Achebe, Chinua: 1930 -2013

Things Fall Apart, 1958 - Thematic Parallels: Cultural Identity

Achebe, Chinua: Things Fall Apart, 1958, ~200pp
The novel explores themes of cultural clash, identity, and the tragic consequences of resistance to change.
The following books are thematically simliar. Having read Things Fall Apart, these texts lend themselves well to being read in groups, compared with one another, or used to teach a similar topic over an extended period with a class:
- Adichie, Chimamanda: Purple Hibiscus, 2003, ~300pp
  The novel explores how silence, violence, and authoritarian control shape the lives, while also highlighting the hope and transformation that come from experiencing new forms of love, belief, and self-expression.
  Achebe's as well as Adichie's novels highlight how colonialism disrupts indigenous life, though Achebe shows the beginning of this disruption, while Adichie shows its lingering psychological and sociopolitical effects.
- George, Jessica: Maame, 2023, ~380pp
  This novel follows a young British-Ghanaian woman as she navigates family obligations and cultural identity, highlighting the complexities of belonging and self-discovery within a multicultural context.
  While "Things Fall Apart" is set in colonial Nigeria and "Maame" is set in modern-day London, both novels explore the tension between individual identity and societal pressures.
- Morrison, Toni: Tar Baby, 1981, ~300pp
  This novel examines the tension between assimilation and cultural heritage, set against a backdrop of contrasting locations like the Caribbean and Paris.
  "Things Fall Apart" and "Tar Baby" explore displacement, fractured identity, and the consequences of cultural upheaval. Morrison and Achebe each ask: What does it mean to belong? And what is lost when a people—or a person—abandons or is severed from their roots?
- Thomas, Angie: The Hate U Give, 2017, ~440pp
  The novel explores themes of racism, police brutality, identity, and activism.
  "Things Fall Apart" and "The Hate U Give" explore how individuals and communities respond to powerful external forces that threaten their identity, culture, and safety. "Things Fall Apart" addresses these themes in a historical, colonial context, whereas "The Hate U Give" engages with them in the current social and racial climate in the U.S. Despite their different settings, both highlight resilience, the complexity of identity, and the importance of standing up to injustice.
List of general discussion questions on cultural identity (pdf)
List of essay prompts on cultural identity (pdf)