Magic in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Magic exists from the time of primitive societies. It has been transmitted from generation to generation until this day. The motive behind magic comprises is a great desire to harm opponents, friends and relatives. In this paper I would like to highlight magic and its impact on the victims, taking Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart. I have chosen this novel for purpose as it, because it reflects what actually inspired in Nigerian societies and Achebe has used authentic stories to reflect the real practice of magic among primitive people. Civilized citizens neither practice magic nor believe in it. The most powerful example of magic in the novel is when a man wanted to sell his goat at the market. He tied the goat it with a rope and pulled it behind him, but a thief cut the rope and tied a log of wood to replace the goat. The man realized something amiss when people started looking and laughing even though he didn't feel under the influence of magic. Suddenly upon looking back and discovering he had been pulling a log instead of his goat he became quiet angry. Magic is famous all across the globe, but not all people believe in its existence. In backwards societies they practiced it as a very natural daily activity. Sometimes magic is even used on animals some African tribes use magic to prevent calves from sucking their mothers' teats. Magic is practiced everywhere, it may disguise itself in different ways, and eventually transformed into a phenomenon, but educated people do not deal with it and despise those who practiced it. Primitive societies had strongly believed in magic, and avoided completing any task without the use of magic. However educated citizens believed the rational explanation of anything and everything includes the existence of magic in the eyes of the beholders. People have different perceptions about magic as ithas different connotations for everyone. Therefore one explanation is not adequate to demonstrate encapsulate the essence of magic. Magic is a word that bears many definitions. For example according to Merriam-Webster, magic is ?a power that allows people (such as witches and wizards) to do impossible things by saying special words or performing special actions?.