Thins Fall Apart - Essay Example

The level of detachment achieved by the author in describing the life before colonialism is commendable. The theme of the book and the author’s attitude towards the theme both evoke curiosity. Without giving too much room for sentimentalism, he details the state of affairs in the country, and is not interested in creating a rosy picture out of love for his country. He states the facts, and describes the shortcomings of his people, mentions about fierce tribal wars, day to day violence and the resultant suffering.

He also mentions that the uniting factor amongst the people is social coherence, deep-rooted faith in ritualism and extraordinary traditions, the importance of which is difficult to quantify but highly respected and followed by the people. What is the importance of the customs and traditions of Igbo society and how they are reflected in the day to day life and dispositions of the Nigerian tribal community? The importance of various segments of culture has a deep impact on the Nigerian society and their inner world responds to its richness and beauty.

Referring to the role of music Chinua Achebe(1994, p.4) writes, “The total effect was gay and brisk, but if one picked out the flute as it went up and down and then broke up into short snatches, one saw that there was sorrow and grief there.”Through this observation, the author states in his own style and reveal about the societal conditions and its impact on the common man, meaningfully. How the traditional families functioned—study Okonkwo’s life for example! He was a self-made man, but he was unhappy affected much by the poor image his father had in the Igbo society.

He tried to overcome that inferiority complex with great efforts, achieved matchless prosperity, and enjoyed great reputation in the village. His physical assets added to his popularity and the awe and esteem in which the people held him. About his physical prowess the author( p.3) writes, ““It was this man Okonkwo threw in a fight which the old men agreed was one of the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights.” His anger seized his personality and he lost control over his normal speech and donned a violent mood.

The role of the superstitions in the life of people touched great heights. Whether the personal traits dominated the superstitions, or the superstitions contributed to the formation of the personal traits was a difficult question to answer. Both co-existed and exerted mutual influence. As for Okonkwo, it was rooted in his ancestry. The author observes that he suffered from a sort of inferiority complex, about resemblance to his father, which he thought was a sign of backwardness. Each section of the society, men women and children had some superstition or the other to hang on, and their origin was difficult to trace.

The basis of their continuance was faith, with no convincing logical explanations. The author cites one such example, amongst the womenfolk. Worshipping the trees was common with them and they believed that the tree was the abode of good children waiting to be born and they sat under the shades of the trees. Colonialism impacted the cultural traditions of Igbo tribe in a big way and it was a well-planned