Igbo Folklore in Things Fall Apart
Throughout Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, many lessons are taught and many stories told. Over the course of the novel, Achebe inserts smaller stories which are the folktales of Igbo society. The folktales connect to their place in the novel, and give the reader a sense of what Igbo values are. Achebe includes five folktales throughout the course of the story. They are: The Vulture and the Sky, Mosquito and the Ear, Leaves and the Snake-Lizard, How Tortoise Got His Bumpy Shell, and Mother Kite and Daughter Kite. Each story has its own meaning, and its own reason for being in the story. The stories are powerful, and Achebe uses their power to captivate the reader.
Though, it is important to note that none of the stories appear after the missionaries arrive. If the folktales represent the perseverance of Igbo culture, the missionaries are the force that drives it back. Just as the people stop practicing their original Igbo religion and switch to christianity, the folktales also stop. Achebe portrays this amazingly. It represents a cultural shift of the Igbo people. Okonknwo does not participate, but it is clear in the novel that the tide is slowly changing. The folktales that are told in Things Fall Apart usually come from an older person to their children. Ekwefi tells the story Enzinma. Folktales, like Igbo proverbs, enhance the language that is so greatly respected. If one can tell a good story, they are regarded as wise, and a good orator. Achebe also uses folktales to help get the story across. They represent larger, real life stories, but are hidden in the folklore of Igbo people. The folktales often times represent the invasion of colonizers into the Igbo society. Colonizers are portrayed as greedy, and abusive of their power. One of the strongest examples of this representation, is the folktale "How Tortoise Got His Bumpy Shell." In the tale the colonizers are the Tortoise and the Igbo people are the welcoming Birds. |