Things Fall Apart Stereotypes

When talking about the danger of single stories, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said, “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete.” The novel Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, works to complete the stereotype of African culture. Chinua takes the reader along the journey of a man, Okonkwo, who struggles to keep Umuofia, his tribe, from being colonized by European men. His father, Unoka, was known for being lazy and cowardly which motivates Okonkwo to be everything he wasn’t. Okonkwo becomes a wealthy and respected warrior of not only his clan, but throughout the eight other villages as well. Many traditions are explained, such as killing a boy from another

He makes this possible by showing their ability to understand what is wrong and accept punishments in order to explain that African culture has depth and sophistication shown through their words and actions. When one of the tribes, Mbaino, was responsible for the killing of a daughter of Umuofia, there was a meeting of ten-thousand men. They all discussed, “and at the end it was decided to follow the normal course of action. An ultimatum was immediately dispatched to Mbaino asking them to choose between war on the one hand, and on the other the offer of a young man and a virgin as compensation” (Achebe 11). To have a meeting and “follow the normal course of action” shows regulation, for they have a system that they follow to make sure everything goes according to plan. After reaching a decision, they appointed Mbaino with a punishment, or rather options for punishment. Umuofia is a very powerful tribe, so to go to war with them would be illogical. Yet no tribe wants to lose two young kids, but they have to pay for their actions. Altogether, the appointing and accepting of the punishment shows the tribe does have law and is not a lawless community where everyone goes about doing whatever they please. They are sophisticated and know what a reasonable punishment is for a certain crime, and they know that their actions have consequences. Not only do they not argue

Not only does Achebe succeed in completing the stereotype of African cultures, but he avoids making a single story of white missionaries. Achebe had the opportunity to give them a taste of their own medicine, make them out to be these racist, savage, ignorant people. But instead he introduces characters, who are white, that are actually liked by the Ibo tribes. There are bad missionaries in the book, but that is a part of storytelling. There needs to be an antagonist to have a protagonist. A person that reads this book who doesn’t know white people now might think of them as having a variety of characteristics. Some were bad, some were good, but no one was evil. Chinua Achebe not only balanced the stories of Africa, but balanced the stories of the world. Readers can relate to the book depending on personal experiences, prejudice they have been subject to, even racism they’ve experienced. Most people have a part of the book they personally understand, and that is a big impact. It shows how every culture, every country, has similar aspects, experiences, and motivations. Most countries want peace, happiness, and unity. Most countries suffer from war, prejudice, and violence. Most countries have fallen apart before, but they are now stronger than ever. Things Fall Apart is a novel that shows how