Situating Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart’’: Things Fall Apart vs. Colonial Discourse
Dr. Mohammed Ahmad Ameen Al-shamiri
Abstract
Colonial discourse is a concept that refers to the communication or knowledge that is based on orreveals the relationships between a colonial or imperial power and the colonized communities. It has been a subject of interest and criticism for many writers, especially those from the colonized regions, who challenge the perspective and authority of the colonizers. But, any basic review of Chinua Achebe’s work will turn up profound and serious examples of anti-colonial discourses that are effective in asking questions about the challenges and questionable morality of colonialism.He saw that it was a selfish resource-grabbing exercise rather than one arising out of any altruistic or noble intentions. His ire was often against those western writers who perpetuated the idea that the colonizers were motivated by some noble objective. His adept use of images along with the traditional Igbo proverbs build a bridge over the chasm created by the Europeans. The current study is an ardent effort towards understanding the seminal basis of Achebe’s writing which asserts that European discourses were obvious colonial tools of hegemony designed to numb the African mind and channelize its sympathy and support for the alien system in the light of “Things Fall Apart”- his first novel and magnum opus that occupies a pivotal place in African literature and remains the most widely studied, translated, and read African novel.It also brings into light how Chinua Achebe’s writing in a genre totally alien to the African mode of representation proves to be faithfully matching the subtleties of the African culture, history and so on. To subvert the very unflattering picture of a non-thinking, irrational and exotic African, Achebe sets his character very ordinary. Achebe establishes a village social structure and its system of exchange and believes signifying the sensitivity of the Igbo culture to the passage of time. Achebe brings in ambivalence to expound on the complexity of a ‘black and white’ understanding of an African. Duality towards women is skillfully presented in the novel. Finally, the study asserts the point of view of Achebe- placing the society in its history and time frame and presenting it as a living, flexible and logical system capable of thinking and acting for itself.
Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/ijll.v11n1a7
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