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

Without a proper balance in our lives and anything else, we commit to accomplishing, things may finally fall apart. This notion of balance in the novel becomes an important theme throughout the book. When we also look at an excerpt from W.B Yeats' poem where the phrase "things fall apart" was taken, the concept of balance is also stressed to be important. Without balance within ourselves or in society, there is a loss of order. The novel brings out a point of balance in the Igbo culture. This is mostly shown in the beginning of the novel.

However, towards the end of it, there arises a state of disorder. The Society of Igbo can no longer listen to their leader. A chaotic situation is created where so many tragic things happen. Some of the tragedies include the rise of violence that then led to the compound of Enoch, an overzealous Christian convert. Egwugwu goes ahead to destroy the Christian church citing that the missionaries have caused so many problems to the Igbo. Because of the church burning issue, the six men are jailed until they pay two hundred and fifty bags of cowries with the help of the people of Umuofia though their money collection.

Another tragedy being when Okonkwo beheaded the man who was in charge of the five men who were sent from the court to stop a gathering of the clansmen, with a machete. The other messengers escape, and none of the clansmen attempts to stop them and at this point, Okonkwo realizes that they will not go to war, and Umuofia will surrender. At this point, it is clear that everything has fallen apart, and the last tragedy happens when he commits suicide by hanging himself.