Things Fall ApartThings Fall Apart was published in 1958. Its basic theme, in Achebe's words, is "that Africans have not heard about culture for the first time. time of the Europeans." It is a celebration of the depth, value and beauty of tribal society. Also of the "dignity that African people virtually lost during the colonial period. This novel has been translated into more in forty languages ​​and has sold more than three million copies The title of this novel is taken from a poem by WB Yeats, “The Second To Come: Things fall apart the center cannot; not hold; Simple anarchy is unleashed on the world, The blood-darkened tide is unleashed and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned. It is therefore a novel about the destruction of an age and the beginning of one. other. “The center cannot hold”; in other words, the balance that keeps all the elements of a world in balance is lost and everything is unraveling Nigeria's colonization experience. The society, representative of pre-colonial Nigeria, is a dynamic, sophisticated and complex structure, with a high level of democracy - evidenced by the endless discussions and debates among the population over religious and political rules as well as the fact that titles are awarded. ; granted on merit and can be withdrawn if there is cause, so that no one can ever hide behind inherited privileges. But all this is undone by the arrival of the colonizers with their own very distinct sense of social administration and their absolute disregard for tribal society. What gives balance and stability to Umofian society (until "things fall apart") is the tension between individuality and community concerns. The individual strives for his own honor and success (and it is usually "his" own, not "hers"), and this endeavor is rewarded; but if his actions are excessive, or if they risk causing harm to the community as a whole, they are controlled by law and religious principles. It is perhaps a fault in Okonkwo that his desire for personal eminence and prosperity is paramount; and finally, for him, as for Umuofia herself, “the center cannot hold,” and “things are falling apart.” Achebe himself indicated that Okonkwo's main flaw is his inability to achieve balance. “Okonkwo's whole life,” he said, “is an attempt to make up for what his father did not achieve. This is a big mistake..." There are people who reflect the other half of human reality, the music side, the history side, as opposed to the war side (and Achebe includes both the father of 'Okonkwo and his son, Nwoye, here), and one is as valid as the other..