Things Fall Apart-Book Report

 

This is a book that I read years before. But I read it again, and wrote an essay about a theme that I pondered on. Yes, this is the essay, and I also applied this to the ManKyung Book Essay contest. Since I have put some effort in this...comments please! :-)

Interestingly, Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” has a theme that makes sense not only in Africa, but Korea as well. Japan colonized Joseon and aimed to move on to the Asian continent, and the fate of Umofia was just as tragic. But this book does not merely portray the beginning and the progress of invasion. Ironically, it also infers a way how to stop things “from falling apart.” Unfortunately, Okonkwo fails to utilize this, and so did many nations. Accordingly, that is why many properous nations like Joseon met a miserable end like Okonkwo, who was once the greatest warrior of a powerful tribe. Thus, the dissolution of the Umofian tribe and the solution that Achebe implied suggests a parallel to the colonization of Joseon and the strategy that Koreans have utilized.

Indisputably, the collision between the African lives and the Western Civilization soon turned into a unilateral relationship. At first, Africans were very reluctant against western culture, but people soon become very amused in these. The convenience was hard to resist. Of course, villagers did not know that Africa’s wealth enriched Europe in proportion to their spending. Neither did Koreans in the colonial era. It drained off the Korean economy, immobilizing the entire nation. For instance, since Joseon’s wealth was entirely lost, Joseon did not have the military power to fight off Japan. It neither had the minimum budget to help the numerous poor sustain their lives. Consequently, Japan takes all the political power and diplomatic rights in order to colonize Joseon. (Protectorate Treaty, 1905) But Koreans could do nothing about it; they were powerless. Likewise, the six representative Umofians are treated under inhumane conditions by intruders. Unfortunately, Umofia can do nothing but to pay a ransom and ask them to release the six. According to these six, “our sons and our men joined the new religion…..they help to uphold the new government.”

What was the problem of Umofia, and various other nations back then? Most importantly, they did not prioritize what they had to. While their belief had a few irrational customs, they still had to protect their own culture and spiritual bond, which is their “religion”. Completely accepting foreign religion that contains cultures of Europeans was a bad idea. But they did the complete opposite. Additionally, a few blacks take part in courts that punish Africans, and Father Brown establishes a school to make children become like them. Perhaps those Umofian students are the Japanese colonists, who surrendered to Americans and then invaded Asian nations. Considering that the Japanese island was a part of Korea before, they actually slaughtered those who had the same blood. As Brown states, “leaders of the future would be educated men.” The big difference between Joseon and Japan was the time when facing western civilizations and became“educated.” Of course, “educated” Japan had become a notorious boss of Asia indeed.

Especially in the chapters which illustrate his exile years, Achebe actually provides a possible method for every colony that could overthrow the colonists and the government. It is nationalism but it is “religion” in Umofia where the only bond that can unite different tribes is not nationalism, but religion. To express this, Uchendu gives some clues when he makes a speech in front of Okonkwo. “But when there is sorrow and bitterness, a man finds refugee in his mother land…..his mother is always there to help you.”(98) The author means “motherland” as a mental bond that every son and mother shares in common. In “Things fall Apart”, there are uncountable “religion-related”scenes that illustrate people feeling catharsis and mental “connection” towards others. For example, all of the villagers go against Okonkwo when he committed a crime that opposes with the tribe’s religion. Although Okonkwo had the physical power to fight against them, he does not resist. This proves that there is some kind of religious empathy within the people that is more powerful than a sword. To a son, his mother’s love is the strongest power which enables him to do anything. While his mother seems weak on the outside, the power of the bond that her sons share together is incomparable to that of a man’s plain physical ability. In Joseon’s case, it was the same except “religion” was replaced by “nationalism”. The common spirit of Koreans was underestimated by the Japanese. They thought that the concept of “nation” did not exist in Joseon’s caste system. Unfortunately it was not enough, but this enabled Joseon to get closer to independence. Also seen from the comparison between Joseon, Achebe insists that an immobilized colony should integrate the people by using the ideology of nationalism that are inherent deep inside of them. Mahatma Ghandi and BaekBum KimKu are the few who have succeeded in doing this. “Motherland” is an instrument that the writer used in order to infer that the theme is racialism since these two are both unbreakable mental bonds. Thus, this is the way that Okonkwo should have taken. But even after exile years, he still doesn’t fully believe in “Motherland.” Later, he hangs himself, which makes Achebe’s assertion seem more significant and persuasive.

“Take a leaf out of a wise man’s book.” Countries that succeeded in this thus having integrated their people with a strong bond must have been able to break out of colonialism. But none were successful, thus almost none ceased the colonial years with their own power. Now, it is the time to carefully read the wise man’s book, “Things Fall Apart.” Perhaps the bond, the racial spirit that the North and the South shared as a son of a same mother may do the trick.