Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian author and poet who wrote a trilogy, Things Fall Apart (1958), No Longer at Ease (1960), and Arrow of God (1964). These three books follow the lives of a family and community in Africa and are compelling. They look at generational changes and priority shifts as the community tries to survive in a context under change. I really enjoyed these three books that together provide a journey through time, families, communities, and emotions. The trilogy presents an interesting look at colonizing Africa and the role of missionaries on one level and the lives of individuals on another. The imagery is wonderful and the balance of the old traditions and those practiced by the missionaries and colonial powers is well done. Although the narrative has some very time- and place-specific reference points, there was a universality to the story.
It always amazes me to see how myopic people are when it comes to their belief system, whether religious or traditional or otherwise based in its own perspective. In this story each village has their own set of rules and beliefs, even though they believe in the same gods. The arrival of the Christian missionaries and their churches was disconcerting to people. Some of the missionaries tried to relate to people, to understand the traditions, while others either ridiculed or dismissed the traditional beliefs. On the other side, the Africans were similarly dismissive and critical of Christian beliefs and, after all, they did not ask for conversion from their own traditional beliefs. It was great to see that some people on both sides of the divide were willing to talk and try to understand each other. But, as we have just seen in our recent election, the certainty of being right is still alive and well today.
On the individual level, the differences between people and in their willingness to impose violence in response to sins or crimes or deviations from accepted behavior are also apparent today. Some people are aggressive in enforcing and defining “right” and “wrong” and do not open their minds to understand other perspectives. The main character, Okonkwo, was more aggressive than others in his community – in every way. He beat his wives and children, advocated going to war, and felt the need to compensate for the fact that his father was perceived as a weak man, who did not work hard and who liked to have fun. Okonkwo’s son took after his grandfather in some ways, creating tension and leading to his son joining the missionaries.
The sense of belonging was a key component of the story. The missionaries grew their ranks by reaching out to those who were not accepted by the tribal society. Okonkwo, after committing a crime, had to leave his village for 7 years – his family went to his mother’s village, which had different rules and priorities. He never felt that he “belonged” at his mother’s village, yet when he returned to his village he found that he no longer felt he belonged there – things had changed. The treatment and view of women was troubling. The references to anything “weak” or “peace-loving” as being feminine was unfortunate. Yet, even today there are men/societies who feel this way. I wish we could get beyond that, but it will probably be some time before such views can be eradicated! Still, it made certain parts of the story a bit tiresome for me to read.
In No Longer at Ease, we follow Okonkwo’s son who studied in England and then returned to his village in Africa. Obi is a sensitive young man who confronts many challenging situations. Although he tries to be a good man, he ends up making some poor decisions and falls in with the corrupt elements in the village. His love life does not fare well either, as the woman he loves is an outcast and not accepted by his family.
Arrow of God follows the life of a chief priest who leads his community as they try to please their gods and live productive lives, while trying to figure out how to deal with colonization of their lands by the British. Ezuelu is a generation removed from Okonkwo, the main character in Things Fall Apart, but is in the same setting. Like Okonkwo, he had dealings with the missionaries and other white men who were coming in greater numbers to the African continent. Both stories focus on trying to balance traditional views with the new Christian views. As in the first book, the Christians took advantage of opportunities to draw people to their flock and made people question their traditional beliefs.
One aspect of the story I found to be interesting is how detrimental pride can be if taken too far. Both Ezuelu and Winterbottom (the head of the colonial powers in the area) were overconfident in their abilities and didn’t look at the potential consequences. They both felt that they knew best and did not need to listen to the ideas or perspectives of others. This led to the downfall of both men and fomented distrust among their people. This parallel story was juxtaposed against the broader story in which the Africans were losing their land/lives and the British were gaining land/resources. In the first book, the colonization of the region resulted in disruption of lives and traditions. In this book, the focus was on the “normalizing” of the British presence. The British had courts and jails, churches and businesses. They drew people off the farm and into other workplaces. The British took advantage of their ability to read and write and to access capital and resources. They found ways to dominate the economy and force people to join “their side”. This transition was confusing – should Ezuelu try to make peace/appease or fight?
Friendship and loyalty were important components of this story. Knowing who to trust and who will tell you the truth is critical when weighing options and finding ways to lead people. During such confusing and complicated times, the ability to consult others and trust that they share priorities and goals can help one find the best path forward. Leadership is not easy and good leadership is hard to achieve.
The trilogy featured complex characters with a mix of traits – good and bad. Despite the differences in culture and life options, I could understand these characters, or at least relate to some of their experiences. The writing was wonderfully descriptive and it was enlightening to consider both (or in some cases, multiple) sides of a disagreement or pending change. To be open-minded, it’s important to be able put yourself in someone else’s shoes – this story can help the reader do that.
