Religious Aspects in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - Essay Example

Things Fall Apart Things Fall Apart is one of the books written by Chinua Achebe, one of the most renownedAfrican writers. The book tells the story of European colonization of Africa. The book, which was published in 1958, tells the story of life in a village known as Umofia. The novel described the impact the arrival of the colonialists had on the African culture, religion, and way of life. This is told through the experiences of the village warrior, Okonkwo. The novel aims to explain the West African Ibo traditions as they were before the coming of the Europeans. The novel makes use of simple language to portray its message. The main issue in the novel is the clash between the African and the European way of life, and whether it is possible for the two cultures and religions to coexist peacefully. Religious pluralism refers to a situation in which different religions coexist peacefully together. It emphasizes that the different religions have some common beliefs and each religion should recognize the validity of the other. In Things Fall Apart, such a situation would be desirable as there is a conflict between the ‘European’ religion, which is Christianity, and the traditional African religion. The believers of the two religions in the book have not sought a common ground, which would be important in easing the tension that has been brought about by the introduction of Christianity. The novel tells of the domineering nature of the colonial rule in Africa and how the Western culture, practices and way of life was imposed on Africans. The Europeans did not take time to learn the African practices before condemning them as evil and backwards. They consider them to have no education and they consider the religious practices of the Africans to be heathen or primitive. This posed a conflict and set the stage for a rebellion among the African communities. The traditional African life was very religious. The African religious way of life believed in many gods. They had many religious practices that were followed. They could not understand the concept of having a single God or deity, who is then said to have sent his son Jesus to save humankind. In the traditional African set up, the different gods played different roles. There was for example a god responsible for the harvest and another responsible for rainfall. The missionaries on the other hand found the African religious practices primitive and backwards. They therefore came with the mission of civilizing the Africans and teaching them the ‘correct’ religion, which to them was Christianity. They therefore worked very hard to convince the Africans to abandon their traditional ways and join the new religion. Many Africans were therefore converted to Christianity. The clash in religion therefore presents the main conflict in the story. This conflict is realized in Okonkwo who has just come back to the village after being sent to exile for a period of 7 years for accidentally killing a person. He comes back to his village only to find that the practices and beliefs that were once dear to the community have been abandoned and people have converted to Christianity, which to him is unacceptable. Even his own son has joined Christianity and he (Okonkwo) is left alone to defend his beliefs. The conflict between the foreigners and the natives are further exemplified when Okonkwo and other elders of the clan are summoned to the district commissioner’s office. This happens when some villagers burn down a Christian church because the members of the congregation profaned the god of the clan. The elders decide to go and hear what the district commissioner has to say as that is what their culture demands. They are however, met by public humiliation when they are taken as prisoners and held for some time. This causes public outrage leading to a meeting in which Okonkwo comes to the realization that the people of Umofia have accepted the European’s way of life. Enraged, he kills one of the messengers of the colonialists and eventually commits suicide. Reverend James Smith, one of the missionaries who have settled in the country believes in the use of violence to get the Africans to convert to Christianity. According to him, the quality of those who have converted combined with the zeal they have for the new religion is far more important that their number. He would therefore have fewer converts who are more zealous in their religion. He is known to provoke the members of his congregation and incites them to perform some acts that further bring conflict within the community. He is therefore the stereotype of the colonialist who represents the problems that were brought by the colonialists. He is one of the main obstacles to the achievement of pluralism as he represents rigidity and contempt in his way of thinking. Mr. Brown on the other hand believes in converting people using non-aggressive means. He has built a school and a hospital for the native Africans. He tries to build an understanding between himself and what he teaches and the Africans (Achebe 128). He manages to befriend the clansmen of Umofia and shows a respect for the values held by the Africans in Umofia village. By listening to the African converts and their opinions, Mr. Brown is able to win over a huge number of converts. He is therefore a representation of the possibility of the coexistence of the European way and the African way. He demonstrates that peaceful coexistence is possible if dialogue is sought. He is also an indication that it is possible for different religions to coexist peacefully. He is indeed a representation of the possibility of gaining an understanding between the two religions, which are at conflict. The villagers in Umofia are experiencing a conflict as they are torn between embracing the new way of life and rejecting it. They are unsure of how far they should go in their embrace of the new religion. This is because they realize that there are some potential benefits in the new way of life. They are however also aware that their culture has some positive elements. This shows that there is a potential for a middle ground to be reached, where the positive aspects of the new religion are embraced, and the helpful practices of the African culture are maintained. The recognition that ‘what is good in one place is bad in another place’ (Achebe 51) is the key to the different religions coexisting peacefully with each other. The Christian religion should not be forced upon the Africans. The Africans should also not force the Europeans to understand their culture and way of life. The fact that the two cultures are very diverse should not be used as a reason for either of the cultures or religion to discriminate or look down upon each other. Works cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Oxford: Heinemann, 1996. Print Read More