Things Fall Apart is a novel by Chinua Achebe and is about an African man called Okonkwo. Okonkwo is the leader of an Igbo community, and the book revolves around his life as he encounters problems within his community as well as outside problems such as the emergence of missionaries. This book takes place in the late 1800s and focuses on problems with Africa during this time period, such as the intrusion of white missionaries and colonizers.
I love this book because it is exactly what a tragic story in literature should be. The main protagonist, Okonkwo, has desirable traits and is respected in his society, but the traits that make him up also end up destroying him by the end of the book. This idea has been done before, but it’s the way Achebe shows the self-destruction of this character that should be appreciated. Achebe’s use of Igbo proverbs and world building should also be credited because the reader truly feels like they are a natural part of this Igbo environment. Things Fall Apart is an angry yet introspective novel that has many lessons to teach its readersl