What is the major theme of this novel? Why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2014? What can we learn or gain from the author's message?

The message and story of the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe revolve around the major theme of the struggle with change of culture.  In Okonkwo’s village Igbo the traditional structure and systems of the culture are there for survival, peace before violence, dowries, food, religion, and social status.   Okonkwo made his name in a ‘male’ culture where bravery, shows of strength and superior masculinity is valued.  When he is exiled he struggles with the ‘womanly’ nature of the culture of Mbantu and lives there anxious to return to his ‘manly’ tribe.  The new influences of the Christians and Western culture on the villages of Umuofia bring new techniques and understandings that make survival easier and some traditions obsolete.  Okonkwo is shocked to discover that his own ‘manly’ village has been influenced by the Westerners and become ‘womanly’.  He is fears the shift and commits suicide as he is the only one who understands the old culture and ways.  Accepting the new culture means that his actions, beatings and especially the killing of his foster child will no longer be justified.

As teenagers in 2014 the opportunity for globalisation and thus exposure to many cultures is more accessible than ever.  As a new adult the doors are open for change of a personal culture and being stuck in a monocultured world may not be sufficient anymore.

The message Achebe is trying to tell us is that as cultures mix there will always be complications, it will be a battle to adjust, especially if the culture is old and engrained.  Cultures change, sometimes dramatically as new technologies are invented or slowly over time as new challenges enter the culture.  A culture must be able to grow and adapt to survive, if not it would be like an Elizabethan speaking Shakespearean amongst our modern English, it wouldn’t last.