Cultural Death Theme in Things Fall Aparts Essay Sample

When the European colonizers first discovered the African continent, a rush to colonize and imperialize the continent began. Little did the people on the African continent know their entire world, culture, and religion would be utterly disregarded and annihilated. The culture they worked so hard to develop would be destroyed, Chinua Achebe demonstrates this idea of a cultural death in Things Fall Aparts, Achebe illustrates Okonkwo’s character as symbol for the old traditions of the Igbo culture by showing he embodies the religious and cultural aspects of the old traditions, and then uses his suicide to show colonization destroys an already established culture. 

Okonkwo is a symbol of the old traditions of the Igbo culture, shows the old traditions and how the traditions are dying because of the effects of colonization. A major part of the igbo culture is the kola nut, the kola nut symbolizes respect and customs of the igbo people. While Okonkwo is at his mother land in the final days he is staying there, he throws a huge feast for the people he stayed with. During the feast shows his respect for their generosity and his appreciation by giving them a kola nut, “I beg you to accept this little kola, he said. It is not to pay you back for all you did for me in these seven years. A child cannot soy for its mother’s milk. I have only called you together because it is good for kinsmen to meet” (Achebe 145). Okonkwo shows that he wants the Clan Leader to accept his kola nut because he wants the leader to accept his respect, and gratitude as well as wanting to show off the customs of the igbo people. The phrase “I beg of you to accept” moreover shows Okonkwo’s deep appreciation for the tradition of the Kola Nut. Okonkwo is the embodiment of the Igbo Culture, in the aspect of respect and old traditions. Therefore because his is the symbolic representation of the Igbo cultures, he shows this respect for the Igbo culture through war and anger specifically, when Okonkwo gets angry there is no stopping him, whenever he begins to wage war no one can stop him, “In a flash Okonkwo drew his machete. The messenger crouched to avoid the blow. It was useless. Okonkwo’s machete descended twice and the man’s head lay beside his uniformed body” (Achebe 176).  The messenger was trying to tell the leaders of  Umuofia some information but instead Okonkwo in a flash chops the messenger's head off. In old igbo culture war was very important and showed power, killing with no hesitation showed the strength and power a man held, further exemplifying Okonkwo's deep understanding for the old ways of the Igbo culture. One way Okonkwo shows this understanding of the culture is through his death, “To Okonkwo, it is better that a hunter be dead than for a hunter to be lost in the bush. He prefers death to the humiliation of ceding self-governance to foreigners. In Okonkwo's head, the future has foreclosed on all that he knows about how his community perpetuates itself.” (Adélékè Adéèkó) Okonkwo would rather be dead then lost in the bushes and humiliate himself by making himself look weak, consequently whenever the opportunity arises to prove his strength he never passes the chance up, which was shown in the earlier quote used, his no hesitation to killing the messenger shows just how much the old Igbo culture and customs were to Okonkwo. Since Okonkwo cares and values the igbo culture so much he becomes the representation of the old ways and through his sucide shows the destruction of a culture, religion, way of life and many traditions. 

Since Okonkwo is a symbol for the old cultural values of the Igbo tribe, it seems only fair that his death would symbolize the total destruction and death of the tribe and its teachings. Okonkwo’s sucide shows the destruction of an already established culture that has history and a lineage behind it. Achebe develops the culture of the igbo people early on throughout the book, a main part of a culture includes superstition and spiritualism, throughout the book on multiple occasions there are references to the supernatural or spirits. Many different times there are examples of superstition also “Not even the oldest man in Umuofia had ever heard such a strange and fearful sound, and it was never to be heard again. It seemed as if the very soul of the tribe wept for a great evil that was coming - it’s own death.” (Achebe 160). The sound in the excerpt above is referring to a superstition that the elders of the igbo clan have, which is the death of the clan. The elders and people in the clan are deeply connected to the superstitions of the old ways of the igbo people, the superstitions they have shows that the Igbo had an already established culture as well as a form of foresight. There are more superstitions within the culture, such as the abomination of sucide, and one who commits said act cannot be touched by people within the clan. We see this happen at the end of the book when Okonkwo kills himself by hanging, and his fellow tribesman discovers his body, “Why can’t you take him down yourselves? he asked. It is against our custom, said one of the men. It is an abomination for a man to take his own life.” (Achebe 178). Okonkwo's symbolic death conveys the message to the reader that the white men or colonizers have successfully destroyed an entire cultural group through the death of a singular person, Okonkwo. Okonkwo represents the entire destruction of the igbo clan, “If Okonkwo really does "function as the true representative of his people ... [by] committing what is a form of collective suicide by submitting to the British ... [and  preceding] his people in their communal destruction" (Begam 400) The final death of Okonkwo truly shows the horrible actions of the missionaries and the invaders of africa, his death shows their horrendous actions and unforgivable behavior through the death of one of the most important characters, that has the deepest symbolic meaning. 

Therefore, throughout the book Things Fall Apart, Achebe convinces the reader that Okonkwo is the focal point of the Igbo culture, he builds his character as one of importance and a symbol of the old ways which have been destroyed and decimated by the colonizers. Achebe shows Okonkwo’s character is the symbol for the olds ways of the Igbo culture and through Okonkwo’s symbolic death shows the death of a culture. 

Works Cited: 

Adéèkó, Adélékè. "Great Books Make Their Own History: A Commemorative Review of Things Fall Apart at Fifty." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Jeffrey W. Hunter, vol. 325, Gale, 2012. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1100109180/GLS?u=lzhs&sid=bookmark-GLS&xid=5a1af86c. Accessed 29 Nov. 2021. Originally published in Transition, no. 100, 2009, pp. 34-43.

Friesen, Alan R. "Okonkwo's Suicide as an Affirmative Act: Do Things Really Fall Apart?" Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Jeffrey W. Hunter, vol. 278, Gale, 2010. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1100093852/GLS?u=lzhs&sid=bookmark-GLS&xid=61bb498a. Accessed 18 Jan. 2022. Originally published in Postcolonial Text, vol. 2, no. 4, 2006, pp. 1-11.