Effect of Colonialism in Thindgs Fall Apart Review

[ Effect of Colonialism as Depicted inThings Fall Apart]Hegemony, Ideological and Repressive State Apparatus played a great role for the European Whites in capture and exploitation of the Africa, Americas and India. Chinua Achebe, in his ‘Things Fall Apart’ reveals the mysteries behind the fall of the Dark continent- Africa and its Ibo people at the hands and clever ploy of the Whites. He tells us a sad story of a destruction of a great tradition.

2014State University of Bangladesh

TOUFIQ-UL-ALAMPG07-20-14-006.Assignment: South Asian, African and Caribbean Literature.M.A. English Final.Dept. of English.

Effect of Colonialism as Depicted in Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart of Chinua Achebe has a seemingly linear story line. But in fact its story has

many layers of complexities regarding cultural belief, human relations and colonialism.

Although some of the episodes of the novel seem to be singular and non-connecting, they

eventually contribute greatly to the conclusion that the novel wants to achieve: a vivid depiction

of the 'civility' of the so called 'Whites' who came to the Dark Continent under the command of a

'Great Queen' and left broken culture, faith, families, societies and nations in their wake.

In fact, Colonization, although coined in a very humble manner in the modern English

dictionaries, never was-is-will be innocent. In the modern lexicons colonization refers to the

settlers who go to some place and establish a place and try and contribute to the land. But this is

never the case. The definitions very much tactfully leave the details of the effect of those settlers'

being on those lands; and it is just as the concluding sentences of Things Fall Apart tell us:

Every day brought him some new material. The story of this man who had killed a messenger and

hanged himself would make interesting reading. One could almost write a whole chapter on him.

Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph, at any rate. There was so much else to

include and one must be firm in cutting out details. He had already chosen the title of the book,

after much thought: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger. (Achebe 147-

148)

These are the thoughts of one such 'Civil' 'White' who is working under the command of a 'Great

Queen'- the Commissioner. In this novel he is the representative of many such White settlers

who land on an estranged and a strange continent and simply build colonies (!) there. Like this

Commissioner they essentially leave out many important details which never reach beyond the

Name: Toufiq Ul Alam; ID:PG07-20-14-006; Program: M.A English Final. Course: South Asian, African and Caribbean Literature.Course Code: Eng-3534; Inshtructor: Golam Gaus Al-Quaderi.

shadow lines of the 'uncivilized' world. The language that the colonisers use is a very deceiving

one and full of hypocrisy. Otherwise, how is it possible for the Whites to simply put up a colony

in a foreign land beyond the borders of the British Isles without any confrontation when they

never have 'equality' in their mind? Why anyone would necessarily give away a part of their

motherland to these Whites who never have the intention of simply stay there as one of the

indigenous people? Why there will be no clash when the Whites wish to not 'blend in' but to

'dominate'? These Whites tell the world that they want to 'form a community', but who says that

these people do not have a community in the first place? In reality, forming a community in the

new land necessarily meant unforming or re-forming the communities that existed there already

and involved a wide range of practices including trade, plunder, negotiation, warfare, genocide,

enslavement and rebellions (Loomba 2). But people in power, just like the Commissioner,

joyfully leave the details, from his book, of effect of their own presence on that land of eternal

forest. Their intention, even before they sail away from their British homes, is always of

'domination' and 'exploitation'. They do not simply explore lands but also exploit them to their

respective exhaustion in the name of a 'Great Queen'. They have the best of interests at heart for

none but themselves. Their thought process gives birth to the terms such as 'primitive' (just like

the book of the Commissioner).

From the aforementionded extract of the novel a few things are very clear: the Commissioner

does not intend to reveal the real effect the Colonization; to him the indigenous people are

nothing but 'uncivilized' and 'primitive'; he never, even for a second, thinks of the people of

Nigeria as his 'equals'. In this connection an extract from the book The Empire Writes Back

should be mentioned:


. . the growth of Empire proceeded from a single ideological climate and that the development of

the one is intrinsically bound up with the development of the other . . . the naturalizing of

constructed values (e.g. civilization, humanity, etc.) which conversely, established 'savagery',

'native', 'primitive', as their antitheses and as the object of a reforming zeal (Ashcroft, Griffiths and

Tiffin 3).

This extract makes the intention of these Whites even more transparent- reform. As mentioned

earlier this reform will lead to numerous adverse effects on the existing community in Africa or

in this particular case- the Ibo community. Achebe has put a very deliberate effort in depicting

the Ibo community in his novel Things Fall Apart. He spends a very enduring thirteen chapters,

almost a half of the book, in constructing a very vivid, strong, and detailed image of the Ibo

community. With the appearance of the Whites in the fourteenth chapter, the effect of

colonization start showing itself. The Whites come to the Ibo people like the Wolf in the guise of

the Little Red Riding Hood, or the Wolf in the guise of a sheep. They come with the sweeting

singing voices and with the words of a 'true God' and peace or sometimes in complete silence;

but the Oracle, the spiritual leader of the Ibo community, warns the people of eminent danger:

. . . the strange man would break their clan and spread destruction among them . . . the other white

men were on their way. They were locusts . . . the first man was their harbinger sent to explore the

terrain (Achebe 97-98).

Indeed, the fate of Ibo hung on a White measuring scale the moment one set his foot on the land.

Naturally, no nation would ever want to be manhandled by outsiders who bring harm to their

way of life; so they killed him. It was the story of Abame clan. Truly, a fews day later the Whites

come like locusts and wipe out the whole clan as a revenge. For a simple appearance of single

white man the whole of the Abame clan is destroyed in a matter of a single day.


The strongest point of the Ibo community is their unshaken faith in their religion, respect for

their elders and their spirits. Their family ties and the ties with the society and other tribes are

very strong. They have very clearly laid out moral and ethical code of conduct. The things they

believe in are supposed as the utmost absolute. That is why it becomes a great matter of distress

for the whole community whenever someone breaks one these codes. They have well established

norms of marriage, celebrations, entertainment and they believe in their hard work. They have a

language rich in wise folktales, allegories, and songs and poetries. In short they 'are' a

civilization. They are civil in every rights of their own and cannot be judged simply with the

convoluted theories of the Whites. They are unshakable in their beliefs. Now, to make a colony

among these people, the Whites have to unform and reform this communities so that they will be

accepted by the people of the land. In order to do that they have to strike at the very core of their

value system-faith and language. They have to make these indigenous people think of themselves

as inferior to the White people- either by force or by design.

The most devastating attack on the Ibo that we see in the novel is the attack on their faith. From

the very moment the White Missionery comes with his companions to the Mbanta tribe he starts

speaking about a 'true God'. Although that does not have any direct effect on the elders who had

firm belief on the religion of their forefather's religion, it tugs to the hearts of the likes of Nwoye,

Okonkwo's eldest son. Nwoye has already been devasted by the tragic killing of Ikemefuna and

he has been swaying slowly from his tribe's customs. He is a peaceful young man who loves

songs more than these questionable killings of twin newborns and Ikemefuna. These traditions

make him very troubled. When the band of White missioneries start singing evangesilian songs

and tell the stories of a lost ship it attracts Nwoye very much.


Now, this is very necessary to ask: why missioneries have to go to a place where there is a

population who has its own religion, culture and it practices to uphold the value with utmost

sincerity? What is their real purpose? What do they really intend to do? If it is only preaching

then why do they have to bring in the law of another land on Ibo soil when the Ibo people

already have their own method of justice? What is the relation between religion and politics

here?

To find answers we venture into Ania Loomba's Colonialism/Postcolonialism:

Both the colonisers and colonised moved: the former not only as slaves but also as indentured

laboureres, domestic servants . . . and the colonial masters as administrators, soldiers . . .

missioneries, teachers . . . European colonialisms involved a variety of techniques and patterns of

domination, penetrating deep into some societies and involving a comparatively superficial contact

with others, all of them produced the economic imbalance that was necessary for the growth of

European capitalism (4).

So, there we have it. With this the mystery behind the somewhat disconnected presence of the

Christian missioneries is revealed. It is one of those techniques which require the English Whites

to get into first hand contact with the indigenous people whom they intend to eventually

dominate for the growth of their own country. Here Whites use Language, Ideological State

Aparratus and Hegemony to achieve their end. With these they intend to make the Ibo believe

that Whites have so many superior things to offer. When they are allowed to penetrate the Ibo

soil, they use the Repressive State Sparratus- government(Commissioner, sodiers, etc.).

Roger Webster, in his book Studying Literary Theory an introduction, writes, "Under Hegemonic

control, people actively work towards their own subordination, which coincides with the

continuation of the dominant power groups ..." (4). The ISAs (Ideological State Aparratus)


directly contribute to this hegemonic control. The dominant power will not try impose their

thoughts on the target of domination, rather they will arrange things in such a way that people of

the society will come forward and do the things on their own accord to fulfil the hegemonic

control. It will seem that people are acting with their free will and they will become the voice of

the ruling class; for example, people of the society may talk against their religion, cultrural

traditions or try to reform and in a way will be fulfilling the wish of the ruling class masterminds.

On the other hand, RSA (Repressive State Aparratus) will try to directly force the people of the

target society to do things that the ruling class wants them to do by means of law enforcement

institutions, the administration of the government, penal system, etc. (Webster 61-62).

In the sixteenth chapter we see that the initial confrontation between the Mbanta people and

Missioneries has an effect on Nwoye; it is the time when Okonkwo is spending his seven years

of exile in Mbanta. He sees with his own eyes how the White men comes and simply makes

them give a piece of their motherland to the foreigners. This is also a typical application of ISA,

the missioneries do not force rather the tribe hands the land over to them willingly. Although

Mbanta people things of that part of the forest as evil, they still allow the Whites to build a house

there and that is the first step of penetration. Later Okonkow hears that in Umuofia, the Whites

have already brought their own Government. The question is why the simple settlers who come

in peace will have to bring their own government to on a foreign soil? The soil is not theirs in the

first place.

The secon phase of infiltration begins with severing of the family ties in the Mbanta people.

Nwoye leaves his father and declares that Okonkwo is his father no more. He does it because he

thinks that he is doing it for the sake of a 'true God' but Mr. Kiaga says, "Blessed is he who

forsakes his father and his mother for my sake." 'My sake'? Why should it be for his sake? But


Nwoye fails to understand the 'language' and he is deceived (Achebe 108). Thus the family tie is

broken; with this the seed of confusion is planted. Mr. Kiaga, the missionary, now has a few

converts; the Mbanta clansmen are peaceful; the missioneries are safe to begin with and with

converts on his side, although these converts are enemies of their own clansmen now the tribe

will not touch them becuase shedding blood of their own people is against the tribe law.

Therefore, Mr. Kaiga is now politically in a very good position. Even if one of the converts goes

and does something blasphamous to offend the tribe people, they will not be able to do any harm.

The eventual result we see when three of zealot converts openly challenges the Mbanta people

about their religion and get beaten by them. The spark of conflict has surfaced but Mr. Kiaga has

nothing to do with it, rather he will even protect the one who will offend the tribe people who

have never aggressively protested against the Christians although they have a lot of issues the

way they have come to their land and built a house on it.

The next step is to accept the Osu or outcasts in the Church. This gives another heavy blow to the

Ibo tradition. The people who, till now, have all been in harmony and have accepted their fate,

are swaying away from their own tradition and getting interested in converting into the newer

religion. This phase is completed with the Osu people being admitted into the church. Now, there

is a very big gaping hole and an empty space in the tradition of the Mbanta people. Thing have

started to shake and collapse. The Osu people perform the taboo and shave their heads. It is like

the casting off of a tradition that has been there from time immemorial. The next blow to the

custom is given by one of these converts later when he kills the sacred python of the Mbanta.

With this the status quo is broken and there is a clear distinction among the Mbanta people as

'Christians' and 'the heathen'. On this occasion the use of words of Mr. Brown is very

enlightening, "When I think that it is only eighteen months since the Seed was first sown among


you, I marvel at what the Lord hath wroght" (Achebe 113). The 'seed' he refered to here can have

two meanings- the seed of discord, or, seed of faith. As we already know the missioneries have

been working towards tearing the custom of this people apart and re-forming them, we can easily

guess it has to be the 'seed of discord'.

After the seven-year exile Okonkwo returns to Umuofia and finds out that not just the outcasts

but also one of the elites of the society has changed his religion. This act strikes the core of

Okonkwo's heart as he firmly believed the people of his fatherland to be more like men. But in

Umuofia the ISA has taken place and Whites have now brought in the RSA- the courth of White

Law. It has been built by 'the Commissioner'. Now, on their own land the Ibo people judged by

the Law of the English Whites. This is beyond the boundaries of 'painful' for Okonkwo who is a

proud man of Umuofia. Now, in Umuofia the 'foreigner' court messengers are very powerful

because they bring the words of 'the Government'. These messengers are another form of RSA

and they are very much active in giving orders or relaying them. The native of a land is now

ordered around by the foreign settlers (Achebe 123). They are the guard of the prisons where

natives who offend the court of the Whites are held as prisoners. The period of time in which

they are kept captive, their farm land would go to waste. The Ibo economy is based purely on

yam farming. Now that many people are being put to jail by the inconsiderate Whites, more yam

farms are being affected, and in this process the economy is jeoparised. This is one of the goals

of the Coloniazers- to put the ecnomy of the colonized out of shape. Obierika expresses his

sadness when Okonkwo speaks with him about fighting back:

It is already too late. Our own men and our sons have joinded the ranks of the stranger. They have

joined his religion and they help to uphold his government. If we should try to drive out the white

men in Umuofia we should find it easy. There are only two of them. But what of our own people


who are following their way and have been given power?They whould go to Umuru and bring the

soldiers, and we would be like Abame. I told you on my last visit to Mbanta how they hanged

Aneto (Achebe 124).

Obierika's grievance pushes Okonkwo to the edge of his psyche. The effect of the Whites'

presence is now very clear. He sees how they have been entrapped by their own people and the

Whites are now in the driving seat. Without even understanding the root cause they have been

conquered by the men of the 'Great Queen'. It is unfortunate that the prophecy of Abame clan's

Oracle has come to pass. Now, the friends of Whites have great power and they are swift to make

good use of it. The so called cour of justice does very little to deliver justice. The land of dispute

is given to a man who has bribed the White's messenger and interpreter. Now their own

clansman is extorting them by the means of bribe. There has been no justice in the White's court

of law to begin with (Achebe 124).

In the 21st chapter we see another establishment at work- the trading store. After religion, the

money comes into play as palm-oil and kernel have started to sell to White at a good price.

Although the Umuofia people were not really in need of money but when a new opportunity

comes into play it holds interest. With the money the sense of Capitalism enters the tribe and

they do not think of the Whites as their sworn enemy although they have cause much grievances

to the natives. When Mr. Brown's discussion of theology with Akunna does not bear any fruit he

comes to an understanding that 'frontal attack' is of no use. Therefore, he applies ISA and for this

he establishes a school in Umuofia. He convinces people to accept the 'baby fed' fact that they

would need the educaton of the Whites to lead their nation in the future as if there has been no

leader in the nation. But with this people start going to the school and they begin to get the jobs

in the White man's court. Althoug it is fact that there actually is no prestige in being a servant of


the Whites who eventually had no rights to rule in the Dark Continent, people have started to

understand otherwise. The jobs given in the court is of great honor. The White man's tactics have

captivated the whole tribe. Okonkwo keeps watching as his whole clan breaks apart.

After this everything starts happening one after another. Enoch, a zealot Christian who does not

believe in in pacifism, shows the courage to start the first attack, which he thinks to be a holy

war, on the tribe’s religion by pulling off the mask of holy spirit of forfathers- egwugwu. This

act of blasphemy incites a violent outrage of protest and Umufia clan destroys the Church but

does not do any harm to the people. When this incident is reported to the District Commissioner

he calls for six Umufia clansmen and orders them to be prisoned. In the prison they are

physically abused and their pride is hurt more than anything and their heads are shaved. This

humiliation is too much for Okonkwo to bear and he silently prepares himself for a way- a lone

war- a war he has to fight alone. In the end he kills the head messenger and hangs himself. With

the fall of a proud Ibo man Okonkwo, the center of the Ibo community fall to its knees and

accepts the domination of the Whites.

Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart provides us with an insight into the works of the Coloniser

masterminds. He shows us how a simple and innocent looking word with no sense of violence

attached to it can turn a man’s, a family’s, a society’s or a nation’s everyday life upside down.

With the hymns of a glorious ‘true God’ come the missionaries; and teach to the people the word

of God. They have nothing to hide or fear and always accept everyone interested with open arms.

Despite being the men of God, they themselves act like the ‘anti-Christ’. People are beguiled and

fooled with their hyprocritic language and soon a foreign government starts acting all high and

mighty on the land of the dark people and the people, who are supposed to be the ruler of their

own land, fall pray to the cunning ploy of the Coloniser Whites. The natives of the land lose their


own right to rule, and freedom of practice of their very own tradition, religion and culture.

Wherever the White Colonisers go they lay waste to the people and nations of many lands in

their wake.


Works Cited

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Oxford: William Heinemann Ltd., 1958.

Ashcroft, Bill, Gareth Griffiths and Helen Tiffin. The Empire Writes Back. London: Routledge,

2002.

Loomba, Ania. Colonialism/Postcolonialism. New York: Routledge, 1998.

Webster, Roger. Studying Literary Theory an introduction. London: Arnold, 1996.


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