Achebe, Chinua
Monarch Notes
01-01-1963
Interpretations Of Things Fall Apart
There are four levels on which Things Fall Apart can be read and
interpreted: (1) the plot line; (2) Okonkwo's tragedy; (3) the impact of the
white man on a specific African society; and (4) the universal effect of
cultural change.
(1) The plot line.
This is the simplest level of interpretation, though all other levels
depend upon it. What is involved in this reading of the text is purely an
understanding of what actions take place in the novel.
Strictly speaking, as indicated previously, there is a difference between
story and plot. The story is a recounting of a sequence of events while the
plot is the ...