The Theme Of Tradition In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of tradition is “an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (such as a religious practice or a social custom)” On the contrary, the listed definition of change is “to undergo transformation, transition, or substitution.”  The book, Things Fall Apart, sees a constant struggle between tradition and change. The story follows Okonkwo and his village Umuofia, as they battled the challenges of British political and religious colonialism. As the British settled in, and spread their way of life, the old beliefs and traditions of the village were left behind. Okonkwo keeps his heart set on the traditions of his village, but as the British continue to succeed, he is disfavored with everyone else. Okonkwo’s stubbornness and pride against change creates a conflict between him and his village. If Okonkwo had allowed change to happen, yet not let it take complete control over his cultural traditions, it would have enabled him to see life out of a new, brighter light.

The first word used to describe change was “transformation.” Okonkwo and the Umuofia village go through a succession of changes throughout the book. In chapter 13 of the book, Okonkwo accidentally kills a clansman during a ceremony, and is banned for seven years. Okonkwo accepts this first transformation because it is the tradition in his village to do so. During the seven years of Okonkow’s banishment, the British government moved in. After his years of banishment, he returns to his village. The British had settled down and had converted most to their way of life. Okonkwo’s narrow mindset didn’t allow him to see why they had changed, he only saw that they abandoned their traditions. He tells the people, “Now he [The British] has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart” (176). This shows how his single-eyed point of view prevented him from accepting how things were, and not how he wanted them to be. The transformation of the village was immediately changed when the British arrived, it took them time to adapt to the new change but in time, they grew used to it. Okonkwo on the other hand didn’t allow himself to be transformed into the new way of life, and was blinded by his view of the past.

“Transition” is the next word the Merriam-Webster Dictionary uses to describe change. There were many ways that the book showed transitions between Okonkwo and his experiences with the British, and even with his village. As the British missionaries were trying to settle down in their new land, they needed a place to start. At the time the village was not too keen on the white men staying with them so they decided to get rid of them by giving them a spot in Mbanta’s Evil Forest. They were expected to die within four days, but when they had survived they gained their first three converts to their religion. People started making the transition to the new religion as time went on and the British survived. They were given twenty-eight more days to live in the forest, and when they were still there after that the number of converts grew enormously. Though not all of the villagers made the transition. One experience of this was from the first woman to join the religion, Nneka, who had already had four previous births all of which were twins and cast out. She once again was with child, and her husband Amadi wasn’t hopeful. The book says, “Her husband and his family were already becoming highly critical of such a woman and were not unduly perturbed when they found she had fled to join the Christians. It was a good riddance” (151). Okonkwo’s oldest son Nwoye transitioned to the new religion and left when Okonkwo attacked him for it. Okonkwo was blinded once again by his view of tradition and led away one of his sons. He didn’t give the new religion or new life a chance of his own and failed to make the transition with everyone else, making it more challenging for him when he came out of banishment into a changed new world.

The third and final describing word for change is, “substitution.” Okonkwo uses substitution in many different ways throughout the book. Okonkwo’s father Unoka, was a lazy man that never did anything for himself and always owed others. The book describes him as he was, “In his day he was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow… Unnoka was, of course, a debtor, and he owed every neighbor some money, from a few cowries to quite substantial amounts” (4). Okonkwo was ashamed of the sluggish life that his father lived and vowed in anger to never be like him. He found different ways to substitute his anger and take it out on others. He substituted Nwoye, his eldest son, with his anger calling him weak and lazy like his father. He also used it against his wives and would beat them whenever they would make a slight mistake. Though he could easily substitute someone else for his anger, he was unable to substitute embracing a new way of life for his honor and pride.