Things Fall Apart- Thoughts

Most likely contrary to popular opinion, I do not find Things Fall Apart very enjoyable overall. Certain aspects are very captivating to read, particularly the snippets of the novel in which they describe the culture and society of the Igbo culture. Perhaps it is because of my fascination with history and societies (which is my entire life this year) that I find the economic structure, as well as their form of government riveting. Many modern, western societies have, or had, a form of central authority, whether it was a bureaucracy or an absolute monarch, so looking at a culture that strays away from those traditional forms of political structures that we, as Americans, are familiar with, was fascinating. The Igbo society placed heavy significance on the family, masculinity, and order, and the Igbo people still continue those traditions today. The organization of their political structure was heavily influenced by the structure of their own, closely-knit family structure, with the strongest male as the head and women and children beneath. In the government of many Igbo tribes, the males of the village served on a village assembly, designated with the task of making tribal decisions and discussing conflict. Traditionally, the wealthiest, most respected males would be chosen by fellow tribe members to serve on a higher council, the Council of Elders. Even the process of choosing and delegating members of their society displayed and emphasized the importance and relevance of masculinity and dominance, not only in the family, but in the village community.

It is quite interesting to compare the emphasis on family in Igbo society in the 19th century to our western, modern society of today. Children in the Igbo society were expected to perform basic tasks and chores, carrying heavy responsibilities for their parents and other members of the tribe. They were often tasked with retrieving and giving water to their families, and many youthful citizens participated in civic duties to help out the community, such as clearing forests and fulfilling military needs. Typically, in our society in 21st century America, the adolescents are not expected to perform as demanding of tasks, often not having domestic or civic responsibilities whatsoever. This can prove to be problematic, for as the Igbo children grow up knowing and practicing the tasks they would be required to know and perform in their adult years, they are likely to be more successful and productive in their endeavors, whilst the children of well-developed, western societies (mostly) will have a more difficult time performing the tasks that they were not expected to practice and execute in childhood.

It is likely that the book will become more interesting in the near future; however, at the moment, I am not enjoying the book as much as I previously anticipated, predominantly due to the prodigious amount of exposition that takes up a large portion of the novel. Despite that fact, I do appreciate the straightforward prose, making the book simple and not complicated to comprehend. It also gives good insight to a specific culture in Africa before the colonization of the land by European settlers, a perspective that is rarely written about. Further, although I was aware of the Igbo culture, the novel has allowed me to learn more about another society that I had not been au fait with before, letting me connect the new knowledge to information I already had acquired about African cultures before major European influence (which will help with AP, thank goodness). I am eager to continue on with the novel and see which direction the plot heads in, as well as whether or not the story-line becomes more enthralling.