“Thing Fall Apart” can extended myth, but also is the fiction and history. In this book, it describes an autobiography of the main character Okonkwo; it also suggests the historical background of Africa in 19th century. Therefore, according to Professor Webb’s theory of myth, I agree with her opinion, and I think it is truth.
Myth is a sacred story concerning the origins of the world or how the world and the creatures in it came to have their present form. The active begins in myth are generally gods and heroes. Myths often are said to take place before recorded history begins. In saying that a myth is a sacred narrative, what is mean is that a myth is believed to be true by people who attach religious or spiritual significance to it. The novel “Thing Fall Apart” is a story that portrays the collision of African and European cultures in people’s lives. Okonkwo, a great man in Igbo traditional society, cannot adapt to the profound changes brought about by British colonial rule. Yet, as in classic tragedy, Okonkwo’s downfall results from his own character as well as from external forces.
As a story about a culture on the verge of change, Thing Fall Apart deals with how the prospect and reality of change affect various characters. The tension about whether change should be privileged over tradition often involves questions of personal status. Okonkwo, for example, resists the new political and religious orders because he feels that they are note manly and that he will not be manly if he consents to join or even tolerate them. To some extent, Okonkwo’s resistance of cultural change is also due to his fear of losing societal status. His sense of self-worth is dependent upon the traditional standards by which society judges him. This system of evaluating the self inspires many of the clan’s outcasts to embrace Christianity. Long scorned, there outcasts find in the Christian value system a refuge from the Igbo cultural values that place them below everyone else. In...