ENG140Y1 Lecture Notes - Chinua Achebe, Western People, Eurocentrism
Document Summary
Why does things fall apart end with the perspective of the district. The novel ends with the perspective of the district commissioner in order to convey to the reader the racist and inhuman nature of colonialism. This conclusion affects the novel as a whole because it trivializes the struggles of okonkwo, his village and the entire cultural heritage of africa. The concluding paragraphs in achebe"s novel, things fall apart", display the racism and bigotry of the western colonialists. This is made clear through several instances in the final chapter of the novel. The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself would make interesting reading. One could almost write a whole chapter on him. Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph, at any rate. (achebe 208-209). The commissioner intends to write a book documenting the ibo culture. He is unaware, and likely uninterested in knowing the full story of okonkwo"s life.
