Theme Of Violence In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

"Igbo people are violent savages who needed to be colonized and civilized." This is what many people thought before Chinua Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart. There was prejudice against African tribes depicting them as backwards and uncivilized, that was largely based on misunderstand or lack of information because all books about them had bee published by colonizers. This is why Chinua Achebe used his upbringing and personal experiences to tell the story from their perspective. "Things Fall Apart" has now sold over 11 million copies and is translated into 50 different languages which shows just how big of an impact it made.
Achebe, born Albert Chinualumogo Achebe, comes from Ogidi in Igboland Nigeria. He was born to two Christian convert parents …show more content…
Even in the beginning of the book Achebe writes that Okonkwo was "the first to bring back a human head" (7) and it is written as something to brag about . This shows that some of the stereotypes are correct about the violent nature of the tribes. Although much of the story does center around violence, Achebe subtly shows that he does not believe the violence is right and causes the reader to think by including Nwoye. Nwoye is a more sensitive person, the son of Okonkwo, and one of Okonkwo 's greatest struggles. Nwoye is not sure how to act because he knows how tribe wants him to act but seeing the twins dying and the killing of Ikemfuna causes him inner turmoil. Achebe writes, "Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell" (38), which show his sensitivity and contrasts him and his father. Nwoye is what causes the reader to think about the purpose the village has behind their destructive ways and the reader discovers that there is very little except tradition. The people listen to an "oracle" which decides when to go to war, punishments, etc. and so their decisions are fully based on the thoughts of that oracle 's priestess. Obedience to these commands was normalized and it translated into personal decisions as well. The truthful depiction of …show more content…
One of the most well known contributions was to the people globally who had no idea about what Igbo traditions and life were really about. Writing the book in English but still using dialogue representative of an Igbo person 's speech was an creative teaching tool for the outside world. Another group of people influenced by the book was the Nigerian writers of that time. People have said that Chinua Achebe was one of the most prominent figures in the Nigerian literary movement and he was one of the first as well. He is quoted as saying in an interview "It 's only the beginning... more people must get into it and they are getting into it, after my novel Things Fall Apart was published it just looked like people had been waiting everywhere... to tell their own version of their story as if something was holding them before."Which is an amazing accomplishment because, not only did he share the truth and influence many people, he also helped other writers to share their story, spreading even more truths. He opened a pathway for many people who were unable to get recognition for their history