Things Fall Apart

A Literary Critique

Marjorie Balajadia
BSEd 2A
West Visayas State University
College of Education

Literary Criticism for Teachers (ELE 208)

Dr. Hazel P. Villa

May 2, 2020

Date Submitted: May 3, 2020

Application of Ecocriticism on the novel Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe using
the concept of Peter Barry

The novel Things Fall Apart focuses on the life of the main character Okonkwo and his
village where he lived. Aside from the focus on the main character, the novel explores their
culture. This can also be traced back to Nigeria, the prime setting in the novel where the Ibo
village was set. Nigerian literature often mirrors their local history which includes their proverbs,
customs, belief, and traditions (Gardner, 1990). This village was rich with customs and beliefs
which their tribe preserve for the past years. The village people believed in many spirits and they
treated each spirit to be the cause of their ill-fortune or their luck.

The setting of the novel is in Ibo village, a village composes of the Umuofia clan where
Okonkwo and his family lived.

This critique will be focusing more on the five pathetic fallacies in the novel and its
purpose. Pathetic fallacy is a literary device wherein the author attributes human emotions and
traits to nature or inanimate objects. For example, the following descriptions refer to the weather
and how it affects the mood, which can add atmosphere to a story (Pathetic Fallacy in Literature:
Definition & Examples, 2015).

The first pathetic fallacy in this critique can be found in this passage, and so the stranger
had brought him, and a girl, a long long way from home, through lonely forest paths. It was told
through Ikemefuna’s experience when he was brought to Okonkwo’s clan. Ikemefuna probably
described the forest paths as lonely because it was probably a long way of walking from his
home to arrive at Umuofia clan that will be his home for the next years of his life.

Walking away from home is lonely and it is even lonelier if one leaves his motherland as a
payment of their clan. Also, the villages in the novel seem to be located at a very far distance
from each other, aside from being distant to each other, from the term itself village one can
mentally see the picture of a greenish path full of trees and tall grasses which will make the
atmosphere walking through the path as lonesome which will also make the travelers journey
from one village to another as lonely.

The second pathetic fallacy in the novel is within this passage, the palm fronds were
helpless in keeping them back, and this was when the village people were having a dance in their
celebration. The fact that palm fronds cannot hinder the people to dance shows that their clan is
indeed having much fun. Nature itself cannot do anything to stop them from dancing. There is
also a possibility that in this scene, people were getting intoxicated by their enjoyment thus
making them react harshly with their surroundings and forget that there were spirits in their
village. The palm fronds can also be seen as the supposed regulator of the said celebration for the
people not to overdo dancing and merrymaking. The village people were very much dependant

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on nature from their livelihood as it is the provider of their food especially the yams which are
believed as the staple food of this clan and they regarded as well nature as their friend. In this
scene the palm fronds that surround them serve as their guard against the possible unfortunate
events in the middle of their celebration and as they were already having fun, that those palm
fronds which are helpless, just stood there and watch them enjoy.

The third pathetic fallacy can be found in this passage, stories of the tortoise and his wily
ways, and of the bird eneke-nti-oba who challenged the whole world to a wrestling contest and
was finally thrown by the cat. He remembered the story she often told of the quarrel between
Earth and Sky long ago, and how Sky withheld rain for seven years until crops withered and the
dead could not be buried because the hoes broke on the stony Earth. The oral tradition is very
evident in this novel and elders were passing it from generation to generation which makes their
tradition and culture strong and still alive. Although it was a mere citation of their proverbs,
pathetic fallacies were still evident as the animals that were mentioned thinks and act similar to a
human being and there was even a quarrel between the Earth and the Sky. The Earth and the Sky
can be depicted as two strong powerful beings in their literature and the quarrel between the two
will probably cause massive destruction in both the physical conditions of their village during
that time. Umuofia was very fond of nature and the spirits that maintained its peacefulness in
their clan. Thus, including such animals and nature strengthen the image of their culture and their
village as well. They were even mentioning these animals to express their emotion and they used
those animals’ experiences as their basis for their next decisions and actions. Next to the spirits,
they pay much respect to the animals that were mentioned in their proverbs.

The fourth pathetic fallacy can be found in this passage, between Chielo's outbursts the
night was alive with the shrill tremor of forest insects woven into the darkness. Their village paid
great respect to the spirits and the forest insects may be referring to the people of the village
itself. How the forest insects quivered showed how they see Chielo’s possessor as powerful that
even animals feel its outbursts. The people believe that the spirits were powerful was enough for
them to be afraid. They are mostly afraid that the spirits will punish them if ever these people
will give discomfort to the spirits. It was also mentioned that the night was alive since probably
awaken by Chielo’s possessor; her outbursts would not permit for the night to calm and provide a
calming and peaceful ambiance to its village. Their surrounding has greatly impacted their
village since they were living in a seemingly small neighborhood and nature can easily dominate
their mood of the day and most especially their night.

The fifth and last pathetic fallacy that this paper will be focusing on can be seen in this
passage, Evil Forest then thrust the pointed end of his rattling staff into the earth. And it began to
shake and rattle, like something agitating with a metallic life. The evil forest that was mentioned
in the novel was both a place and a spirit. In this scene, the evil forest that was referred to was a
spirit that governs what the village people called an evil forest. Most people avoided the evil
forest as they feared that something bad will happen to them crossing that forest. An evil forest
was where the clan buried all those who died of the evil diseases, like leprosy and smallpox. An

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evil forest was, therefore, alive with sinister forces and powers of darkness [ch. 17]. They keep
the evil forest deserted and uninhabited. They feared that they will be possessed by the Evil
Forest spirit once they came across its premises and that they will acquire the diseases of those
who were buried in there. Aside from those reasons, people probably avoided it since its name
evil forest is undesirable and its sound was indeed disastrous.

The pathetic fallacies in this novel serve as the foundation of the novel itself. It proves
that Okonkwo’s village was rich with culture alongside the other nine villages that were
mentioned in the novel since most of them have the same customs and traditions. They were
paying respect to the tradition that their elders have passed on to them. It supported the setting
and it appeared rich in imagery since they were providing a better image of what the novel talks
about. Especially the surroundings which involve nature, the forest most specially were used
many times connecting pathetic fallacies in the novel aside from the ones mentioned above.
Also, the sun and the moon were emphasized as most of the pathetic fallacies in the novel were
centered on it. The sun as always rising the same as how the village people were doing every day
and the night associated mostly with the moon as quiet but is sometimes dangerous.

The use of pathetic fallacies in the novel was very much effective since upon reading the
novel, it also gives a vivid picture of the village where the characters were living. It gives much
more emphasis on nature itself and provides a strong feeling of emotion to the reader. Just as
when the forest path was described as lonely, it creates a lot of scenarios in the reader’s
imagination making the reader experience that exact forest path in the novel and it was as if the
reader was walking with the narrator in those lonely forests paths.

The pathetic fallacies in this novel may not just be a literary device as what was its
purpose in the novel, knowing that Nigerian literature was preserving their tradition, it has a
great possibility that the pathetic fallacies above were how the village people would describe
their surroundings since they were already influenced by their rich culture. Maybe in their
respective villages, they were attributing emotions to the living things and their surroundings.

Hence, the novel Things Fall Apart gives its readers a clear picture of what the author
was talking about in this novel. It will make the reader feel and see at the same time the world in
which these characters lived in. The use of pathetic fallacies in this novel greatly mirrors
Nigerian culture, traditions, and beliefs which will help the reader understand the context that the
novel was set. It keeps the reader focus that the novel was set in a village that has a unique
culture and traditions which will add up to their experience in reading this novel. Reading this
novel provides the reader its distinct characteristics that will leave the reader a unique experience
as if the reader was a part Umuofia clan and also lived in Ibo village.

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References:

Achebe, C. (1958). Things Fall Apart. New York, United States: Anchor Books.

Barry, P. (2002). An introduction to literary and cultural theory. Ecocriticism. p. 248-264

Gardner, L. (1990). Nigerian Literature: Oral and Written Traditions. Retrieved from
http://www.postcolonialweb.org/nigeria/orality.html

Pathetic Fallacy in Literature: Definition & Examples. (2015). Retrieved from

https://study.com/academy/lesson/pathetic-fallacy-in-literature-definition-examples-
quiz.html.

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 Grading Rubric for Literary Analysis
A B C D E
1) Literary Author engages in a Author provides Author uses simple Author displays Author neglects
Analysis SOPHISTICATED probing literary but inconsistent little connection to evaluate or
30 and ORIGINAL analysis and criticism. analysis and between textual analyse literary
points evaluation and Makes connections criticism. Provides support and themes or
(thematic analysis of the between textual basic evaluation thesis, and does techniques.
analysis themes and support and thesis, and analysis of not support the Author revisits
of techniques. Author though some may be literary themes and WHY. Simple or summarizes
literature) makes connections more stilted. The techniques. Some identification of rather than
between textual WHY is discussed, ideas are unoriginal the elements is giving depth the
support and overall but in a more or only in the done. There is a interpretation of
thesis/ and theme. pedestrian manner, surface of the text’s repetition of the text. Author
Furthermore, moves leading to more content resulting in already-stated does not use
beyond WHAT obvious conclusions a weaker argument facts making the adequate textual
happens and or showing less depth overall analysis unoriginal reference.
analyses the WHY. of thought overall. in thought.

27-30 24-26 21-23 18-20 15-17

Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given :
3) Develop Body paragraphs Body paragraphs are Textual support is Textual support is Body
ment offer focused, richly mostly fair, adequate, although present, but paragraphs
and developed, reasonable and not very thorough. sparse. Student contain illogical
Support sophisticated, logical. Body Student seems to omits a source. reasoning. Body
20 original, and paragraphs offer try to incorporate Support may be paragraphs
points convincing analysis focused, convincing text, although some irrelevant to the contain
(adequat of relevant and somewhat is not connected to main idea at summaries or
e evidence. Support original analysis of the overall main times. generalizations
support is applicable to relevant evidence. idea. Body that lack
and author’s main ideas Secondary source paragraphs offer relevant
textual and is used to guide support may not be some level of supporting
analysis the essay. as well-integrated, evidence and evidence and
from Secondary source perhaps. analysis which at analysis.
primary support aids in the times may be too Author fails to
source analysis and general. use textual
novel, provides additional support from
balance insight that, proves 13-14 novel and
d with depth of thought 17-18 15-16 secondary
commen 19-20 sources.
tary) 10-11
Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given :
5) Style Sentences are fluid Sentences are clear Paper focus waivers Sentences are Sentences are
20 and graceful and and direct. Sentences or fluency is solid but either overly
points are joined logically are joined logically to interrupted at times. sometimes simplistic or
to show show relationships Paragraphs are choppy. confusingly
(organiz relationships between ideas. organized but not in Sentences could worded.
ation, between ideas. Sentences the most logical be joined more Sentences are
clarity Sentences demonstrate way. Transitions logically to show not joined
effectively syntactical maturity may be mundane relationships logically to show

5
 and demonstrate through varied and paragraphs between ideas. relationships
fluency syntactical maturity sentence structure. may contain more There is minimal between ideas.
of ideas, through varied Paragraphs contain implicit than explicit sentence variety. There is a lack
focus on sentence structure. connections to connections to the Lacks some of sentence
main Paragraphs are thesis/claim, though thesis/claim. Intro transitions. variety.Textual
idea) framed with perhaps not as and conclusion may support chops
connections to explicitly at times. contain more “fluff” 13-14 up prose. Intro
claim/thesis and are than substance. or conclusion
organized by idea. 17-18 may be
15-16 irrelevant or
19-20 omitted
altogether.
10-11
Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given :
7) Formatti Has properly used Has properly used Some APA Paper contains a APA format has
ng APA format in title APA format in title formatting has been noticeable not been used
15 page, body of paper page, body of paper used but is missing number of APA properly.
points and page and page numbering. elements. Sources errors and does Sources are not
(APA numbering. Sources Sources are cited are properly cited not consistently properly cited
including are properly cited using APA format using APA format follow formatting according to
Works using APA format with very few lapses with occasional rules. APA format.
Cited) correctly. in usage. lapses in usage.
13-14 11-12 9-10
15 7-8
Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given :

9) Conventi Essay uses 3rd Essay contains Essay contains Essay is filled with It seems as
ons person, active occasional flaws in obvious errors in errors in grammar though the
15 voice, present grammar and grammar and and conventions essay was not
points tense, with strong conventions, perhaps conventions and frequently proofread at all.
(Gramm verbs and a variety with more repetitive throughout, must be re-read to Various errors in
ar, of sentence sentence structures although they do follow the ideas. usage,
spelling, structures. Essay or more common not distract from the Language and grammar, and
subject/v has few, if any, language. meaning. Language structure begin to conventions
erb grammatical or usage is sentence distract from the distract greatly
agreeme proofreading errors. structure is basic meaning. from the ideas
nt, 13-14 but still conveys the and mar the
punctuat 15 point. 9-10 essay to the
ion, 11-12 point of
usage) incoherence.

7-8
Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given : Points given :

Nothing Follows and Good Luck.