The Main Aspects of Style in Things Fall Apart

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Title: The Main Aspects of Style in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
Author: HG Furaha///BlogSpot University online-editor-in-chief
Timescape: 2008
Type: Term Paper
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“The beauty of the universe lies in its diversity.” So writes Antonio Ugenti, highlighting a timeless truth with which we, as a group, fully concur. To appreciate Achebe’s style in Things Fall Apart we should first appreciate this truth. The most beautiful thing about life is that it comes in all shapes and sizes. There is so much beauty in diversity! There are no two people who share the same life; and there are no two things that are exactly alike. One cannot even imagine the dullness of a world in which everything is like everything else. Achebe’s style is, therefore, unique. But it does not only stop there. His distinctiveness is drawn from him being original, thought-provoking and real in his writing. In an interview by Jerome Brooks for The Paris Review, Mr. Achebe (1994) said:
I believe in the complexity of the human story, and that there is no way you can tell [a] story in one way and say, ‘this is it.’ Always there will be someone who can tell it differently depending on where they are standing … this is the way I think the world’s stories should be told: from many different perspectives. (pg.1)
He tells the story of Africa from an African perspective, with “Achebean” style. Achebe is the ideal teller of this story. Born in Nigeria during the early periods of colonialism, he spoke Igbo at home, and was taught in English at school. In an autobiographical essay he describes himself as growing up “at the crossroads of culture.” He depicts the Umuofian society as it moves from a thriving African civilization, flourishing in its culture, into a society that falls into the clutches of Westernization as the colonialists come in and conquer it. Umuofia, as the book title suggests, “falls apart.” His style is decorated with proverbs, idioms, Ibo folklore, substories, similes, forebodings, and flashbacks. This great diversity adds up to the value, and the beauty, of his book.
The book Things Fall Apart is the truest form of an African classic. It is a book about Africa, by an African, from an African perspective. It is the work of one of Africa’s greatest minds and industrious individuals, and thus, is the work of Africa itself. It tells Africa’s story in a most sincere and original way by looking at one culture of Africa – one piece of Africa the pot of gold – Umuofia.

The paper that follows is an elaborate description, after identification, of the main aspects of style as utilized by Achebe in his masterpiece Things Fall Apart and an endeavor to ornately explain their importance:

One aspect of style extensively put at task in Things Fall Apart is proverbs. Proverbs are an integral part of Umuofian (and African) culture, and are used comprehensively even in ordinary day-to-day conversation. From the beginning of the book, Achebe implies his comprehensive use of proverbs when he writes “proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten. (pg.1)” This profound statement shows the direct importance of proverbs in Umuofian oral culture, and provides us with prescience on the invaluable place of proverbs in the book. While citing some examples from the book we will henceforth elaborate the importance of proverbs in this book. One importance of proverbs in the book is that they were used as a philosophical pedestal to explain the various Ibo beliefs. For example, “When a man says yes his chi also says yes. (pg. 19)” – this explains the Ibo belief in a personal god and the philosophy that a man succeeded only because of his own diligence and not out of luck; that a man determined his fate by his choices and actions. They also provide further insight into the culture and day-to-day activities of the Ibo in a way that ordinary language cannot truly explain: “A child’s fingers are not scalded by a piece of hot yam which its mother puts into its palm. (pg. 67)” At first sight, this brings to us one major food in Umuofian cuisine – yams. Conversely, judging from its context one sees that it is stated in Okonkwo’s defense after his participation in Ikemefuna’s death. It explains that he cannot be blamed for taking part in what was forced on him as an obligation. The proverbs also offer us insight into the characters’ thoughts and attitudes towards life. Like when Okonkwo says, “Living fire begets cold impotent ash (pg. 151)” as he analyses Nwoye’s conversion to Christianity. This shows us that he had a negative attitude towards his son and toward Christianity; he also goes on and refers to him as “degenerate and effeminate” – augmenting our opinion. They were also used as tools of enculturation and education. Like when the elder says to Okonkwo “Those whose palm-kernels were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble. (pg. 26)” Reminding him of the universal (and Ibo) value of humility even when one succeeds. The richness in, and elusiveness of, meaning that these proverbs have shows us their advanced intellect and their understanding of life. For example … These, together with many others, were the uses and importance of proverbs in the book Things Fall Apart.
Symbolism: Achebe also employs an extensive use of symbolic figures throughout the book. http://www.sparknotes.com/ defines symbols as “objects, characters, figures or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.”(pg.1) Achebe’s style is festooned with various literary, cultural and allegorical symbols. The title itself: Things Fall Apart is symbolic to the breakdown of African traditions with the coming of the white colonialists. In another instance where he describes Amalinze, he writes, “He was called the Cat because his back would never touch the ground.”(pg.1); the symbol “the Cat” was used to depict Amalinze’s state as the grand wrestler whose back never touched the ground. Here Achebe explicitly explains the symbol that he has used. In most other instances, the symbols are concealed – therefore the reader is to comprehend the implied meaning. As when he writes, “Let the Kite perch and let the Eagle perch too.”(pg.14) – this is a prayer that Okonkwo makes to his chi as he was at Nwakibie’s house. Here, the Kite symbolizes him, and the Eagle is symbolic of Nwakibie. Furthermore, portraying the swarming of the locusts he writes “And at last the locusts did descend. They settled on every tree, every blade of grass…and the whole country…” Here, he speaks in highly allegorical terms, using the locusts to prefigure the arrival of the white colonial settlers, and the various damages they caused to the delicate internal balances of the Umuofian ethos.
Similes: these are descriptions that simplify abstract ideas by drawing comparisons with simpler tangible artifacts. Achebe’s use of similes depicts his literary prowess, and his aptitude in abridging and simplifying abstract truths in beautiful figurative ways. Introducing Okonkwo’s fame and eminence he employs this simile: “His fame had grown like a bush-fire in the harmattan.”(pg.3) – the harmattan is a wind typical to the Ibo climate that Achebe was writing from. To explain Amalinze’s agility in wrestling he writes, “[he was] as slippery as a fish in water.”(pg.3). – as seen in the above cases, most of the similes are used to explain actions and behaviors of people. However, the similes are not limited to explaining behavior and actions. Sometimes he uses them to explain natural phenomena. For example, he writes in one instance, “The Earth burned like hot coals.”(pg.17) explaining in figurative terms the scorching heat of the sun that had caused the season to be very dry, and the harvest unfruitful.
Flashbacks: Achebe’s style is also extensively bejeweled with flashbacks. (Stories told from a nostalgic/reflective perspective). We find the first instance of a flashback in the opening chapter of the book, when Achebe tells the story of Okoye’s visit to Unoka demanding payment for the money he had lent Unoka. (pg.4) Additionally, almost the whole of chapter 3 is written in flashback. It begins with a narration of Okonkwo paying a visit to the wealthy Nwakibie to ask him for yams that he may grow on his farm. Unoka’s laziness (Unoka is Okonkwo’s father) had left Okonkwo without any inheritance – no yams, and even no substantial piece of land for him to plant them on – that is why he had to request yams from Nwakibie. This story is told in reminisce at a time when Okonkwo is already a wealthy Umuofian leader with three wives. (ch.3). It also narrates Unoka’s visit to Agbala. (pg. 12-13). Achebe used flashbacks especially to establish an understanding of the story’s movement. Without the flashbacks, important details of the story could have been left out to the reader’s misunderstanding, or even have caused failure to understand some parts of the story. He skillfully uses them to glue the story together while explaining details imperative to comprehension of the story.
Language and Choice of Words: Achebe deftly chooses his words to fit the tone of the particular part of the story, the theme he is expounding on at the time, the ideas he is aggregately explaining at that moment in the story, in a manner that ultimately adds up to the message he is conveying. One stylistic use of language that is characteristic of him throughout the book is the use of his native Ibo language betwixt English. To accentuate the difference, he italicizes the Ibo word e.g.: “They called him the little bird nza who so far forgot himself after a heavy meal that he challenged his chi.”(pg. 22) While simultaneously enhancing his style, his demonstrating of imaginative, often formal Ibo language showed the complexity of the language for direct translation into English. The aspect of language, and his distinctive choice of words, is an aspect of his style that shouldn’t be ignored because it is actually the most alive part of his style – visible on every page, every chapter, - throughout the book.
Forebodings: Achebe also uses forewarnings in his writing – in a subtle manner giving the reader glimpses of that bound to happen through events that seem to ingeniously lead the active reader into discerning that which is about to ensue. In Chapter 14, for example, we see Okonkwo being exiled to Mbanta – at first sight it seems that it is a personal disaster – yet it signified the beginning of the tribe’s “falling apart”; the exile removed Okonkwo, a strong endorser and practitioner of Umuofian culture, at a crucial time from his tribe. He returns to a changed world, its internal cultural equilibrium very disturbed, that he can no longer adapt to, or substantially change. This event of exiling Okonkwo foreshadowed the falling apart of the whole tribe. Another instance of foreshadowing is the case of Ikemefuna – it is important to note how Achebe foreshadows the lad’s death even as he introduces him. From the first mention of Ikemefuna, the boy given “as compensation” (pg.8) for the killing of a woman at Mbaino, he incites in the reader a certain sense of gloom and bleakness haunting the boy – which climaxes as Okonkwo lifts up the axe and kills him (ch.2). The recurrence of the phrase “falling apart” in the last chapter also foreshadowed the story’s tragic ending – the tribe’s culture, customs, traditions, values, and even worldview had been greatly altered and destroyed – great leaders are detained – Okonkwo commits suicide – and tragic things are rampant as prefigured by the recurring phrase “falling apart.”
Other aspects of style that festoon Achebe’s Things Fall Apart are imagery – he extensively uses Animal imagery like the toad (pg.15), a kite and eagle (pg. 14), nza, the tortoise, the sacred python, and locusts – all of these animals were used as allegorical descriptions of certain abstract ideas he was conveying. Folklore: he extensively uses folk tales (like the story of the tortoise and its shell), Ibo idiomatic lexis, proverbs, and artistic expressions. Motifs: these are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that help highlight, develop and inform one of the text’s major themes. The inveterate mentioning of Chi – which is the Ibo concept of a personal god helped accentuate and develop the theme of religion and how original Umuofian beliefs were shattered by the advent of Christianity. Substories (story within a story): the whole text of Things Fall Apart is made up of various fragments and subparts that aggregately bring out a story – he glues the whole story by weaving different little stories together. All in all, from the perspective of style, Achebe has proficiently succeeded in creating a true African masterpiece and a universal epitome of the African novel.

The world is like a painting. Every color, every hue, every shade, every level of saturation – every huge or tiny difference – adds to its beauty. Imagine a painting with only one color – dull, unattractive, and unenjoyable. In the same way, Achebe’s style adds to the beauty of the world of literature. His distinctive and original perspective on life, his story-telling techniques, his choice of language, his vast range of literary devices, and, holistically, his engaging of the audience (i.e. his readers) – the truly African way introduced a new outlook and perception of life into the literary world. Moreover, his idiosyncratic style enhances the reading of the book, augments the process of comprehension, and, generally, causes the reader to look at life in new eyes. He allows the reader to experiment on new outlooks, subtly asks thought-provoking questions throughout the moving story, and explores the simple yet profound realities of life – like good, evil, satisfaction, culture, struggle, tragedy, non-conformity, manhood, success humankind’s universal desire (and quest) for God, and many other truths – in a manner that, indirectly, asks more questions than it gives answers. It engages the reader into a quest for knowledge, and truth. One thing one sees in his approach is that it utilizes a truly African approach. Throughout the story Achebe maintains his authenticity as African. In another interview, Mr. Achebe comments on the importance of African stories being told from an African perspective by the following proverb: “until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” He unmasks the realities of Umuofian culture (which is almost prototypical of African culture) by revealing the routine day-to-day life of the tribesmen in a large variety of its aspects: for example, he speaks of Umuofia’s cuisine when he mentions how they ate locusts, actually as a delicacy, “And then appeared on the horizon a slowly-moving mass like a boundless sheet of black cloud drifting towards Umuofia. Soon it covered half the sky, and the solid mass was now broken by tiny eyes of light like shining star dust. It was a tremendous sight, full of power and beauty.”(pg. 56) The villagers then went, during the night, and “harvested” these rarely appearing insects, dried them in the sun and then ate them “with solid palm-oil.” (pg. 56)
This is also true of when he shows the value the Umuofians give their mother by writing: “Can you tell me, Okonkwo, why it is that one of the commonest names we give to our children is Nneka, or ‘Mother is Supreme’? We all know that a man is the head of the family and his wives do his bidding. A child belongs to its father and his family and not to its mother and her family. A man belongs to his fatherland and not to his motherland. And yet we say Nneka – ‘Mother is Supreme.’ Why is that?”(pg. 94)
His impact on the literary world, and even the day-to-day life of “ordinary” people, can be seen in the various comments by literary critics. In one essay, the critic writes:
Achebe did a good job of making the readers feel a part of the Ibo culture before the whites arrived…After widening our perspective, we, like the Africans themselves, view Europeans as strange and possibly threatening invaders. We experience colonialism, therefore, from the perspective of a colonized people.
The truth that it is not only in one way that Achebe’s originality and style have contributed to shaping perspectives of individuals all around the world is notice d again in the following critic’s remark. Observing Achebe’s contribution to the world at large, he marks:
[I have] learned that the African Tribes were not as mindless and barbaric as I…thought. Achebe…showed the changes that people are capable of when they are exposed to new ways…that finding out what’s best for you through experience is more important…He shows us that life is about driving across country as opposed to flying and interacting with other places, and then being able to talk about it. It’s sharing ideas or simply taking time to talk to the person you never talked to because they seemed different or did something that you never understood. Ask them why they do it. Take the difficult road. Risk the security of the set everyday routine that we all have, and get out there in someone else’s shoes. Then like, Nwoye, things will turn out for the best.
Yet another profound statement on the impact of Achebe’s style is visible in the observation, “As readers seeing [original African traditional day-to-day] life, we accept [it] and understand the beauty that we would have never known otherwise.” He is one of the few African writers who have truly exposed Africa to the world, and allowed people from outside Africa to have a truly African experience through reading. Intellectuals and writers like Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Shaaban Robert, Julius Nyerere, Wole Soyinka, Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Thandika Mkandawire, among other Africans have also made substantial contributions in portraying Africa the African way yet the contribution made by Things Fall Apart is of a special kind. The Sunday Times cites him as one of the “1,000 Makers of the Twentieth Century” for “defining ‘a modern African literature that was truly African’ and thereby making a major contribution to world literature”