Things Fall Apart by Achebe Chinua Analysis - Book Report/Review Example

Book Review: Things Fall Apart Civilization is characterized by human progress and organization concerning science, culture, advancement, government, and other factors. The enlightenment that brings about civilization occurs gradually and at different periods in any type of society or culture. Things Fall Apart describes ancient African civilization, as well as, European occupation of Africa. The story is based on the culture of a West African tribe known as the Ibo. It focuses on the clan of the Umuofia and delicately illustrates the civilization that existed in their way of life.

The clan was not the size of a country but seemed to have systems that resembled leadership, religious, and governmental systems. The clan elders, religious leaders and the men with titles were the leaders of the clan. However, the Oracle that was a religious figure held the ultimate power. The leaders and the oracle seem to have put in place systems that maintained the balance of the clan by assuring justice and avoiding war. For instance, when a woman is killed in the nearby village, a virgin girl and a boy are given as peace offerings by the village in order to avoid war between the villages (Achebe 16).

Exile is a form of punishment used to get justice and maintain the peace. There are also penalties for unruly behavior. Okonkwo is required to make expensive offerings for his misconduct during the Week of Peace (Achebe 39). In another instance, when Odukwe’s people beat him up and take his wife, the Egwugwu who acts as a judge rules that Odukwe should persuade his in-laws to get his wife back. This is because they had a good reason for taking back their daughter. Although transparency or checks and balances did not characterize the leadership and judicial process, it appears that the clans had a certain level of civilization.

Additionally, they had blacksmiths who made guns and farmers who understood the importance of cultivation new land as opposed to land they have already utilized for a season. A medical system was also existent but not effective enough. The novel continues to show the occupation of Africa by Europeans. It started with the rumors of a white man taking Africans into slavery (Achebe 97). While most people thought that a white man was fictitious, they believed it when he started wandering into the interior to spread the gospel.

The first followers were community outcasts and the clan elders thought that the church would not last. Furthermore, they hoped that the oracle and the gods would fight the war for them. However, as the white man established the church and preyed on the weaknesses of the culture, he also established a system of government. This was in the form of a district commissioner’s office who tried men that offended the Christians and put them in jail where they were tortured. In the end, the white man became too strong, and very few men were willing to fight for their culture and traditions.

As a result, colonization started and Europeans occupied more and more land. Things fall apart is an amalgamation of African oral culture and its gradual interruption by European occupation. A historical fiction shows the erosion of a culture and the acceptance of new possibilities. Additionally, it is focuses on the brutality of each side of the divide. Works CitedAchebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New Delhi [u.a.: Allied Publishers, 2008. Print.