Change Alone Is Unchanging

Change Alone Is Unchanging

Throughout time, the only constant in life has been change. If man is going to survive in this world, he must accept one fact: change is inevitable. The novel Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, depicts this theme by presenting change to obstinate, conventional characters. The success of the characters in the novel depends on their ability to accept and adapt to the changes they must face. The novel examines the theme first by presenting a change, and then by examining characters’ reactions to the change.
Change is presented in Things Fall Apart mainly by the introduction of Christian and European influences. The strangers introduce new beliefs, techniques, and lifestyles to the Ibo people. By establishing ideas that are “against [Ibo] custom,” the foreigners force the villagers of Umuofia to question their accepted beliefs and practices (170). The Christians denounce Ibo beliefs, such as polytheism and the exile of the osu; as a result, the Ibo people must adapt to the beliefs imposed upon them. The outsiders also bring with them new ways of living, such as a police force and judicial system; such changes to the Ibo lifestyle shock and confuse the Ibo people, as any type of change may distress a community. In addition to the introduction of foreign elements that incur change, sometimes the characters in the novel stumble upon change by way of their own actions. When Okonkwo kills Ezeudu’s son and is sent into exile, he cannot accept the change in his life and becomes “bowed with grief” (110). This sort of change, brought upon by one’s own actions and choices, represents the inevitability of change in life.
The Ibo people deal with the changes presented in Things Fall Apart in two ways: they either accept the change and try to adapt, or they become fearful and try to prevent it. When Christian and European lifestyles are introduced, those who adjust to the changes find they are not as troubled when, as the title of the novel suggests,...