Challenging the Colonial Stereotypes or Conforming to Them: Investigating Achebe’s Intent in Things Fall Apart
Challenging the Colonial Stereotypes or Conforming to Them: Investigating Achebe’s Intent in Things Fall Apart

Summary/Abstract: Chinua Achebe in Things Fall Apart attempts to depict the pre-colonial Igbo life, culture and traditions along with the systematic description of a fully functioning administration, religion, justice system, social and family rituals of the Igbo society. Through providing a detailed account of the pre-colonial Igbo society, Achebe basically tries to counter-argue all the misrepresentations and distorted images of Africa portrayed in the western narratives. This paper outlines how and why the Igbo society and all its functional apparatus start disintegrating after the catastrophic entry of the Europeans to that society in the guise of missionaries, educators, administrators, judges and sometimes tradesmen. It highlights the areas through which Achebe tries to give an authentic portrayal of the Igbo society and also finds out the reasons why the native Igbo people fail to withstand the colonial force. This study finally affords to analyze how far and to what extent Achebe is successful in challenging these distortions and misrepresentations; and while challenging, how he knowingly or unknowingly accepts some of the stereotypes and surrenders to those to maintain the objectivity of the narrative.

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