Module: ENGL1855 Race, Writing and Decolonization.
‘The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged
himself would make interesting reading’ (Chinua Achebe, Things
Fall Apart). In your view, how successfully does any text on the
module decolonise?
Things Fall Apart (TFA)
The most compelling feature of Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart (TFA) is the
sympathetic representation of Igbo society and the corrosive influence of
colonialism.1 Through writing the novel, Achebe clearly exposes, to his
readers, his cultural heritage which possessed established traditions that
were steadily eroded by an invading force -Western civilisation. On one
hand, it is possible to postulate the idea that the novel serves to decolonise
as Achebe’s departure from conventions of previous postcolonial novels,
such as Heart of Darkness, provides a more realist representation, laying
the foundation for a new epoch.2 However, I will argue that the construction
of the novel, written in English, offers a paradoxical art form falling short of
decolonising, instead, preserving colonialisation.
The title Things Fall Apart immediately signposts the tragic conclusion of the
novel, positioning the significance of the Aristotelian tragic hero, Okonkwo.
In considering how the ending of the novel is constructed, the reader can
recognise the trauma of colonisation and the impact it has upon an
individual. Supporting this view, Richard Begum references an interview
Achebe had with Robert Serumaga, where he discussed the political
intentions of the tragedy.3 It seems the novel serves as a colonialist
narrative that preserves the attitudes and agendas of the British
missionaries rule in Nigeria. It explores the idea that Okonkwo’s tragic
demise stems from the fact he has become disconnected from his
community, which ultimately results in his death at the end of the novel,
‘Okonkwo was deeply grieved […] He mourned for the clan, which he saw
1
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart, 2nd edn. (Anchor Books, 1994).
2
Joseph Conrad & Cedric Watts, Heart of Darkness and other tales, (Oxford University Press, 2002).
3
Richard Begam, ‘Achebe’s Sense of an Ending: History and Tragedy in Things Fall Apart’ in Modern
Critical Interpretations: Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, (Chelsea House Publishers, 2002).
1
, breaking up and falling apart’ (TFA, p183). Using this moment as the
peripeteia in Okonkwo’s tragic journey, Achebe signposts that the ‘breaking
up’ of the tribe is the catalyst which triggers Okonkwo’s death (TFA, p183).
Through the use of the symbolic imagery of the ‘breaking’ and ‘falling’ of
the Ibo tribe, Achebe delivers a pejorative message that the change in the
tribe’s culture has directly led to the self-destruction of Okonkwo, a man
who epitomises the vales of the Igbo tribe. (TFA, p183). Additionally, the
verb ‘mourned’ captures the powerless position of Okonkwo who, despite
his status as a fearless warrior, is unable to resist the oppression from the
colonial powers (TFA, p183). Arguably, Okonkwo’s suicide could be viewed
as true to the ethos of the village despite the cultural imposition of the
British colony as his resistance to the colonial imposition ultimately triggers
his tragedy. Achebe utilises Okonkwo as a microcosmic character to recover
the subjective experience of colonialisation and expose the subjugation of
the Igbo tribe at the hands of the white, colonial oppressors.
Some critics have argued that the African dialogue makes it difficult for the
novel to negate its status as a piece of colonialist literature because it uses
the English language – the language of the possessor. Perhaps the
domination of the English Language, despite incorporating the Igbo dialect,
immediately hints at the subjugation of the tribe. Critic Ngūgī wa Thiong’o
purports this idea, suggesting that through writing in English, Achebe
continues colonial oppression through the marginalising the African voice. 4
He argues, ‘Language carries culture and culture carries […] the entire body
of values by which we perceive ourselves and our place in the world’ (Ngūgī
wa Thiong’o). In this vein, the novel fails to decolonise as it preserves the
linguistic hierarchy of the English Language. Moreover, Durrant’s idea of the
‘orality effect’ is used to add to the realism of the novel, immersing the
reader in pre-colonial Ibo culture through the mimesis of Ibo orature which
further compounds the tragedy.5 Achebe’s use of the double-voice narrative
modulating between the traditional voice of the Igbo tribe and the modernist
voice of the British colonisers, to expose the conflict and turmoil between
the oppressors and those being oppressed. Perhaps the modulations
4
Ngūgī wa Thiong’o, Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature (London:
Heinemann Educational, 1986).
5
Samuel Durrant, ‘Surviving Time: Trauma, Tragedy, and the Postcolonial Novel’, Journal of Literature
and Trauma Studies, Volume 1, Number 1 (2012) pp.95-117, Available at: 10.1353/jlt.2012.0002
(Accessed: 18/05/25).
2
‘The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged
himself would make interesting reading’ (Chinua Achebe, Things
Fall Apart). In your view, how successfully does any text on the
module decolonise?
Things Fall Apart (TFA)
The most compelling feature of Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart (TFA) is the
sympathetic representation of Igbo society and the corrosive influence of
colonialism.1 Through writing the novel, Achebe clearly exposes, to his
readers, his cultural heritage which possessed established traditions that
were steadily eroded by an invading force -Western civilisation. On one
hand, it is possible to postulate the idea that the novel serves to decolonise
as Achebe’s departure from conventions of previous postcolonial novels,
such as Heart of Darkness, provides a more realist representation, laying
the foundation for a new epoch.2 However, I will argue that the construction
of the novel, written in English, offers a paradoxical art form falling short of
decolonising, instead, preserving colonialisation.
The title Things Fall Apart immediately signposts the tragic conclusion of the
novel, positioning the significance of the Aristotelian tragic hero, Okonkwo.
In considering how the ending of the novel is constructed, the reader can
recognise the trauma of colonisation and the impact it has upon an
individual. Supporting this view, Richard Begum references an interview
Achebe had with Robert Serumaga, where he discussed the political
intentions of the tragedy.3 It seems the novel serves as a colonialist
narrative that preserves the attitudes and agendas of the British
missionaries rule in Nigeria. It explores the idea that Okonkwo’s tragic
demise stems from the fact he has become disconnected from his
community, which ultimately results in his death at the end of the novel,
‘Okonkwo was deeply grieved […] He mourned for the clan, which he saw
1
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart, 2nd edn. (Anchor Books, 1994).
2
Joseph Conrad & Cedric Watts, Heart of Darkness and other tales, (Oxford University Press, 2002).
3
Richard Begam, ‘Achebe’s Sense of an Ending: History and Tragedy in Things Fall Apart’ in Modern
Critical Interpretations: Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, (Chelsea House Publishers, 2002).
1
, breaking up and falling apart’ (TFA, p183). Using this moment as the
peripeteia in Okonkwo’s tragic journey, Achebe signposts that the ‘breaking
up’ of the tribe is the catalyst which triggers Okonkwo’s death (TFA, p183).
Through the use of the symbolic imagery of the ‘breaking’ and ‘falling’ of
the Ibo tribe, Achebe delivers a pejorative message that the change in the
tribe’s culture has directly led to the self-destruction of Okonkwo, a man
who epitomises the vales of the Igbo tribe. (TFA, p183). Additionally, the
verb ‘mourned’ captures the powerless position of Okonkwo who, despite
his status as a fearless warrior, is unable to resist the oppression from the
colonial powers (TFA, p183). Arguably, Okonkwo’s suicide could be viewed
as true to the ethos of the village despite the cultural imposition of the
British colony as his resistance to the colonial imposition ultimately triggers
his tragedy. Achebe utilises Okonkwo as a microcosmic character to recover
the subjective experience of colonialisation and expose the subjugation of
the Igbo tribe at the hands of the white, colonial oppressors.
Some critics have argued that the African dialogue makes it difficult for the
novel to negate its status as a piece of colonialist literature because it uses
the English language – the language of the possessor. Perhaps the
domination of the English Language, despite incorporating the Igbo dialect,
immediately hints at the subjugation of the tribe. Critic Ngūgī wa Thiong’o
purports this idea, suggesting that through writing in English, Achebe
continues colonial oppression through the marginalising the African voice. 4
He argues, ‘Language carries culture and culture carries […] the entire body
of values by which we perceive ourselves and our place in the world’ (Ngūgī
wa Thiong’o). In this vein, the novel fails to decolonise as it preserves the
linguistic hierarchy of the English Language. Moreover, Durrant’s idea of the
‘orality effect’ is used to add to the realism of the novel, immersing the
reader in pre-colonial Ibo culture through the mimesis of Ibo orature which
further compounds the tragedy.5 Achebe’s use of the double-voice narrative
modulating between the traditional voice of the Igbo tribe and the modernist
voice of the British colonisers, to expose the conflict and turmoil between
the oppressors and those being oppressed. Perhaps the modulations
4
Ngūgī wa Thiong’o, Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature (London:
Heinemann Educational, 1986).
5
Samuel Durrant, ‘Surviving Time: Trauma, Tragedy, and the Postcolonial Novel’, Journal of Literature
and Trauma Studies, Volume 1, Number 1 (2012) pp.95-117, Available at: 10.1353/jlt.2012.0002
(Accessed: 18/05/25).
2
