Hierarchy In Things Fall Apart

A hierarchy is present in every aspect of life – in family, in school, in the workplace, and in society. The details of the hierarchy may change, but one is always present. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart reflects on the changing hierarchical structure within the Igbo people (pre-colonial Nigeria) over several years. In this novel, the protagonist Okonkwo centers his life around being at the top of the Igbo hierarchy but rejects the changes made to that hierarchy, with his inability to change eventually leading to his downfall.

In the beginning of the novel, Okonkwo fits into the hierarchy perfectly. The social hierarchy of the Igbo people prioritizes those who are strongest. This can be seen at the very start of the novel, where the author

At first, he simply makes mistakes that inadvertently defy the social hierarchy. For one, Okonkwo was warned by an elder that he was not to take part in Ikemefuna’s death, as the boy had become like his son. When the time came, however, “Okonkwo drew his machete and cut [Ikemefuna] down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 61). In an effort to protect his manhood, a part of the hierarchy that he heavily revered, Okonkwo defied the hierarchy by ignoring the orders of an elder. Okonkwo then goes to kill that same elder’s son, and he is banished for seven years as a consequence. This banishment leads to him being gone as the hierarchy among the Igbo people begins to change. When colonial forces arrive in their village, things take a drastic turn for

Christianity began to grow in popularity. Okonkwo’s own son, Nwoye, converted to Christianity, leading Okonkwo into an outrage. When he discovered Nwoye was going to church, he attacked him. Achebe describes, “He seized a heavy stick that lay on the dwarf wall and hit him with two or three savage blows” (152). Okonkwo rejects the new culture because he believes the British men are effeminate and do not exhibit the manly traits expected of a respectable man in the society Okonkwo is used to. He is ashamed of his son, feeling that Nwoye isn’t a good son because he doesn’t act “manly”, which is what allowed Okonkwo to be so successful. Nwoye represents what is happening to Igbo society as a whole now that the British have begun to colonize them – the culture is changing. It is no longer the same as when Okonkwo was younger. Since Okonkwo is not adapting, he is losing his place in the hierarchy of society. He used to be highly respected, but that is slowly changing. He has been banished, and people no longer hold him in such high regard. Okonkwo refuses to accept that strength and masculinity are no longer enough to earn him a high spot in the cultural hierarchy. Okonkwo ponders angrily, “‘Worthy men are no more,’ Okonkwo sighed as he remembered those days. ‘Isike will never forget how we slaughtered them in that war. We killed twelve of their men and they killed only two of