Back to the Mid-American Newsfeed

When It All Falls Down

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, is a story about a man who has to deal with a rapidly-changing world. Okonkwo, the character who is followed throughout the story, must deal with changes in his tribe, his marriage, and outside pressures in the form of Christian missionaries.

Throughout the duration of the novel, Okonkwo tries to deny the changes around him, and refuses to look inward, dooming himself and his loved ones by allowing the self-doubt and misguided principles to swallow him whole.

The ending isn’t exactly great for Okonkwo; he does some pretty gruesome things throughout the course of the story (read the plot summary at your own peril, it’s pretty violent and trigger-heavy) which ultimately leads to his exile, and eventually ends up dying alone.