In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, cultural elements slowly evolve throughout the novel, and some aspects are significantly changed toward the end. More specifically, I want to focus on how the food and dances/rituals of the Igbo clans change throughout the novel. In the first section, Achebe describes the ritual of the egwugwu. The egwugwu here are revered as the representatives of the spirits of the culture; they are respected and feared:
“Everyone looked in the direction of the egwugwu house.... Then came the voices of the egwugwu, guttural and awesome. The wave struck the women and children and there was a backward stampede. But it was momentary. They were already far enough where they stood and there was room for running away if any of the egwugwu should go towards them” (88).
After Christian missionaries have penetrated the area and spread their beliefs, however, the egwugwu are challenged by a zealous convert in section three. They are no longer seen as the important forces that they once were:
“Some of their men had gone out to beg the egwugwu to retire for a short while for the women to pass. They agreed and were already retiring when Enoch boasted aloud that they would not dare touch a Christian.... Enoch fell on him and tore off his mask. The other egwugwu immediately surrounded their desecrated companion.... Enoch had killed an ancestral spirit, and Umuofia was thrown into confusion” (186).
Similarly, the food culture subtly changes from the beginning of the novel to the end. The European models of commerce that white settlers bring to the area change the value of food. Rather than being used solely for sustenance or ceremonial purposes, food is now viewed as a valuable commodity:
“The white man had indeed brought a lunatic religion, but he had also built a trading store and for the first time palm-oil and kernel became things of great price, and much money flowed into Umuofia” (178).
These are just two ways Achebe illustrates the tremendous cultural changes in Umuofia.
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