Things Fall Apart. Chinua Achebe.

Oh, dear. Amy is putting me to shame. Not only is Ms. Memory blogging regularly, but she remembers every detail about when she read the previous books and her thoughts on the book. I'm afraid I'm just not that good. Still, I'm going to tackle the books that I've already read by one brief post about each book, alphabetically by author.

That means we start with Chinua Achebe. I believe I read Things Fall Apart during my first or second year of college. I don't even remember if it was required reading for a course or one of my own self-improvement books during intersession. I do remember that I loved it.

Plot summary: Set in Umofia, a (fictional) group of villages in Nigeria inhabited by the Igbo. Haunted by a disreputable father, Okonkwo fights to become a wealthy and respected warrior of the Umuofia clan. Eventually, Okonkwo's position in society is completely overturned because of his own rigid moral structure and inability to adapt. Okonkwo is sent into exile for nine years to atone for the death of a member of the tribe and takes his family to his mother's homeland, the village of Mbanta, to begin his life again. At this point, the white man begins to insert himself into Okonkwo's Nigeria; missionaries come to Mbanta and attempt to convert the villagers. Violence develops between the missionaries and their converts and the rest of the villagers. Believing his clan will follow, Okonkwo declares war on the government messengers who come to stop the violence and kills their leader. When the rest of the clan allows the other messengers to escape, Okonkwo realizes he is alone in his battle. He is subsequently found hanged by his own hand.

One of the major themes in the Times' book list seems to be the destructiveness of Imperialism, but while it's certainly present and important here, I think it's wrong to say that it is the central theme of this book. The central theme involves man's role in society. It's true that Okonkwo could not have become the man he became without his hard work and determination, but it's also true that he couldn't have achieved his status without the help of his community. And it's Okonkwo's inflexibility that brings about his downfall. Although the Igbo are themselves are bound to their traditions, their democratic system and highly mobile social structure suggest a culture rich in social institutions but open to change. Okonkwo is unable to accept any variance from his personal moral structure causing him to act in ways that are shocking and offensive to his own society, and eventually resulting in his own death.

That's how I remember Things Fall Apart. It's been so long that I'm open to admit any mistakes, and I'd love to hear someone else's take! I promise to re-read it one day, and revisit this post.