What Is Achebe's View Of Nature In Things Fall Apart

Throughout the novel, Achebe uses different aspects of nature such as the the ceremony of the week of peace, yams, night trees and evil forest. These things each symbolize and show the good and bad side of natures character. “Yams the king of crops, was a man’s crops.” (page23). In this society, the more yams you grow and harvest, it will symbolize your wealth and your strength. They show others that you have the strength to be able to harvest many yams, meaning you have more wealth in which you will earn more respect as well in the village.Yet all of this is not possible if the person does not pay the right sacrifices and attend the ceremonies for the gods. For example, “the feast of new yam” which was held to “honor the earth goddess and …show more content…
Then Okonkwo is sent to sacrifice a few things to the shrine of one of their goddess to set things right. This shows how nature can be very generous by giving food and nice crops, but if you make a mistake and disobey her, she can curse you all.” Another symbol in Things Fall Apart is the trees. Trees are a symbol for growth in this society. There is a “big and ancient” tree that is very “sacred” to the people because, it was full of “spirits of good children who were waiting to be born.” So on the normal days, the “Young women” who wanted “children would sit under its shade“(46). Trees are also a primary source for tools, shelter, and palm wine for the men, but here we can see it is also a source for the women to gain children. In the area around the village there are "giant trees" which seem to be `"untouched" and standing from the "beginning of things". Achebe describes the forest in these terms to highlight the difference between the civilized world of the village and the wilderness of wild