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   egraham17 Teacher
   

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   Achebe uses a third-person omniscient narrator in this novel. We are privy to each character's private thoughts and emotions, but not limited to one character's point of view. There is also very little dialogue, which gives the impression of oral story-telling. The importance of oral story-telling is evident throughout the book, as the Ibo people honor and uphold the tradition. Although there is no dominant point of view, the narration shifts between characters throughout. So, even though we begin with Okonkwo, we also see the world through the thoughts of Ikemefuna, Nwoye, even the District Commissioner in the last paragraph. This shifting viewpoint allows the reader to consider all sides of the conflicts, & reach his/her own conclusions about their outcomes.

   Even though the third-person narrator maintains an objective point of view, the interjection of vivd imagery/figurative language and Ibo vocabulary suggests an underlying purpose. Achebe has stated publicly that one of his goals in writing this novel was to combat the stereotype of Africa as the "dark continent." Thus, he presents his novel in the form of a tradition oral story, highlighting the richness of Ibo culture, and the dangers of immutability.

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   Posted by egraham17 on Friday October 16, 2009 at 4:35 PM