Things Fall Apart response

“Things Fall Apart,” gave insight to the way of life for those who lived in Nigeria. Their culture and religion are tied together closely. The main character Okonkwo, was a firm believer in his culture and yet broke the rules and displeased the Gods quite often.

Toward the end of the book, white men came to the village and tried to change the ways of the natives. For me, it is easy to believe what the white men have to say because I have grown up believing in one God. To the natives, the thought of one God was crazy, they had spent their whole lives trying to please and be obedient to the many Gods they believed. It was their answer to having successful harvests, going to heaven or having healthy children. The white men who tried to save the natives, were causing the village to fall apart.

In my life I know that I should be respectful of other cultures. We see from the book that those who walk into a setting where the culture is different should not try to change it (at least not quickly!)  Okonkwo, who was the biggest hater of them all, disliked the white men and what they were doing to his people. They were brainwashing his people. Okonkwo had a burning hatred and wanted nothing more than for the church to leave. This is interesting to me because Okonkwo had grown up with such bad luck from the gods. He had been dealt with a lazy father, he had a rough start with his yam crop, he accidentally killed a person from his tribe when his gun exploded and had to be exiled for seven years! He also killed a boy who was just like a son to him, for fear that his people would see him as weak. This culture was so deeply rooted in Okonkwo and the other natives.

In the end of the story, we are sad to hear that the blind hatred of Okonkwo caused him to make some rash decisions that led to him taking his own life.  Even though Okonkwo was a respected man, he could not be buried and blessed by his people due to their culture.

“Things Fall Apart” was a great story that illustrates how life is for other people of different cultures. I love to hear about others way of life and how they compare to my own. This story has not influenced me to live by a different culture but has taught me to respect people of other cultures.