Things Fall Apart Microcosm Analysis

It is not uncommon in our society to hear or read about one person that represents all the possibilities of our culture. This, however, is not a uniquely American phenomenon. In fact, for many cultures around the world, there may be a single person or idea that embodies the larger culture. The word for this idea is "microcosm," and one of the best examples occurs in Chinua Achebe 's novel Things Fall Apart. In the book Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo represents a microcosm of the Igbo culture, a culture in crisis. Okonkwo is known as a hero in Igbo society because of his devotion to tradition and religion, his hard work ethic, and his ambition to be great. Throughout the first 2/3 of the book, as Okonkwo succeeds as an individual, the culture …show more content…
This may just be some silly science quote, but if you look deeper, there are many meanings to this phrase. This phrase can be paralleled to Okonkwo’s timeline of life. He had a hefty portion of his life that had been positive and successful, but then he endures many situations which are considered failures. Like most great stories, there is a turning point in a character’s life where things start to turn sour. The turning point for Okonkwo is when he accidentally shoots a young boy at a funeral, and is sentenced to 7 years exile. His exile is not necessarily a part of his downfall, since he obeys the law and does not act out against this ruling. He takes it as a champ and stays optimistic. Little does he know, the tables are turning for him, and not in a good direction. When Okonkwo returns from his exile, he is angered to learn that his son Nwoye, has converted to Christianity. This deeply infuriates Okonkwo. Therefore, he makes the abrupt decision to disown Nwoye. He calls for his other 5 sons and tells that that Nwoye is no longer apart of their family, and that he will only have sons who act like men (172). With Okonkwo 's disowning of Nwoye, he is losing a part of his personal legacy. On a larger scale, the Igbo society is losing their members, such as women and outcasts, to the Christian missionaries.This decreases the amount of followers of the Igbo culture, which in return weakens the strength and reputation, while improving the strength and reputation of the Christians. This situation is plagued with failure. Okonkwo is now realizing that the Christians have gone too far. He and five other Umuofia leaders wreak havoc on Christian missionary land. Out of spite, they decide to destroy the church. Five days later, the district commissioner has Okonkwo and the five other men arrested and imprisoned. Now, they are all subject to England 's system of justice (194). The