Existentialism in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay

Existentialism in Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe presents his audience with an interesting twist to a contemporary school of thought in his work Things Fall Apart. This post-colonization narrative incorporates several traits that revolt against normative philosophic systems and tralititious theories and beliefs of the existence of man and his place in the universe. Achebes efforts are characterized by a small diverse group of writers that purge realizations of predestination, and instead define mans existence by identifying his independent choices throughout the life course. Achebes style, although peculiar in one sense, can be defined in relation to the school of philosophic thought known as existentialism.†¦show more content†¦As defined in The American Heritage College Dictionary, existentialism emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards existnece as unexplainable, and stresses free choice and responsibility for ones actions. Exis tentialism is personalized from other schools of thought by its embodiment of three important criterion; 1) the emphasis of the individual as the centerpoint of his domain; 2) an accentuation of human choice and freedom; and, 3) a critique of social norm and its aim for individuals to congregate as merely part of a herd. These three standards of action are present in all works defined as existential, and are absorbed in Achebes Things Fall Apart. The focus of the individual is prominent in Things Fall Apart, a tale of an almost anti-social being in a world dominated by change. Achebes main character, Okonkwo, is the window to the dramatization of social, economic, and political change of the nation known as Nigeria. The focus of the narrative is the struggle of a strong and well respected individual to maintain his own life course, and to differentiate this outcome from the end result of his lethargic fathers life. The story embodies the ideal of embracing the individuals goals and aspirations to yield an outcome