A Study of Existential Crisis in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

This study examines the phenomenon of existential crisis as depicted in Chinua Achebe’s seminal novel, Things Fall Apart. Nigeria comprises three main ethnic groups: the Igbo, the Yoruba and the Hausa-Fulani. Achebe’s Things Fall Apart highlights the Igbo society. With the arrival of the European colonizers and their rules, there was a clash between tradition and modernity. Okonkwo, the protagonist, and his community experienced many hurdles while searching for their identity. The study analyzes a colonized community’s struggle to cling to an established existence and the imposed new order. This novel is considered a classic of African literature and explores the themes of identity crisis, colonialism, and cultural collision.