Things fall apart rapidly in the last four chapters of Achebe’s
novel. Slowly but surely, subtle hints throughout these chapters foreshadow the
destruction of the Umuofian tribe. In chapter twenty, Obierika reveals the ugly
truth to Okonkwu that the white man has “put a knife on the things that held
[them] together” and that the tribe has, indeed, “fallen apart”. (pg.176) Later
in chapter twenty-one, Okonkwo began to “mourn for the clan” when he finally
saw for himself that it was “breaking up” (pg.183). The reader can feel the
story’s abrupt shift from minor events, to extremely influential ones. This
shocking transition makes the reader feel as if they were a part of the clan
themselves, and have been hit with the element of surprise just like the people
of Umuofia. The novel is cleverly written in third- person omniscient to show
every aspect of the conquest, the side of the white men and the side of the
native Umuofians.
Okonkwo was a man that only knew one way: the way of his tribe.
When men disturbed his village and forced change onto his people, it was not
unexpected to find his body "dangling "from a tree (pg.207). The
reader is told of this in the last chapter of the book, and it is discussed
only for about five chapters. When Okonkwo dies, the tribe's old traditions and
ceremonies die with him. He was the last person to be unwavering in protection
towards Umuofia; as he fell, so did the clan.
Achebe concludes his novel with the thoughts of the Commissioner.
He is planning on writing a book about "bringing civilization to different
parts of Africa"(pg.208). The title of the white man's book would be
"The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger",
which is very ironic because in order to obtain their so-called "pacification",
the white men had to create war and hatred between the Umuofians (pg.209). The
end of a pure culture that lasted thousands of years marked the beginning of a
newer, more controlled society.
