of the white man and his religion. This view eventu-
ally results in Okonkwo’s separation from the tribe
when he kills a court messenger, thus choosing to act
alone—to act with his definition of heroism, rather
than the clan’s. Yet this act does not result in heroic
triumph, and Okonkwo realizes that his reliance on
strength and manliness has overreached the best of
his intentions. Thus, as he chooses to kill himself,
he dies a death which his clansmen cannot sanctify,
alone and unheralded like his father, and he loses his
potential to be remembered as a hero of Umuofia.
Lindsay Cobb
individual and sOciety in Things Fall Apart
From the initial pages of his novel Things Fall
Apart, Chinua Achebe makes it clear that the main
character, Okonkwo, represents an individual deeply
aligned with his society. Okonkwo’s strength and
presumed heroism within the novel derive from his
ability to fully accept the clan’s culture and follow
faithfully in its traditions. Yet as his society begins to
change with the expansion of colonialism in Africa,
Okonkwo’s relationship with his society begins to
evolve—and eventually fall apart. Achebe’s novel
investigates the complex relationship between an
individual and his or her society; moreover, it reveals
the damaging strains this relationship undergoes
when faced with drastic and inevitable changes.
Part 1 and part 2 of the novel define Okonkwo
as a follower of his clan, Umuofia. Regardless of the
painful actions the traditions of the clan require of
him, he never wavers in his devotion. In spite of
his high regard for Ikemefuna, a young boy sent to
live with his family after a clan dispute, he accepts
Umuofia’s declaration that Ikemefuna—who calls
him father—must die. Later, after he accidentally
murders a member of the clan, Okonkwo dutifully
allows Umuofia to burn his home, and he leaves for
a seven-year exile in his motherland. Nevertheless,
signs of his fierce independence pepper the story.
He does not dispute the clan’s decision to kill Ike-
mefuna, but he goes so far as to kill the boy himself
to show his own strength as a clansman. Here, then,
Okonkwo tries to set himself apart from the clan as
an individual member. His endeavor to prove him-
self as Umuofia’s strongest member shows itself dis-
tinctly in this moment, and it is this endeavor that
contributes to his tragic separation from the clan.
As the violence mounts between the colonists
and Umuofia in part 3, Okonkwo’s frustration with
the clan’s lack of action increases. He does not
understand why Umuofia does not act aggressively
against the changes the colonists wish to impose
on their society. Moreover, he wishes the clan to
remain dedicated to its traditions and not bend
to the potential of change. Thus, he comes to the
novel’s final clan meeting with the goal of convinc-
ing Umuofia to fight back against the colonists. He
declares to his friend Obierika that if the clan does
not fight, he will fight alone—and he does. Yet after
he kills one of the colonists and realizes that the
clan will not follow his actions, Okonkwo forsakes
his society and chooses to commit suicide. Though
he had chosen to act alone, he cannot stand to live
alone—apart from his clan. Umuofia, however, can-
not honor his death because suicide represents an
abomination and a sin against the gods. Thus, not
only does Okonkwo choose to act independently of
his society, his society—his clan—must spurn him
as well. In this moment, Okonkwo represents an
individual deeply disconnected from his society.
Yet Achebe does not conclude the novel with
Okonkwo’s death. In the closing paragraph, the nar-
rator explains that the commissioner of the colonists
plans to write a book entitled The Pacif ication of the
Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger. He first considers
writing a chapter concerning Okonkwo, but then he
determines that a “reasonable” paragraph will suffice
in order to tell Okonkwo’s story, which he witnessed
firsthand. Achebe’s choice to end the novel with this
information further complicates the relationship
between an individual and society in a land beset
with change, because this revelation starkly con-
trasts with Okonkwo’s decision to end his own life.
Thus, the novel—which Achebe devotes primarily
to the story of Okonkwo—may, in the hands of the
colonizers, find itself reduced to one paragraph in the
midst of many. Okonkwo loses his individuality and,
despite his lifelong dedication to strength and thus
fame, becomes a mere paragraph among others in
his evolving society. While the commissioner decides
to group Okonkwo deep within a community of
stories, Okonkwo’s purely individual decisions lead128 Achebe, Chinua