eurocentric standard. 

    Take for example, the final offense that leads to Okonkwo being banished. In chapter 13, during a funeral, Okonkwo’s gun accidentally goes off, killing a youth from the clan (page 124). As punishment, Okonkwo is exiled, though because it was an accident, it is a short term banishment of 7 years, after which he can return. After he and his family leave, the other men of the clan go to his home, where they burn it and kill any of his remaining livestocks. (page 125) 

    In a vacuum, this all sounds harsh. However, Achebe includes the internal, cultural logic of all this. Because it was an accident, Okonkwo is given some mercy, however the crime still occurred, thus the need for some punishment. As for the burning, and killing of livestock, Achebe states explicitly that none of the people doing this actually hates Okonkwo. In fact, one of the people in the group is actually an outright friend of Okonkwo, Obierika. However, for them, this is actually a preventative measure, as the killing of a clansman, even by accident, would invoke the wrath of the earth goddess, who would punish the clan if they didn’t do some remission of the sin. 

    In this case, that justice took the form of cleansing the property of the sinner (Okonkwo). Or as the elders in the book put it “if one finger brought oil, it soiled the other.” (page 125) 

    From this, we can actually see several things, such as a clear codes of conduct and law for how to address a crime (manslaughter), the way to prevent it from affecting them in the long term (cleansing the land), as well as the reason why it was needed (to prevent the wrath of the Earth goddess). One might argue that the nature of the punishment as well as the reasoning might still denote “uncivilized”, but they miss the part where it doesn’t necessarily have to make sense to an outsider. 

    Hypocrisy can also play a role, as you can still see people even in western societies invoking that something bad happened because of God’s will, which while still bad, doesn’t necessarily denote civilization or a lack thereof. This is merely one example, but many other examples exist within the book showcasing how there are clear customs, legal and social frameworks, and religious rites that are done by the Igbo, even if they may at times be foreign, or even something considered abhorrent to a modern, western reader.

    Phrasing and terminology also plays a huge role. Throughout the book, Igbo terms and phrases are used: egwugwu, obi, ochu, and osu just to name a few. However, it is not just in the use of Igbo words that reinforce and counter argue the idea of Africans (in this case specifically Igbo). For example, one word I noticed was the use of the word “clan”. The book itself uses the terms “clan” and “clansman”. I point this out, because Achebe uses the term “clan” instead of “tribe”, and I believe this is due to the connotations therein. If I were to say “tribe”, the images invoked might be a bit more primitive. The more generous among you might think of indigenous Americans, while the more cynical (or bigoted) might think up images of barbarians. The term “clan” for me meanwhile, invokes the image of things such as the extended family structures found in the Scottish highlands, or of the feudal organizations of Clan heads and extended family, servants, and retainers found within Medieval and Edo Japan.

    So how does the novel portray Imperialism creating these stereotypes in the first place? Simple, by how Mr. Smith and the Commissioner behave and interact with the Igbo. Mr. Smith, a missionary, sees the world arbitrarily, resulting in him being overzealous, and encouraging his converts to act in such a manner as well. The adaptation of Christianity, while also not understanding the context of the traditional religion which his predecessor, Mr. Brown figured out. This led to Mr. Smith having a very narrow world view of how Igbo religion is, viewing it almost satanically, and not what it actually was, that of mostly ancestor worship. 

    Perhaps more damning, is the commissioner, who is the main point of view for the last chapter. The language used by both the narrator and himself, is that of condescension, with the constant use of words like “primitive”, or “native”. The name of his planned book is quite a sign as well, with this hypothetical book being “The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger” (page 209). With a title like that, he combines several large ethnic groups with distinct language, cultures, and religious identities, the Igbo, the Hausa, the Yoruba, into one simple term: “Primitive tribes”. What I find interesting, is that the book does describe him as curious, intrigued to know why Okonkwo’s clan can’t handle his dead body (the reason being that in Igbo culture, can’t touch the body of a suicide victim), however it is merely seen as just another interesting tidbit, like how one might say a “Did you know fact”, while ignoring the further context of the fact. 

    To summarize, Things Fall Apart shows how Europeans created the image of the “savage African”, while also showing proof that those people aren’t, just culturally different. These are points are shown through it's usage of language and terminology, as well as showing the logic behind cultural practices. Perhaps the commissioner might view Okonkwo as only worthy of a paragraph at most, but that doesn't necessarily mean we have to either.