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Nico Botones

Mr. Cooksey

Advance Sophomore English, Period II

29 May 2012

Things Fall Apart: Folks Stories Analyzed

Based on the close examinations of the features that Chinua Achebe, the author of

Things Fall Apart, includes within the story, I can illustrate the purpose of these features

and correlate to that Achebes intent onto how those features drive the story forward.

Throughout the tale of Things Fall Apart, you read about the life of a man named

Okonkwo, a leader of Umuofia. Umuofia is a fictional village in Nigeria. This story

focuses not only on his life, but also on the customs and histories of the Igbo people and

how the influences of missionaries affected all of Umuofia.

Wrapped around the story, there includes a feature that Achebe applies to drive the

story along. Within the traditions and customs that the Igbo people provide, oral tradition

is one of them. The oral tradition set out in this story is featured with the function of folk

story-telling. Why did Achebe add this in? First of you have to think about the reasons

why folk stories are told. Quintessentially, folk stories are told to its audience to set out

morals, life lessons, and to give existential reasons for why things in our lives happen. I

even remember my mother, my aunts, and the drunken folks out on our gatherings back

in the Philippines; theyd do the same thing, to tell us that these things happen; they

would only tell us this through whimsy to not scare us. Now, how does this drive the

novel along? To further understand the novel, lets look closely at the stories identified in

the book.
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In chapter 11, Ekwefi, Okonkwos first wife, tells her daughter, Ezinma, a story

about a greedy, conniving tortoise. All of the birds have been invited to a feast in the sky

and Tortoise persuades the birds to lend him feathers to make wings so that he can attend

the feast as well. As they travel to the feast, Tortoise also persuades them to take new

names for the feast according to custom. He tells the birds that his name will be All of

you. When they arrive, Tortoise asks his hosts for whom the feast is prepared. They

reply, For all of you. Tortoise proceeds to eat and drink the best parts of the food and

wine. The birds, angry and disgruntled at receiving only scraps, take back the feathers

that they had given to Tortoise so that he is unable to fly home. Tortoise persuades Parrot

to deliver a message to his wife: he wants her to cover their compound with their soft

things so that he may jump from the sky without danger. Maliciously, Parrot tells

Tortoises wife to bring out all of the hard things. When Tortoise jumps, his shell breaks

into pieces on impact. A medicine man puts it together again, which is why Tortoises

shell is not smooth. (Summary: ch.11; SparkNote on Things Fall Apart.

SparkNotes.com)

In chapter 7, Nwoye, Okonkwos son, has been told many times about the story of

the Vulture and the Sky. Its a story about how Sky withheld rain for seven years and

Vulture pleased to Sky for some rain. At Skys pity, he gave Vulture rain, wrapped in

leaves of coco-yam. He flew, but his talons pierced the leaves and the rain fell. He failed.

He flew to a distant land where he espied a fire. He warmed himself in the fire and re the

entrails of the man who apparently sacrificed himself. (46; ch. 7; p1)

The story of the tortoise and the birds provide a little prepared foreshadowing and

symbolism. Much like Ive stated about the relation to folk stories, it was inevitable to
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input the moral of the consequences of being greedy. The fact of the matter is Achebe

went out of his way finishing the folk stories as a whole. These stories were told in a

whimsical fashion as they are fables, but Achebe cleverly input these stories to signify a

larger meaning. Relating it with the Igbo people, from European imperialist point of

view, its the fact that the Europeans and missionaries are like the tortoise, imperializing

places that don't need religious reform; i.e. the Igbo people. Achebe went ahead on used it

to foreshadow what might come to the Igbo society. They dont need the reform for they

have the culture, the tradition, the happiness, and lifestyle that theyve been accustomed

to, but the cunning and greedy Europeans try to claim land and people as well. Take into

account what Ezinma has commented about Ekwefis story, There is no song in that

story (88; ch. 11; p3). This may be too elaborate for an analysis, but it was noted in there

purposefully. The fact that there is no song could mean that there is definitely a sad turn

to come forth within the story.

Shifting gears for a moment and focus on the protagonist and how this folk story

correlates to him. Okonkwo and his family was in exile for seven years, much like how

there was no rain for seven years in the story. Upon returning, he finds his village to be

intervened by the Europeans; like the tortoise invading the bird land or the fire that the

Vulture found that is within a different land. We can relate Okonkwo to the parrot and the

tortoise shell with him trying to reclaim the native land by destroying the local church.

The tale of the tortoise and the birds will surely follow along with the European

colonizers. The thing is Okonkwo is a tragic hero by fault. He doesnt quite get the fact

that his violent nature doesnt equate with being manly and pure at heart. This brings him

down to his demise; his hubris if you will. He tries to stop the white men, resulting of
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him killing one of their men. Much like the Vulture and Sky story, he is like the rain,

although the rain itself couldnt be carried through. The Igbo society, or the birds of the

bird land or Vulture as well; they just try to become peaceful with it all; not to fight, but

just go embrace with the changes (embracing the fire that represents the Europeans).

Okonkwo seems to defy, and completely oppose himself to the folk story. To this,

Okonkwo is unable to allow and adapt to this change, he has no function anymore. To

think about it then, he has turned into the shell. He tries to get the parrot (his people) to

help him out but them instead of giving him a soft cushion (to fight in war); they give

him a hard surface (peaceful acceptance). He hangs himself in the balance.

In summation, not everything can fall a certain way, especially if you are a stoic

man much like Okonkwo. Folk stories themselves are told for reasons: to give you morals

and better understandings on how and why things life works and be a certain way.

Achebe had put this intentionally to drive the story along; cleverly hiding larger

symbolisms through smaller whimsical fables. Not only it is quite metaphorical, but it

also means that it does happen. Its inevitable, much like the dangers that come in the

lives of the Igbo society. Their culture though embraces the intervening white men.

Their fate is foretold like the folk stories. Achebe has pointed out with these stories, it

was just through Okonkwos one-track mind that caused him to fail his people, and fall

on his own demise.