What Is The Significance Of Things Fall Apart

The Significance of Titles: Things Fall Apart The significance of certain titles such as “Why we broke up” is easy to discover. However, some titles leave much to the reader 's imagination, and the true meaning can only be understood once one has read the book. Such is the case in “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe. The significance of the phrase “Things Fall Apart” becomes evident with Achebe’s use of characterization, setting, and contrast. By using these devices the author reveals the vast deterioration of culture and self that can come unexpectedly to us. Achebe uses characterization to show just how “Things Fall Apart” for the main character Okonkwo. Okonkwo is a proud man who lives well with three wives and …show more content…
When the Christian Missionaries colonized the tribes the began by teaching their religion, which was monotheistic religion which greatly differs from the clan’s polytheistic religions the worshipped many many different god ranging from earth to fire gods. Another difference was their way of justice, the clan’s left justice to the gods and their will but the missionaries took justice into their own hands and assigns punishments as they wish. These clash in cultures contributed to the fall of the clans as the different generations wanted different things for the clans in one hand the younger and some of the eldest clan members were welcoming the christian ways while the older clan members opposed it and saw it as disrespectful to their ancestors. This contrast in cultures caused the clan to “fall apart” because in the end they wanted different things and neither of them wanted to understand each …show more content…
This difference in support was also a major reason for the disintegration of the igbo society as the igbo punished very harshly and were somewhat inhumane to people who were outcasts whereas the colonizers were a fresh start in life for people who were not accepted by the igbo, christianity was their last strand of hope for a supportive and loving community. “Things Fall Apart” in a way foreshadows the main theme of separation in the novel and how this affects the society. Achebe used characterization, setting, and contrast to show the way everything falls apart from one single individual to an entire society. Although many things fell apart in this book the most memorable one was Okonkwo, he was torn to pieces by life and was the only person who made an effort to prevent the culture from succumbing to the pressure of breaking away and in the end he was shocked so much by how fast the clans were falling to pieces, until he eventually fell