Introduction
The world collapses, or if you prefer "Things Fall Apart" its English title, which is a translation, has this year 2008, fifty years. And the project, the aim of its author has always been preserved in his writings an African culture alive. Fear that future generations will lose that is very justified, as the title is there emphasis on the possibility that African culture, at least the important part is lost. The study of this novel becomes an awareness of the wealth that we are losing. To better understand the book, it is necessary to revisit the life of Achebe, who in many ways, his mark on his work. We then summarize the history of the novel before studying characters and themes.
I. Biographical
Chinualumogu Albert Achebe was born November 16, 1930 at Ogidi, eastern Nigeria, Ibo parents. It is the fifth of six children of his parents, Isaiah and Janet Achebe Okafo who are devout Christians. The young Achebe began his studies at the mission school while having the opportunity to live a "traditional village life" in an environment still untouched by colonization. It is influenced by two cultures, traditional Ibo culture and English culture.
good student, nicknamed "dictionary" for his knowledge English, Achebe was awarded a scholarship and then continued his studies at Governement College Umuahia (a city that often appear in his novels) from 1944 to 1947, and the University of Ibadan from 1948 to 1953 year he obtained his BA (equivalent to a master in the French system). Before joining the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), Achebe makes several trips to Africa and the United States and worked briefly as a teacher. He completed training at the BBC, and began working at NBC in 1954. In 1958, he wrote his first novel, "Things Fall Apart" (Things Fall Apart) in response to what he considered an inaccurate description of the lives of Africans by Europeans.
II. Bibliography
During his schooling and university, Achebe loved English literature, but also realized that some of these books portrayed Africans with racism. Achebe wanted to write a novel describing Africans as they knew them.
The novel will be a great success and is today one of the most famous, if not the most famous novel written in English by an African. The story focuses on Okonkwo, traditional wrestling, man ambitious, whose life is disrupted by changing the traditional structures of village life through contacts with Europeans. Achebe tells the consequences of colonization on the life of an African village, from the perspective of an African and described, without idealizing (some traditions could be cruel), a world that was sufficient in itself and has began to crumble with the advent of colonization.
He gets the "Margaret Wong Memorial Prize in 1959, the first in a long series of literary awards. In 1960, he published his second novel, The malaise (No longer at ease), which is subsequently his first novel. Obi Okonkwo, grand-son of the main character of Things Fall Apart (Things Fall Apart) (1958) returned to Nigeria in the 50s with a degree from an English university. He has big expectations for his future work, his salary and the prestige attached to his future social situation, but nothing goes as planned in an environment he can not control.
action of his third novel, Arrow of God (Arrow of God) (1964) lies in the years 1910-1920 in the middle colonial period. The main character is a priest, Ezuele, which won a series of important psychological victories against representative the British colonial power in the region. However, Ezuele knows defeat and madness is ultimately unable to solve the problems posed by the advent of colonization.
The book has some similarities with the world collapses insofar Ezuele, the leading intellectual and religious Okonkwo, the warrior-athlete fall, victims of the colonial power which undermines the political and religious traditions of the Ibo. Achebe wrote other novels such as A Man of the People (1967) or Anthills of the Savannah (1987). He also wrote many essays as well as works of poetry Soul Brother in 1971, Christmas in Biafra in 1973 or news.
III. Summary of the novel
Banished from his village after a series of often violent adventures, Okonkwo returns some years later and finds that everything has changed: the civil administrators and missionaries have become the masters and men of the village does not seem willing to follow him in his revolt against the colonial power.
Okonkwo prefer death to submission. This novel belongs to a novel series (The Malaise, The Arrow of God) whose action is set in a village. They depict characters from the same family and often face conflict situations arising between representatives and supporters of the tradition of modernism.
Achebe focuses on the description of an Africa whose harmony - nonetheless made without Manichaeism with its violence and injustice - has suffered the trauma of the shocking and brutal colonial settlement. Later, the denunciation of abuses and the criticism of the policies appear in the work of the novelist (The demagogue) as well as the Biafran war will be present in his story collection Girls at War. Using English, Achebe was able to give her a blast writing language African, mainly from its mother tongue, Igbo. In this, it is a precursor of an original African literary expression that has undoubtedly contributed to the success of his books distributed to several million copies worldwide.
IV. Characters
Okonkwo: He is the hero of the novel. It is not a man of reflection, but action. His reputation rests on solid personal achievements. He reported honor and glory to his village in slaying Amalinze, chat during the great battle that takes place in human memory. He was the victim of a crime .... And thus, he was exiled for 7 years in his mother country. The latter opposed the penetration Foreign much as it clung to its culture. So he would accept no domination of the West. Back at home, he committed suicide to avoid being humiliated by the White
unokai: The father of Okonkwo. It was a very lazy and had neither wife nor title. Because of his laziness, he was ashamed of his son. Unokai was deeply in debt and does not pay its debts. When a little money fell into his hands, he immediately spent partying. He left nothing to his son when he died, and was not buried because of his illness swelling. His people did not bury a swollen because they say it is an abomination to the earth. So unokai was thrown into the forest.
Nwoye: the son of Okonkwo. He hated the Ibo culture and traditions. He went so far as to convert to the new religion, Christianity.
Ikemufuna: It's a boy that was sacrificed to the clan to avoid war and bloodshed between the two villages. One day a group of men came home and talked softly a discussion with his father and they took him away from his family. Three years later, the same situation occurs again, but this time, is a journey of no return as was to be killed.
Obeirika: The hero's best friend, with whom he shared his moments of happiness and misfortune. When Okonkwo was exiled, it sold him his yams and brought him money. It also put him aware of everything that was happening in the village. The latter is less aggressive and less violent than his friend Okonkwo, but one of his most faithful friends.
Ekwefi: It is the second wife of Okonkwo. She loved the wrestling when she was younger (at that time was called the beauty of the village) is the reason why Okonkwo had won her heart in slaying Amalinze. But unfortunately for her, Okonkwo could not marry him because he was too poor to pay her dowry. However, a few years later, she fled from her husband to join Okonkwo. This was the origin of his suffering throughout his life. She will give birth several times (9) Ogbanje a (child who died after birth). Such was the punishment of a woman who commits a sin. Fortunately for her, her 10th child survived through man qu'Okonkwo doctor had committed and who managed to dig up the polished stone of the girl.
Ezinma: It's the single girl Ekwefi of the only surviving of 10 children. At 6 years ago, his mother had hopes that she came to stay, because others died before reaching one year. But Ezinma was different from others, and as an only child, she was the heart of his mother, who devoted a year love boundaries. It had all the favors that other children did not. She was a very brave girl and listened carefully to the advice of his beloved father. Thus it had he wished it was a boy and save the honor of the clan.
Mr. Brown: This is the only white missionary who showed farm where his flock was to prevent the wrath of the clan. He built a school and a hospital to conduct its conquest passively. He entered the house to inquire about the realities of the clan. Following an illness he returned to Europe.
Mr. Smith: Mr. Brown's replacement. It is as hard as the hero Okonkwo.
V. Themes
1. Ibo civilization: It is a purely African civilization because they greatly respect their customs and regulations.
Their way is very strange because they do not accept the birth of twins he considers as an abomination. They are thrown into the forest of evil spirits they called cursed forest. They did not accept either the lepers and the albino, believing that they were not human beings. They were not buried but thrown together. Their customs do not accept the argument between members of the same clan, this act appears to them as a great humiliation. Among the Ibo when someone killed a man, even unintentionally, it exiled for 7 years. And if that was frank blood, was sentenced to death. If the crime is committed by a stranger, the village of the latter gave a virgin and boy in compensation to avoid war between the clans.
2. White civilization: Whites disrupted the traditional life of the Ibos in their new culture. Some went so far as to sabotage the customs of the country of the blacks. The arrival of their faith also sowed discord in families.
Conclusion
In Achebe's novel, there is a deliberate realism. In fact the author wanted to show African society in its authentic values without the mask of modesty that characterizes its people. And if it is outside of such a society, we criminals would find some even barbaric acts. Yet it is not under the system of Chinua Achebe in Things Fall Apart. The importance of the Cursed Forest shows that the beliefs of these people were serious, true and full of mystical and meaningful values. What has been particularly admired in this novel is the rage of the hero who, for the honor, will himself whatever might cost him, especially when it came to oppose the religion of the colonial power. However the wave of converts announces the victory of the church, especially when it is young people who join it.
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