How does Things Fall Apart conform to, or deviate from, the conventions of a particular genre, and for what purpose?

' Things Fall Apart ' by Chinua Achebe, diverts from the stereotypical expectation of a fiction genre based novel. Instead Achebe integrates the genre of 'realist fiction' throughout his novel, in doing so, it assists in the creation of a rich novel. Through the use of realist fiction, it allows the readers the capability to draw their own thoughts and conclusions about the novel, by doing so Achebe presents the lives of the Igbo society through the lens of realist fiction, he is able to highlight certain aspects of our contemporary lives such as social and political events. Alongside that, Achebe is capable of depicting both the worlds of the Igbo society, and the European colonizers.

Through Achebe presenting his novel in a non bias form, not only does it allow the readers to uphold a true perspective of both the Igbo society and the European colonizers but also it displays the truth. The truth of how they were colonized by the Europeans and had their core, which is their culture and traditions be stripped away from them. Hence, Achebe desired to portray the Igbo society in such a way. The novel contains bits and pieces of various traditions and values that are deeply held close by the Igbo society, like the singing of certain songs and telling folktales. These traditions are held similarly throughout contents, the only difference being that they all uphold various meanings. For example in the novel on page 44 when Ikemefuna makes his way towards his death he sings a song to himself, he believes that the song will assist him in controlling his fear and facing his current situation. Additionally throughout the novel the mention of gender inequality is present on various occasions. The Igbo people believe that the men should be the ones who obtain all the power, and with that power comes other factors in which the men are privileged to. Gender inequality is an issue that is still present today in the 21^st century and is treasured and valued by numerous countries. These two examples present the realities in which Achebe was capable of embedding throughout his novel in order to give his readers a better sense of the Igbo reality.

On another note, as Achebe displays the positives and negative aspects of the Igbo society, he further enhances the realism of his novel and achieved cultural authenticity. A positive that is effectively demonstrated would be the portrayal of the two contradicting cultures, as it allows the readers to compose thoughts on both parties and further their understanding of the given situation. The Igbo people are portrayed in a form where we view them as innocent civilians who had everything they ever knew ripped from them, and the colonizers are portrayed as close minded civilians who obtain cruel judgements about the Igbo society. This is made evident through another novel 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad as in his novel the Igbo are viewed as “savages”. A negative that is effectively demonstrated would be that lack of acquiring various characters perspectives. Although the reason as to why there is a lack of Igbo women's perspectives is due to the reason that in the Igbo culture the men are the more dominating gender and all the responsibilities and power is bestowed upon them. If the novel did obtain the women’s perspectives, it would have furthered the capability for women who feel undermined by the men in their society to be able to have that certain connection.

In conclusion, ' Things Fall Apart ' by Chinua Achebe, diverts from the stereotypical expectation of a fiction genre based novel. Through Achebe's representation of the Igbo society's culture, traditions and values we are able to make the clear distinction of what occurred during the colonization. Alongside that we are able to appreciate the Igbo society for what they suffered through and are able to commend them for people whose lives contained “dignity, significance and positive vale”.