Kashish Singh

Mr. Lundstrom
English Language Arts 10 H
17 August 2015
The Effects of Status and Imperialism
In the story Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Imperialism is something that comes
very late in the book but comes very forceful and brutally once in place. Through the act of
sending Christian missionaries to this strange land to slowly create a following all the way to
bringing soldiers and their own government, invoked a strong sense that these people were
slowly using imperialism to establish Englands takeover of Africa. It was something that
progressed over a period of a few years but was abrupt to the proud tribes that lived there. And
by establishing their own rule they slowly began to take over the land while putting themselves
as the superior group while having a low opinion of the natives.
So how exactly does status play a part in Things Fall Apart? Well to our main character
Okonkwo, status and titles were very much an important thing to both him and his people.
During the beginning it was well established that he was a man who became an important person
through his own hard work and skills that brought him to where he is now. He didnt really have
a high regard for those who he considered to be poor or lazy nor did he express much but he did
have a very strong sense of being and character. He was one of the bigger members of his
community and was important enough to act as one of their deities during their ceremonies. And
then things slowly began to occur.
After his banishment from the village, the second part of the book really points out what
it is to be a man in these societies and how people based their lives heavily on what happened

around them. Okonkwo was a proud person who held himself up to his societys standards as a
great wrestler and warrior but when he was banished he now had to face a new life with his
family. Now things such as titles and statuses didnt really mean much but more so how to
uphold ones self. It was based more on culture and what happens in their own homes rather than
in just society when it comes to their chi and family gods. But of course striving too much for
things such as status or trophies can lead down a bad path for someone.
In the final part the proud culture and traditions of Okonkwos people no longer mattered
as time went by and instead more and more follow Christianity and turned against their own
people. New titles and statuses were more reserved for the missionaries and men who paid the
most to the new government and church. It was something that wasnt really earned anymore and
this was difficult since Okonkwo still followed his own way of living like he used to in the past.
Of course this eventually led to him killing a messenger when they interfered in an important
meeting in the village and he ended up hanging himself. All of the titles and statuses meant
nothing in the end to people who considered these natives to be inferior to them. As readers we
got to see what sort of person to Okonkwo was and in the end the District Commissioner stated
that this man would be good for only a paragraph in a very racist book.
At the end of the day, the status, titles, trophies, etc. in Things Fall Apart were very
important in Okonkwos world just as they are in different societies today. In western countries
status comes from how high you are on the social ladder or for what you are famously known for
but not really what you do as an everyday person or how you act. Whereas in other societies like
in India, things such as family and social status are a very important thing in ones culture and
life so those traits are used to uphold ones status rather than fame or social position. Humans will
always place ones selves at a certain place in society whether it be someone as influential as a

president or someone as common as an average citizen. Our status in society can usually shape
the way we live for the rest of our lives both in a negative or positive way as we are constantly
being judged for what we do and dont do. It was the same in Okonkwos time period, and it is
still the same in ours.