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Igbo Society In Chinua Achebe's Things Falling Apart

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Things Falling Apart by Chinua Achebe is a novel set in the 1800s reflecting the Igbo culture and how the African society used to be. This novel is based on the story of the character Okonkwo and how his actions represented the Nigerian society and its ethics. Achebe used the character of Obierika to demonstrate that rationality was not usually recognized by a society and the people in power were always the decision-makers. An Igbo society where irrationality, close-mindedness and one’s unwillingness to adapt, was a stark contrast created by the author when comparing Okonkwo to his best friend Obierika. This shows how we as humans never listen to the voice of reason and priority is always given to the ones holding a certain status in the society. Achebe used Obierika to show how rationality was not accepted widely in Igbo society. …show more content…

This often lead to people in power be the leading decision-makers as there was no coherent reasoning behind anything. Once this society lost its ability to know what’s right and what’s wrong, the ability to prepare for any consequences was automatically non-existent; causing conflict where the author showed the constant and inevitable difference of mentality in society. Although this novel was written in the 20th century, its reflection of society is relevant even in today’s times. As readers, when we watch the character’s life unfold, we gain a sense of perspective about African society and how colonization changed everything. Moreover, we are able to understand how human nature always stays the same no matter what time of history we look at. Ignorance of rationality, the power of being in power and the impossible coexistence of everyone in society were all relevant in the Igbo society of the 1800s and are still relevant today. With this constant human behaviour which never changed throughout time, these will always be relevant in our

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