How does the title "Things Fall Apart" reflect events in Achebe's novel?

The title of Chinua Achebe’s debut novel Things Fall Apart perfectly encapsulates the tragic events that surround Okonkwo’s abbreviated life. The title, taken from W.B. Yeats’ “The Second Coming,” embodies how Okonkwo feels about his life. His traditional values are steadily undermined by the pervasive and intrusive Western influence that settles on Umuofia. Throughout the course of the novel, Okonkwo goes from one of the great men of the tribe to a tragic suicide whose body is taboo to his fellow clansmen. It all begins when Okonkwo and his family are forced into exile after he inadvertently kills a young tribesman during a ceremony:

“The only course open to Okonkwo was to flee from the clan. It was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman, and a man who committed it must flee from the land. The crime was of two kinds, male and female. Okonkwo had committed the female, because it had been inadvertent. He could return to the clan after seven years” (124).

With this action, he jeopardizes everything that he has built up to this point in his life. In his time in exile, his beloved Umuofia changes forever. He anticipates his return, but it is ultimately a disappointment:

“Okonkwo's return to his native land was not as memorable as he had wished.... Umuofia did not appear to have taken any special notice of the warrior's return. The clan had undergone such profound change during his exile that it was barely recognizable.... And it was the wrong year too. If Okonkwo had immediately initiated his two sons into the ozu society as he had planned he would have caused a stir. But the initiation rite was performed once in three years in Umuofia, and he had to wait for nearly two years for the next round of ceremonies” (182-3).

This passage reflects many of the events in Okonkwo’s life. Nothing happens at the right time. He is always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everything that he has built is taken away from him, his values lose their relevance in an altered Umuofia, and his oldest son runs away into the Christian faith. These are all points that illustrate how the aspects of Okonkwo’s life do in fact fall apart. This is why the title is so potent and fitting.

How does the structure of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe affect the book?

One of the effects of the structure of the novel is the chaotic nature of the plot itself.  Achebe jumps around in time and place and transitions from using some ethnic words to a pretty sparsely descriptive English.  The longest section, part one, focuses on the lives and traditions of the people of Okonkwo's tribe.  The next two sections get shorter and shorter; however, it is necessary to know the specifics about their original traditions so that the reader can truly appreciate the importance of the tribe eventually turning on their ways and their leader in favor of Catholicism and the white man. Part Two is essentially a time of transition for Okonkwo and the Ibo people:  Okonkwo is banished from his tribe and lands, and rumors of the white man begin the make their way to the Ibo people.  Finally, in part three, the dissolution of Okonkwo's life is complete.  Okonkwo returns but is betrayed by his people in favor of the white man and their ways.  The Ibo tribe is essentially gone forever.  After focusing on the tribe and its traditions so thoroughly in part one, the fall of Okonkwo and his tribe is even more disheartening to the reader. 

What are the key elements in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart?

There are several important elements to keep in mind when approaching Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. First, it should be noted that the novel is among the most important postcolonial texts to come from Nigeria. Nigeria has a rich literary heritage that includes such artists as Chimamanda Adichie and Wole Soyinka, but Achebe is widely considered to be the father of the African novel. Things Fall Apart has been hugely influential to subsequent writers who grapple with postcolonial issues.

Next, this text is notable because it is among the first to give Western readers a glimpse into the culture and traditions of Igbo tribes. Achebe depicts the customs and rituals of the Umuofian tribe with vivid detail. This kind of story stands in stark contrast to the Eurocentric tales found in the Western imagination. Achebe provides three-dimensional portrayals to distinctly Nigerian characters. These are characters that would traditionally be disregarded, marginalized, or else dehumanized in works by Western authors, much like they are in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and other such texts. Achebe presents an authentic Nigerian voice blended with elements of notable Greek tragedies to combat the reductive portrayals found throughout Western literature.

Finally, I find Achebe’s critique of violent masculinity to be a fascinating motif. Okonkwo prides himself on being masculine and eschewing all things that he associates with “femininity” and weakness. However, his rigidity and emphasis on violent manliness ultimately leads to his downfall. Achebe’s evaluation of masculinity is one of the most compelling aspects of the novel.

Achebe’s masterpiece continues to be an influential novel, and the reasons I have provided are just some of the aspects that have lead to the novel remaining an important landmark in the literary canon.