Literary Analysis In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Imagine having a book in your hand and you are trying to read that book. As a student of literature what comes to your mind? I would immediately think of all the terms that we are learning in class. Things I remember most are aspects of stories such as setting, plot, characterization among others. These terms are what describe literary analysis. According to arrowhead schools, literary analysis is the practice of looking closely at small parts to see how they affect the whole. It focuses on how plot/structure, character, and many other techniques are used by the author to create meaning. My writeup will focus on parts of literary analysis that comprise narrator point of view, characterization, and setting from the story of Civil Peace and Everyday

For example, Chinua Achebe’s short story presents his narrative point of view to the reader from the specific character’s point of view. He narrated about Jonathan Iwegbu who lived a tough life because of civil war. Achebe narrates this story as an outside figure (third person) who did not participate directly in any events in the story. Achebe mainly uses the word “He” to describe Jonathan. For example, after the war, “he had come out with five inestimable blessings”. This means Jonathan is just a character who’s been described by the author and narrator Achebe. This is compared to the story of everyday use whose author and narrator is Alice walker. Alice Walker is also one of the characters in the story and she narrated it by using the third person mood to describe other characters in the story. For example, she described the way her daughter Maggie walks by saying’ “she walks while her chin on the chest, ayes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since their house got

The setting encompasses the geography, weather, and social setting among other things and how these play a role in the story. The setting in everyday use shows that the characters live in an area that is cold and rough. Examples that demonstrate this are “my fat keeps me warm in zero weather. I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water for washing…” The author in this case wants to demonstrate how tough the narrator is. Further, the author describes the relationship between the narrator and her sister. One important aspect of the setting is when the narrator says, “don’t ask me why: in 1927 colored asked fewer questions.” This informs readers that the narrator was probably a minority. On the other hand, the setting in civil peace is clearly the Biafran territory during the civil war. Achebe also describes the social conditions during that time when he writes that the soldiers were rugged, mired in poverty, and thus easily influenced by bribery. He also reports about the effect the war had on people’s life, especially when he narrates the story about the thieves who came to Jonathan’s