Essay on Themes and Symbols in 'Things Fall Apart'

In the book, Things Fall Apart, the author, Chinua Achebe, embedded many traits of the Nigerian Ibo people. Achebe blended an abundance of themes to create a detailed characterization of the primitive clan of Umofia. Two powerful themes presented in this novel include parallelisms and gender roles.

Parallelisms

Within Things Fall Apart, there were numerous examples of parallelisms. The religion and government of the Umofian people shared similarities with religious and governmental practices from other countries.

Parallelisms in Religion. The religion of Umofia resembled both Judaism and Christianity. The people of Umofia submitted sacrifices and prayers to their gods and goddesses. These sacrifices which included food items and animals were brought in order to receive blessings upon them and their families and to reap a bountiful harvest in the upcoming year. Sacrifices and prayers were also offered after wrongdoing in order to pay a debt to the gods. These acts took place in early Judaism as well. The ancient Jews offered sacrifices for sin and prayed to their god for the same reasons as the people of Umofia. Their gifts were often comprised of food items or animals such as bulls, rams, goats, lambs, or birds.

Another practice that was prevalent in the Umofian religion and Judaism was the offering of the first fruits to the gods. For the Umofians, this offering meant giving the absolute best of the initial crop at the very beginning of the harvest season. It was presented to the gods in order to be blessed with a bountiful harvest season. In ancient Israel, the Jews were instructed to bring the first fruits of their harvest to the temple as a contribution to their god.

The Umofian people, much like the Jews, had religious leaders. The citizens of Umofia had religious leaders such as the “Oracle of the Hills and the Caves” (Achebe, 16), the priestess, and the masked spirits. The Oracle, Agbala, was consulted by members of the clan when they experienced difficulties, wished to speak with their deceased loved ones, or had questions about their futures. The masked spirits were religious leaders who served as the justice system. Although Judaism is monotheistic, there are accounts of leaders such as prophets and priests who devoted their lives to serving their god and working in the temple. Moses and Aaron provide a biblical example of a Jewish prophet and priest team. God spoke directly to Moses, and Moses delivered the messages to the Israelites through his brother Aaron, the priest.

Like many other religions, the Umofians and the Jews believed in evil spirits. For example, when a baby died, the Umofian population adhered to the idea that the baby was possessed by an evil spirit. However, it was possible to evict an evil spirit. Since Akwonko’s daughter, Ezinma, was often sick and had been near death, the clan felt that she had been born with an evil spirit. One evening, Chielo, the priestess, carried Ezinma to Agbala, and an exorcism was performed in order to cast the evil spirit out of her. This compares markedly to the Christian belief that people are very capable of being possessed by demons, but through

prayer, the evil spirits can be cast out of an individual. One particular narrative was set in a cemetery and told about a man who was possessed by an immense number of demons.

Matthew’s recollection informed us of the outcome of this situation:

28 And when he came to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.

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32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea and perished in the waters.

33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils (King James Bible, Matt. 8: 28-33).

Parallelisms in Government. Parallelisms are also prevalent in the government of Umofia and the United States of America. For example, Umofia had nine masked spirits that served as justices for their judicial system. Cases are brought to these justices in order for them to analyze and interpret them to the best of their ability. The verdict for the case in the novel went against the man known for beating his wife. Since Okonkwo would not agree with this outcome, it can be inferred that the decision does not have to be unanimous. The United States Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, consists of nine federal justices. They make decisions based on their interpretation of the law. As in Umofia, the Supreme Court’s rulings are based on the opinion of the majority and do not have to be unanimous.

Another similarity between the two governments emerged after Umofia began to undergo the colonization process. When the Christian church was burned, some of the Umofian men were imprisoned. The District Commander served as a judge and brought in twelve of his men to function as the jury to convict the men of the clan. In the United States, everyone is entitled to be tried by a jury (US Const. amend. XI). A judge generally presides over the trial while a jury of twelve citizens decides whether the defendant is innocent or guilty.

A common practice with the Umofian people was carrying out punishment for crimes that had been committed. For example, when Okonkwo accidentally killed a boy from the clan with his rifle, he was exiled from Umofia for seven years. The Jews also carried out punishment for crimes. For example, the Jewish leaders became extremely angry with Stephen’s message and his belief that Jesus was indeed the promised messiah, so they ordered that he be stoned to death (King James Bible, Acts 7: 54-59).

Gender roles

Achebe divulged specific duties of the people in the Umofian clan. Males and females were assigned certain jobs. These gender roles appeared in their religion as well as their culture.

Gender Roles in Religion. In Umofia, gender roles were a relevant component of religion. For example, the Achebe mentions that the Umofians had gods and goddesses from whom the people usually requested guidance. They prayed and sacrificed to these religious entities first because they did not want to anger Chuckwu, their highest-ranking god.

The religious leaders in the Umofian clan were men and women. For example, the nine masked spirits and high-ranking elders who led the clansmen in their religious practices were men. They also had priestesses. A priestess was a woman who had direct contact with a god or goddess and spoke their messages to the people. For example, Chielo was the priestess for the Oracle. She came and took Ezinma from her family in the middle of the night in order to help overcome her illness. Chielo took Ezinma inside a cave in order to meet directly with the Oracle in order to drive out the evil spirit and attain healing.

Gender Roles in Culture. Gender roles played a huge part in the culture of the Umofian people. In Umofia, men and women had dramatically different responsibilities. For example, men and women did not even grow the same crops. Men grew yams while “... they [women] grew crops such as coco-yams, beans, and cassava” (Achebe, 22-23). One reason for this was that yams were their main form of sustenance. The yams were grown in extensive numbers on very large farms in order to feed the entire clan. Farming the yams meant providing well for the family; therefore, that chore was favored by the men. However, both men and women were important to the daily operations of the group.

The men of the clan also contributed to the prosperity of the clan. The men were the warriors and the governing body. When trouble arose or tensions with another clan mounted, the men were ready to fight. Nine of the men in the clan served as the nine masked justices for Umofia’s court system. They instructed the boys about the importance of hard work. For example, when Okonkwo needed the roof of his obi thatched, he called upon Ikemefuna and Nwoye to assist him. The men participated in the education of the boys as they aged. Fathers told war stories to spark their sons’ interest in fighting battles. Men in this culture were expected to be strong leaders in their families and within the clan.

Although Achebe’s words portray women to be weak, they were actually a key to the success of the Umofian culture. Even though the women did not tend to participate the intensive farming, they had many obligations. Women cared for and educated the children. They taught their young ones lessons and morals through storytelling. Mothers trained their children to know the day-to-day operations of their homes and made sure they had the resources they needed. Women were also in charge of cooking the meals. For every meal of the day, each man’s wife had to prepare enough food to feed themselves, their children, and their husband. The services performed by these women proved their strength and value.

Conclusion

Based on the information in this novel, parallelism, and gender roles are crucial to the operation of the Umofian clan. Achebe addressed parallelisms through religion and government. Gender roles were shown in the areas of religion and culture. Altogether, many characteristics of the Umofian clan were affirmed through the parallelisms and gender roles accentuated in Things Fall Apart.