Sunday, February 1, 2015
The Entrance of Race in Things Fall Apart
Throughout my reading of Things Fall Apart, one aspect of the novel which has been missing for me is race. Although I as a reader know that the people seen in Things Fall Apart are not white, up to this point, race seems to be a nonissue in the novel. However beginning on page 74, the separation between the races is seen when Obierika tells a story about the white men. When Obierika says, "'and these white men, they say, have no toes'" (74). This quote strikes a cord in me, especially the connection that it brings to Achebe's "Image of Africa". Just as Achebe criticized Conrad for his racist handling of the depiction of Africans in the Heart of Darkness, it seems that Achebe is also promoting stereotypical views of the races in Things Fall Apart. Although it is to a lesser degree, it still surprises me that the white man is depicted in this manner. Perhaps, the entrance of the white man in the novel at this point marks the time when things really do begin to fall apart for Okonkwo.
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Zander, I think you make an excellent point. I think Achebe excludes race for the most part for a couple of reasons. The first being to essentuate the African culture before the European culture began to influence the African. Without the European influence, the novel portrays the natural African culture for what it is, not from an exaggerated view point by either a pro-European or pro-African side. I also think Achebe does this to highlight how the arrival of Europeans will influence the Igbo people (I'm assuming this is what will happen). I also like your thinking on how the title of the novel will relate to the arrival of Europeans.
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