Chinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart - 1041 Words

In order to be capable of understanding a novel from another country, it is imperative for one to understand the culture of this other world. The culture of Nigeria is vastly different from the Western society in which we live in. In Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, culture is immediately introduced in the most fundamental of manners. While the English reader explores the culture of Nigeria in the first several chapters it is evident that their culture is a major literary element for developing the characters and settings of the novel. Achebe uses the element of culture in order to explain his culture foremost and then that the Nigerians are maybe not so different from the Western World after all. Achebe writes to display that the†¦show more content†¦Their wrestling match was not easy however because Achebe uses imagery to expose that â€Å"every nerve and every muscle stood out on their arms, on their backs and their thighs, and one almost heard them stret ching to the breaking point† (3). The strain that appears in their fight is used to strengthen the image of Okonkwo’s already strong physical appearance. Amanlize who Okonkwo â€Å"threw† in the fight was â€Å"one the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights† (3). This is comparable to the creation story in the Bible. God created the universe in seven days and seven nights just as the founder of Okonkwo’s village fought with a nature spirit. This is an example how Achebe conveys his theme through the cultural elements because it shows a similarity between the culture of Nigeria and the culture of the Western World. In continuation of the construction of Okonkwo, he is the epitome of the culture’s idea of success in sharp contrast to his father, Unoka. Unoka plays a paramount role in the novel by juxtaposing Okonkwo’s character completely. He is â€Å"a loafer† and â€Å"poor and his wife and children rarely had enough to eat† (5). In addition he â€Å"piled up his debts† (5), and when he died he â€Å"had no title at all† (8) and did not give his son a â€Å"barn to inherit† (16). The exhibition of these characteristics of Unoka represents