After viewing the feminist perspective and postcolonial perspective, I believe I am going to use a postcolonial lens for Things Fall apart by Chinua Achebe. Although the feminist view is interesting, I am more intrigued in the idea of postcolonialism.
Postcolonial ideas tend to revolve around a cultures “hegemony- that is, its dominant values, sense of right and wrong, and sense of personal self-worth”. Most cultures prescribe a hegemony and all the people are consciously and unconsciously asked to follow it. Postcolonial theory comes into existence only after colonization occurs and the people have had time to think and then to write about their oppression and loss of cultural identity. One major concern in postcolonialism is “the struggle that occurs when one culture is dominated by another”. This is evident in Things Fall Apart; the Ibo culture was subjected to this lower position in society, being dominated and having the other culture act superior. In my essay I will talk about the social inequality and how the people are subjected to their social norm throughout the novel.
