Alas, how long has it being? It has being exactly 10 days since I last wrote anything about a book. My last book review was a letter to a bigot by Myriam Gurba. The book was quite electrifying. I havent stopped reading after then, of course not. Currently I am reading over ten books, but actively reading around five of them, top of that list include Dune by Frank Harbert which @Machiatta suggested to me, and I must confess that book has had my head spinning. I am also reading, The blue Girl by Laurie foos. It was a book review I saw of it by @kaperdiem that aroused my interest. Yes, I have being lurking around reading reviews,sometimes commenting,but I think I would be a little more active and contribute more through posting and commenting, but I have to be honest with you, writing a good book review isn't quite as easy as it seems, but that's a story for another day.
I stated one time that I would love to get into more books by indigenous Nigerian authors. Luckily, thanks to a hive angel I have got Scribd which is everything I could ever need. I am a part of various book clubs on WhatsApp where we recommend books per week, and then discuss them on a zoom meeting. This book was recommended a few weeks ago,but I can be a sluggard sometimes. I only just finished it two weeks ago, as I started enjoying it. Chinua Achebe (the author) is a renowned writer and story teller. He is arguably one of the greatest writers in Africa, and this book also the one of the best in Africa literature. Things fall apart happens to be his first work. The book is also included in the Encyclopedia Britannica's list of "12 Novels Considered the 'Greatest Book Ever Written". This book was one we that I have always, or should I say, ought to have read long time ago. When I was in secondary school (high school), I loved literature-in-English. It was my favorite subject. I enjoyed the poems, books, analysis, literary devices, etc. I loved the figure of speech, and I use them a lot in my everyday life. Enough rambling, lets get right to it.
Okonkwo, who happens to be the protagonist of the novel, is a reputable warrior amongst his men. He was revered as is respected both far and wide. But when he accidentally kills a clansman and was sent on exile his world started to fall apart. After years of being away, when he finally returned the whole village seemed to have lost its way in his eyes. Missionaries and colonial governors had arrived in his village and established themselves. Okonkwo's son, against his fathers wish, got involved with the missionaries faith. Alas, Okonkwo is faced with an overwhelming dilemma upon his return
SETTING
The story was set in precolonial Nigeria, during the 1980s; in southeastern part of Nigeria.
MAIN CHARACTER(S)
The main characters are, Okonkwo who is the protagonist of the story, a tragic hero of sort. Ikemefuna was a fifteen year old boy from the neighboring village, given to Umuofia (Okonkwo's village) as atonement sacrifice for the killing of one of the women of Umuofia. He lived with Okonkwo's family. Nwoye is Okonkwo's Eldest son who he sees as a weakling and unfit to be his successor and follow in his ways. Ezinma is Okonkwo's eldest daughter, who he adores and wishes she was a boy.
PURPOSE
A story of immense message and underlining dangers of a toxic masculinity. With different lessons bestowed in this work, there is definitely a lot to pick out.
Delightful, riveting, eerie. Just a few words in describing this masterpiece, yet justice is not done. The author was able to tell a story that makes for a page turner. Impressive character development, entertaining plot twist, an all round brilliance from Chinua Achebe. I am an Igbo man, like Okonkwo, so I can relate to a large extent with the storyline. Now this doesn't mean it isn't generally acceptable and an enjoyable piece. On the contrary, it is like an eye into the culture and ways of the eastern Nigerian people in precolonial times. A captivating read, yet insightfully profound. One thing that made this novel stood out from its contemporary is its ability to retain its originality while still treating different popular issues and topics in its themes.
THEMES
Tradition vs Change - The people of Umuofia were faced with either retaining their traditional beliefs and way Of life as opposed to the new ways of the "white people".
The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.
Fate and Free will - A deep life question that one ponders. Different characters particularly Okonkwo was faced with instances where they had to decide to do the right thing or allow fate take its course. A good example was the killing of Ikemefuna.
Masculinity - An obvious subject in the book. Okonkwo's case can be said to be one of toxic masculinity. He was a man who believed and lived by the traditional ways even to the his detriment and that of his family.
Religion - Has always being a controversial topic. One should be allowed to choose his "religion".
Thank you for reading. I try not to give spoilers, :). Everything said herein are actually my own opinion. If there is anything I might have missed of misinterpreted or quoted wrongly even, please point me towards it in the comment down below.
Book Review - Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe | Ecency
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