Things Fall Apart Bias Portrayal and British Colonialism

Things Fall Apart, by Achebe Chinua, is a novel in which various acts of tragedy happen throughout. Things Fall Apart includes several brutal acts of violence which plagued Nigeria due to British colonialism. These acts of violence are often due to masculinity issues within the tribe and within the character, “Okonkwo”. Okonkwo is constantly fighting for recognition and status within the Igbo society. Okonkwo’s life is fueled by fear of disappointment and fear of not being portrayed as a “man”. The Igbo society includes acts of violence that are overlooked as well as a plethora of injustices. During this novel, the Igbo people are fighting against the invasion of British colonialism on their land. The ultimate trait that leads the Igbo society to total failure is their emphasis on portraying themselves as, “masculine”. The novel goes on to explain that Christianity was considered an absolute enemy to most Igbo’s, and that they refused to accept it. The demise of the Igbo society was caused by their failure to accept the Christian faith, although some did.

The irony of the refusal to accept Christianity leads to the thought process that this novel was written in a one-sided manner. It portrays the Igbo people as violent, unaccepting, and too traditional to adopt external values and beliefs. In my opinion, this is exactly what someone invading another territory would say about an “indigenous” group of people who will not fall under their rule. This one-sided story reminds me of Adichie’s, “The Danger of a Single Story”.

British colonialism in what was soon to be Nigeria was caused by the intention of taking over territories to build corporate entities to fuel the economy (Maiangwa 1). Companies were tasked to “govern” these territories. This often involved attempting to persuade the residence to adopt their culture and values (Maiangwa 1). When met with resistance, violence was often the solution. The lack of respect for these people, their rights, and their land led to constant violence and uprising. The masculinity portrayed in this novel, in my opinion, was really the pride in these “indigenous” people’s society that wanted to keep their tradition. British colonialism was likely a poison to them in which they rejected to attempt to hold their own values and beliefs.

Sources:

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Alcorn, Marshall.

Chimamanda Ngozi, Adichie. “The Danger of a Single Story.” 2009,

Maiangwa, Benjamin. “How the Colonial Enterprise Hard-Wired Violence into Nigeria’s Governance.” Quartz Africa, 21 Oct. 2020, https://qz.com/africa/1920769/the-british-colonial-enterprise-wired-violence-into-nigeria/.