postcolonialism

Post colonialism deals with cultural identity in colonized societies and the ways in which writers articulate that identity.  Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart is a narrative that follows the life of an Igbo tribe at the time when the wave of colonization washed over Africa.  The story tells of a man named Okonkwo who had always dreamed of being well known and respected throughout his village and neighboring villages since he was a child.  He didn’t want to end up a failure like his father and he worked tirelessly until he achieved his goal.  However, he was able to reach his goal at an early age, but his life began to “fall apart” because of the fact that he is terrified of looking weak like his father.  As a result, he behaves hastily, bringing trouble and sorrow upon himself and his family.
“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 had put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”  This quote shows how Okonkwo is doomed to lose the traditions he cherishes as his society slowly falls apart.  He is very reluctant to change because he doesn’t want to change the traditional values and practices of his society.  He does this during a time when the Europeans were trying to colonize them, which ultimately results in the breakdown of this traditional African society. This is from the post colonialism packet, “The conquerors not only dominated the physical land but also the hegemony or ideology of the colonized peoples.” It shows how a society can deal with change and how change affects the individuals of that society.