Things Fall Apart is a novel written by the African author Chinua Achebe. The book is about the tribal life in Nigeria during the colonization period and about the governance period of missionaries in Nigeria. Things Fall Apart describes the conflict between missionaries and the local population with their beliefs and traditions. However, the novella reflects upon several themes such as colonization of Africa, tribal traditions and a society dominated by men. Women have no role at all or a partial role in the fictional society of Igbo. Masculinity is illustrated through different aspects of the novella such as the father-son relation, the clansmen, the protagonist beating his wife and mainly in the character of the protagonist, Okonkwo. He is illustrated as a powerful, wealthy and violent man of authority. Therefore, it is interesting to understand and analyze the protagonist’s character and how he develops throughout the story.
Masculinity as a theme in Things Fall Apart is reflected at the very beginning of the story through the manly ideal that Okonkwo is trying to be. That powerful and violent man of authority in contrast to his father, Unoka. This ideal is even illustrated in the protagonist’s view of his son, thinking of him being “soft”. Oknokwo aims to achieve an ideal image among his tribal fellows and he succeeds in this. He is wealthy, powerful, married to three women who he can punish by beating and sacrificing the boy that he considered as a son to obey the oracle. He is admired for embracing this ideal in the tribe.
“When he walked, his heels hardly touched the ground and he seemed to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce on somebody. And he did pounce on people quite often.” The narrator – p.1
Oknokwo got to leave his community with his family after an accidental shooting. His status was destroyed by others in the community and his previligium was no longer recognized. After returning back from his exile, he came to a changing community governed by whitemen of missionaries. Compliance has become a way to survive while violence is not recognized anymore. He failed to adapt to the new changing society and he killed a messenger with a belief that his tribe was going to war. To some extent, this can be perceived that he was trying to gain his status back. However, everything ends with him committing suicide by hanging himself while the district commissioner reduced Oknokwo’s rebellion and death to interesting one or two paragraphes in a book.
“That was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now he will be buried like a dog.” Obierika – p.178
In this way, the protagonist can be considered as a tragic hero in classic terms. In simpler words, embracing the ideal that he desired and his manliness led him to self-destruction. That is, his heroic status in his manliness was the same matter that led to his tragic and insulting death.
Finally, Things Falling Apart is an interesting novella that reflects upon the theme of manliness and masculinity which is illustrated through the protagonist of the novella, Okonkwo. This masculinity that led him to become a hero among his tribal fellows and at the same time caused his tragic death.