Chinua Achebe’s idea of things falling apart superficially applies describing how Okonkwo, the protagonist and dominant persona of the novel, finds his social and personal situation deteriorating as a result of both internal struggles and earth-shattering external changes to his community. The latter reason embodies, perhaps, the more thematic or literary meaning of “Things Fall Apart” due to the breakdown of Okonkwo’s community and his position of reverence by an imperialistic, westernized Christian movement sweeping regions of Africa more broadly. In short, Okonkwo’s demise - whether brought about by his own personal choices or by his oppressors - symbolize a microcosm of how Western powers spread and impacted African communities through their imperialistic intentions.