In Things Fall Apart, were the Igbo people civilized?

Chinua Achebe wrote his classic novel Things Fall Apart in response to Joseph Conrad's popular novella Heart of Darkness, which portrayed Africans as uncivilized savages and ignorant, dangerous cannibals.

Throughout Things Fall Apart, Achebe challenges prejudiced European beliefs regarding Igbo civilization and society by depicting a rich, organized culture with traditions, rituals, and ceremonies. He illustrates traditional Igbo culture by vividly describing The Feast of the New Yam, the Week of Peace, and numerous other ceremonies, and he elaborates on the complex religious views of the Umuofia villagers. The Igbo have a polytheistic, patriarchal society which honors their ancestors and bestows titles to successful men. They are also deeply religious and obey the commands of the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves.

In Umuofia, village ancestors are revered, and the egwugwu represent the spirits of the nine villages. The egwugwu are also judges and preside over disputes. Achebe continues to demonstrate the civility of Igbo culture by portraying its judicial system as fair, balanced, and practical. He also illustrates meaningful common rituals like the breaking of the kola nut to begin important meetings and the offering of palm-wine to guests.

Achebe elaborates on the complex marriage customs, which involves a bride-price, a Uri ceremony, and an isa-ifi ceremony. Characters like Obierika are also portrayed as intelligent, rational, and tolerant, which undermines prejudiced views regarding Africans. Overall, Achebe challenges the belief that Africans are uncivilized savages by depicting a rich, civil society, which significantly differs from the culture of western Europe.

In Things Fall Apart, were the Igbo people civilized?

Definitions of “civilized” can vary according to individual perceptions of alien cultures, but one would be hard-pressed to conclude that the Ibo, as described in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, were not “civilized.”  On the contrary, while the indigenous tribes of Nigeria, the setting for Achebe’s story, are not depicted driving Buicks and engaging in rituals and celebrations familiar to Western cultures, the Ibo clearly represent an organized society with commonly-accepted customs and a hierarchical structure that placed certain among them in leadership positions (“We have men of high title and chief priests and the elders,” the Ibo explain to Western missionaries inquiring as to the identity of their king and being and informing these foreign visitors that no such exalted position existed).  The Ibo of Things Fall Apart are very much civilized in the sense that they accept limitations on individual conduct for the good of the tribe, and respect those of superior achievement and character.  One quote from the book that suggests a people far too admirable of character to be considered anything other than civilized occurs in Chapter One, as Achebe’s narrator describes a crucial distinction between two characters, Okoye and Unoka, he notes that, while both were musicians, Okoye was not a failure who left a trail of debts everywhere he went.  When Okoye visits Unoka in an attempt at convincing Unoka to repay his debt to him, Achebe describes the scene as follows:

“Having spoken plainly so far, Okoye said the next half-dozen sentences in proverbs.  Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.”

Achebe means to convey the sense that these are a people every bit of civilized as the whites who come to convert them and occupy their land.  In Chapter Sixteen, the narrator, describing an encounter with a European, observes that the “[t]he white man was also their brother because they were all sons of God.”  In conclusion, the Ibo, as depicted in Things Fall Apart, are indeed civilized.

What impact does the arrival of white men have on the social life of the Igbo people in Things Fall Apart?

Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart describes the political, social, and religious equilibrium of the Igbo people before the arrival of the British. Achebe uses Okonkwo, the protagonist of the novel, as a case study in the catastrophic impact European colonialism had on the Igbo social order.

In the opening chapters of the novel, Okonkwo is a well-respected leader and a man of strength. He fits the mold of the ideal Igbo man, even with his flaws, having an explosive temper and pride. He is a renowned wrestler and prosperous farmer. He has three wives, has several children, and is a member of the egwugu. Okonkwo follows the religious rules of the priestess, regularly sacrifices to Igbo gods, and adheres to the social norms of Igbo culture.

When Okonkwo is banished from Umuofia for seven years for the “female crime” of accidentally killing a boy with his gun, he loses his status, property, and farmland. Okonkwo’s banishment enables Achebe to demonstrate just how dramatically the European arrival in Umuofia changed the social life of the Igbo.

The single most important impact of the European arrival is the mass-conversion of many Igbo to Christianity. When the colonizing missionaries and civil servants first arrive in Umuofia, they find functioning social and moral systems. By attracting the socially disenfranchised Igbo to the white men’s religion, the Christian missionaries drive an unprecedented wedge into the community, effectively splitting the tribe in two.

Many new converts actively challenge the old social order, which erupts in a conflict between the groups. This is best exemplified by the zealous convert Enoch, who kills a sacred python and intentionally unmasks an egwugu. This attack on traditional Igbo values and religious beliefs is possible because the missionaries and, by extension, the new converts, have the political and military backing of the British.

Finally, the political order is upended by the arrival of the British and drastically affects the functioning of traditional Igbo punishments and social decisions. The trials and courts used by the British to mete out punishment to criminals are foreign to the Igbo. When Okonkwo committed his crime, the elders of Umuofia gathered and determined the appropriate punishment. Just a few years later, the British had established their court in Umuofia, erasing the traditional power of the elders. This transfer of authority from local elders to a centralized authority elsewhere in the country had a dramatic negative impact on the Igbo social order.

What impact does the arrival of white men have on the social life of the Igbo people in Things Fall Apart?

Sobi -

First, I want to let you know that I edited your question just for clarity.  If I did not understand you correctly, please post again!

Second, the answer to your question.

Go back to part three of the novel, when Okonkwo returns to Umuofia after his exile and experiences the (to him) shocking changes that the white men and their Christianity have brought to his village.  The egwugwu unmasking, the acceptance of the outcasts, the new religion, all of these things affected the people and traditions that he held dear.  

Look at Okonkwo's reactions and the other effects of those events - and to other similar events - and you will have your answer.

Finally, as an example, consider this quote from the eNotes Things Fall Apart historical context page:  

"When the mission and its converts accepted even the outcasts of the clan, the missionaries' ranks grew. Eventually, some of the more important tribesmen would convert. As the mission expanded, the clan divided, discontent simmered, and conflicts arose."

How are the Ibo people more civilized than the arriving white people in Things Fall Apart?

Most reader of Things Fall Apart would agree that the Ibo people are more civilized that the white missionaries who arrive in their village. Throughout the whole novel, Achebe shows the Ibo people to be rooted in tradition and respectful of honor and order. This is shown through the Week of Peace, New Yam Festival and even in their reverence of the egwugwu. They respect each other and the gods they worship. This tradition is at the root of who they are as a people and a culture. When the white missionaries arrive, they show absolutely no respect for the tradition the Ibo people have created. They systematically dismantle their society and label them as savages. This is why many readers would say that the Ibo are more civilized than the white missionaries.