Fractured Traditions and the Tragedy of Colonial Encounter in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is a profound narrative of cultural conflict, tragic heroism, and the collapse of indigenous structures under colonial intrusion. By re-centering African perspectives, Achebe challenges colonial stereotypes and articulates the complexity of Igbo society prior to European conquest. Okonkwo, the novel's central figure, embodies both the strengths and contradictions of a traditional world destabilized by external forces and internal tensions. His downfall mirrors the fragmentation of Umuofia as European missionaries and administrators impose new religious, judicial, and political systems. Through close textual analysis, this study examines major themes such as masculinity, tradition, spirituality, community, and the violent intersections of cultures. Ultimately, this paper argues that Things Fall Apart functions not merely as a postcolonial response but also as a tragic narrative illustrating the universal consequences of cultural misunderstanding and rigid adherence to inflexible ideologies.