Symbolism In Things Fall Apart

Africans have been portrayed and depicted as savage animals by many people throughout history. Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Chinua Achebe about the Igbo tribe in Africa and their true way of life. Chinua Achebe is a black man originally from an Igbo tribe, and he believes that the portrayal of Africans as savage animals is false. Because of this, he writes Things Fall Apart. In an interview with Achebe he states, “There is that great proverb—that until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. That did not come to me until much later. Once I realized that, I had to be a writer. I had to be that historian. It’s not one man’s job. It’s not one person’s job. But it is something we have …show more content…
Chi is an own personal god that nobody else shares. Your chi must be good in order to have a balanced life. That means you will have good fortune and you will be in perfect tune with life. Okonkwo’s chi is an example of that. Whenever he was strong or believed in what he did, his chi agreed with him. According to the Igbo people, they believed that, “If ever a man deserved his success, that man was Okonkwo. At an early age he had achieved fame as the greatest wrestler in the land… At the most one could say that his chi or personal god was good. But the Igbo people have a proverb that when a man says yes his chi says yes also. Okonkwo said yes very strongly; so his chi says yes also” (17). One’s chi is very significant in their life. In an article titled Igbo Culture and History, Odike writes about chi agreeing with the way Achebe promotes it in Things Fall Apart. Odike goes on to explain that an Igbo would only achieve their goals and success if they worked hard in their life. One’s chi will agree strongly with a person if that person strongly believes in what they are doing. He also writes that an Igbos chi is equivalent to a Christian’s concept of a guardian angel. Like a guardian angel, one’s chi follows them throughout their lives (xxxv). Chi is something any Igbo needs to be in tune with to lead their best life. Both authors explain very clearly that chi is very important in Igbo …show more content…
Some gods are evil and some gods are very good. Gods can be found in many different forms such as a lake or fire. Gods in relation with fire, death, and natural disaster are gods that are not to be messed with. The good gods are related to fortune or a flowing river; a symbol that represents happiness. In an article titled Igbo Religion, Widjaja writes about how gods and other deities can appear in landform or natural object, as does Achebe. Widjaja writes that the most common god to appear is Amadioha, the god of thunder. Gods also do their part in Chukwu’s work. Gods are appointed by Chukwu to do whatever is asked of them. In Things Fall Apart, Akunna states that, “He appoints the smaller gods to help Him because His work is too great for one person”(Achebe 110). Chinua Achebe makes gods a very important aspect of the story throughout it. The gods are very important in Igbo