WISDOM AND AGE IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S “THINGS FALL APART” Ogunyemi, C. Babatunde Department of English, College of Humanities Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji - Arakeji, Osun State, Nigeria E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT This research used narratological and methodological theories to conceptualize the relation of age to several aspects of wisdom in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. The paper investigates various levels of age relations using two theories. The work applied these theories to the understanding of Achebe’s fiction in order to exemplify the socio-economical relevance of literature to Africa and globalization. It was evident from the research that wisdom and age in Things Fall Apart subscribes to both narratological stance and methodological theoretical framework. Keywords: Wisdom, age, Chinue Achebe, things fall apart

INTRODUCTION Wisdom is an abstract phenomenon that presents an “individuals with hypothetical problems to respond to” (Bluck and Gluck 2004; McAdams 2005, Habermas and Bluck 748). The characteristic features in age differences grossly affect “types of life situation that elicit wisdom and the forms that wisdom takes” (Mc Adams 2005). The ability to present wisdom and age in the narratives is dependent on the person’s memory and his implicit theory or his definition on the concept of wisdom (2). The paper would not be bogged down by tradition like that type which McAdams (2001), Baltes (1990) and Bluck and Gluck (2004) explored. This paper attempts a narratological perception of wisdom and age in relation to Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. It attempts a scientific methodological in delineating the perspective of two independent studies. However: The application of these two models is show that good research marries a theoretical framework with a research methodology. Rather than relying entirely on one methodological strategy, the reciprocal nature of theory and methods must be appreciated in order to select methods that mirror and capture the theoretical postulates of human interaction (Behringer 2004).

From the narratological stance, the paper calls attention on how Chinua Achebe uses the relations of wisdom and age in Things fall Apart to discern a particular configuration in relation to interpreting giving events and others, “primarily by demonstrating the relationships that exist between the sjuzlet and its fabula – a relation that is illuminated by gaps” (Kafalenos, 2001). Numerous theoreticians, including Hayden White, have attempted to prove the fictional character of historiography by examining its narrative structures and its recourse to literary modes of narration. White focuses on the narratives structures at Journal of Communication and Culture: International Perspective Vol.1 No.3, December, 2010

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the surface of the texts; he determines the instruments that constitute narrative force. Chinua Achebe gets his raw materials for Things Fall Apart from what White calls “historiographical” According to White, mimetic representations of real life historical occurrences or processes are part of the narratives. In addition, there are contingent, metaphorical and, in the final analysis fictional constructs from there representatives in the narrative (39). This means that historical discourse should not only be considered as a mirror image of the set of events which we simply describe (27). Although Things Fall Apart is fifty year old, the sjuchet begins from the pre-colonial Igbo society to the present time. The characteristic trait of the Igbo men which centres on a republican system is still relevant in this contemporary time. Charles Nnolin sheds more light on this when he posits that: Achebe sketches his hero, Okonkwo, as one measuring up to this idea. He is an embodiment of Igbo tribal aspirations and one whom the Igbo could take by the hand and lifting it shout in typical Igbo parlance…. There is a piece of Okonkwo in every Igbo man whether he is preparing to take the Ozo title or preparing to take his orals for the PhD (the new passport to elitism, the new symbol of achievement). The Igbo in a figurative and literal sense is a writer all his life in (191-192).

The fabula in Things Fall Apart is driven around the plot of the narrative. The creation of Okonkwo, his exploits and the recognition of his roles fall within this category. Aigboje Higo starts to explain in the introduction that: Things Fall Apart opens at the height of Okonkwo fame, which he won through ‘Solid personal achievement’, like when he threw Amalinze the cat at the age of eighteen. From then on it was clear that he was destined for great things (TFA; vvi).

Looking at Things Fall Apart from narratological stance would shed more light on wisdom narratives. A proper look from both narratological stance and scientifical methodological perspective will bring aesthetic of wisdom and age to the limelight when we show levels of hypothetic relevance to findings at various studies. THE NARRATOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE Traditional African culture and society are in fact contemporary, and traditional literature is all around us, alive growing and transforming itself and still, therefore, available to our modern writers (Abiola Irele as quoted by Austin O. Asagba 1)

Austin O. Asagba’s quotation from Abiola Irele “emphatically points to the source material of most African literary writers. Equally, without any fear of contradiction one can state that from the earliest African writer to the present, the repertoire of cultural impetus are re-invoked in our contemporary writing (Asagba, 1997). The “repertoire” of writing and the “artistic reality” of Achebe in delineating the concept of wisdom and age in Things Fall Apart revolve round narratology. What then is narratology? The word “narratology” is an anglicization of the French word “narratologie”. The word is coined by Tzvetan Todorov in his Grammaire du Decameron (1969), and has been retrospectively applied to many studies that were otherwise described narratological by many writers. Although a lineage stretching back to Aristotle’s Poetics may be traced, modern narratology is Journal of Communication and Culture: International Perspective Vol.1 No.3, December, 2010

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most typically said to begin with the Russian formalist and in particular with Vladimir Prop’s Morphology of the folktale (1928). Due to the origins of the term, it has a strong association with the structuralist quest for a system of formal description that can usefully be applied to any narrative. This aim has not, however, characterized all work that is today distributed narratological. Percy Lubbock’s ground breaking work on point of views, The craft of fiction (1921), is a case in point Jonathan Culler once argues that the many strands of narratology are all united by are cognition “that the theory of narrative requires a distinctive between story – a sequence of actions or events, conceived as independent of their manifestation in discourse and the discursive presentation or narration of events” (Kafalenos, 2001). To a certain extent, the designation of work as narratological or otherwise may have more to do with narrative, stories, sociolinguistics. According to William Labov, narratology lends credence to conversation analysis, discourse analysis that deal with narratives arising in the course of spontaneous verbal interaction (190). The constituent analysis of the types of narremes is considered the unit of narrative structure and could be included in the interpretation of wisdom and Age in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. More importantly, narratology enables the readers and critics to examine the structure of narrative writing, their cultural artifacts and the ordering of time and space in narrative forms because: Narratologists love to categorize and to taxonomize, which has led to a plethora of terms to explain the complicated nature of narrative form. Given the prevalence and importance of narrativemedia in our life. Narratology is also a useful foundation to have before one begins to analyze popular culture (Kafalenos, 2001:62).

African narratives show popular culture about the people from their personal effects to their public functioning and finally to their civic responsibilities. Roland Barthes’original thinking provided an alternative way of thinking about narrative plot. Algirdas Greimas provides us with a hyper-structuralist approach to narrative form (62). For a comprehensive understanding of wisdom and age in relation to Things Fall Apart, narratology will pose a better understanding to these concepts. WISDOM AND AGE IN THE NARRATIVE Although psychologists may disagree on the nature of the relation of wisdom to age, their linkage remains a societal conception (Bluck and Gluck, 2004). Cognitive theories of ageing have also suggested growth or at least stability in wisdom and age (Smith, Dixton and Baltes, 1989). Empirical evidence has not, however, supported societal conceptions. Studies show steep growth in wisdom related knowledge between 15 and 25 years (Pasupathi, Standinger & Baltes 351), but no age gradient across adulthood is found. These were studies conducted by Mc Adams (2005). He form a “criteria for evaluating levels of wisdom in participants’ responses to hypothetical life situation. McAdams further posits that wisdom involves more than cognition in the narrative. In the narrative, there is a representation of complex life experiences, emotions, actions and motivations are integral part of the narrative. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo strives for wisdom by changing the trend which has preoccupied the family. The trend includes nothingness, poverty and improvidence. Journal of Communication and Culture: International Perspective Vol.1 No.3, December, 2010

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Okonkwo, at his tender age uses wisdom to achieve greatness in order to change his status quo. The opening words in the novel demonstrate this assertion: Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honour to his village by throwing Amalinze the cat. Amalinze was the great wrester who of seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino. He was called the cat because his back would never touch the earth. It was this man that Okonkwo threw in a fight which the old man agreed was one of the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights (TFA, 3).

From the above, it is evident that Okonkwo, despite his tender age applies the instrument of wisdom to changing his class for good. Believing in “Solid personal achievements” is akin to wisdom. Okonkwo uses his wisdom to address strength, energy disposition and quest for new innovation. Because Okonkwo positions himself in a wise dimension he grows from strength to strength, however: Okonkwo’s prosperity was visible in his household. He had a large compound enclosed by a thick wall of red earth. His own hut, or Obi, stood immediately behind the only gate… The barn was built against one end of the red wells… (10).

Okonkwo uses great wisdom in the handling of his family affairs. Thus, when he brings Ikemefuna home, he uses wisdom in presenting the case by telling his most senior wife that Ikemefuna “belongs to the clan” “so look after him” And when the senior wife asks too many questions, Okonkwo snaps “do what you are told woman”. Wisdom and age according to McAdams is “context-dependent”. Many events in Things Fall Apart show “that the balance between people and their environment depends on their apt knowledge of their encountered life context”. Okonkwo understands the Igbo society and how it entails to grow, so he uses all the forces within his own personal and collective will to actualize good results. When the district commissioner sends an emissary to the men of Umuofia, Okonkwo advises the men to be circumspect in their transaction with strangers. However: Okonkwo warned the others to be fully armed.“An Umuofia man does not refuse a call” he said. ‘He may refuse to do what he is asked; he does not refuse to be asked. But the times have changed, and we must be fully prepared’ (TFA 136).

As age increases in the narrative so wisdom does. Okonkwo manifests wisdom with time and space. He exemplifies the notion that wisdom and age is context dependent. In the narrative, Okonkwo too notices that change is inevitable and it has to be handled with caution. From the ongoing, it is clear that “wisdom is also gained through life experience” Mckee and Barker 1999, Randall and Kenyon 2000). METHODOLOGY This research models two approaches: narratological and methodological. Narratological theory examines contexts, structures, themes and interpretations. Methodological theory is scientific – it addresses some hypothetical- questions which are relevant to the concept of wisdom and age in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. In the following, we report two studies concerning this wisdom narrative (McAdams, 2005). Journal of Communication and Culture: International Perspective Vol.1 No.3, December, 2010

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Study 1 assesses the viability and validity of a procedure that conceptualize on individual’s situation. It examines the fundamentals and their importance to contemporary society, McAdams (199). Study one examines types of real life situation and the qualitative phenomenon of wisdom. Study 2 analyses a second set of experienced- wisdom narratives in Things Fall Apart. The perceptions of adults were examined here. Some participants were recruited through the e-mails and some by the telephone. I explained that the only requirement for participation is that each participant should be 13 and above. While I did collective interviews, I also did individual interviews as well. The reason for 13 is predicated on the need to get a balance opinion because it is assumed that 13 years old and above person should have got an encounter with Achebe’s Things Fall Apart or the other. Participants’ in the two study groups range from students to staff of some universities, workers in the banking sector, workers in other technical fields participated as well in the exercise. Participants signed some confidential documents which indicate that I will not disclose their names and their contact addresses. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION STUDY 1 90 participants were interviewed. Study I data were collected as “part of a longer study” (Gluck and Baltes, 2005; McAdams, 2005). Participants range from 13-30. Adolescents were contacted when football lovers come to watch European football clubs. 10 participants did not see any element of wisdom and age in Things Fall Apart 30 adolescents think that Things Fall Apart is wisdom coded for morality and change. The rest 50 cut across men and women who believe that the novel “crystallizes intelligence” by depicting wisdom and age through a larger society in Nigeria and Africa. It takes only 2 minutes to undertake an oral interview. CODED VARIABLES 50 protocols were used to train two advanced students who served as coders (McAdams, 2005). In addition to the 90, I recruited some students from Hogskolan Dalarna in Sweden who gave a critical reasoning to the concept of wisdom and age. These was done entirely by the e-mail. STUDY 2 50 adults’ participants were recruited through the email method and by phone calls. 4 of the participants were foreigners who gave me the mandate to mention their names: they are Kimberly Davis an African American women aged 40. Helena Hostrom- a white Danish women aged 44, Daniel Kombi, a Ghanaian student who lives in Bristol, United kingdom, he is aged 50 and a south African white women by name Judith Keeve, 49. All these people have read Things Fall Apart they unilaterally believe that it is wisdom coded by age differences. Participants in study 2 largely believe that the novel is not only classical but Journal of Communication and Culture: International Perspective Vol.1 No.3, December, 2010

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it develops behavioural disposition. All of them believe that the novel deals with wisdom at various levels: at the level of situation at the level of empathy and support. Wisdom gives rise to knowledge and flexibility in the words of McAdams (2005). Most studies in study 2 replicated the findings on study 1. We shall not explain too much because of space and word economy. I am using graphical representations to show the content of wisdom and age in Things fall Apart across all ages as represented in study 1 and 2. CONCLUSION Research in wisdom and age in Things Fall Apart subscribes to both narratological stance and methodological theoretical framework. We examine the novel textually by pinpointing some elements of wisdom that was demonstrated by Okonkwo. Methodologically, we conducted two group studies. Study 1 examines the reactions by the youth vis-à-vis Things Fall Apart and wisdom code. Study 2 examines the perception of adults in same novel with regard to wisdom and age. It is evident that “results are discussed in terms of various individuals and adults that emerged for empathy and support, self determination and balance with flexibility” (McAdams, 2005). REFERENCES Achebe, Chinua (1958). Things Fall Apart. London: Heinemann Educational Books Asagba O Austin (1997). Orality and Text: Trends and Prognosis in Osofisan’s The Raft and Agbeyegbe’s The King Must Dance Naked. Critical Essays and Research in Africa literature. Uyo No 1 January, Balte, P. B. (1987).Theoretical Propositions of Life- Span Development Psychology: on the Dynamics Between Growth and Decline Developmental Psychology, 23. Behringer, Marie (2004). Autumn. Bridging the Gap Between Mars and Venus: A Study of Communication Meanings in Marriage. An Unpublished PhD Thesis Submitted to The Graduate School, Purdue University. Bluck, S., and Gluck J. Making (2004). Things Better and Learning a Lesson: “Wisdom of Experience” Narratives Across the Lifespan Journal of Personality, 72,543. Gluck, J. and Baltes, P. B (2005). Optimizing the Expression of Wisdom Knowledge in Adults: Contextualized vs. Abstract Methods. (Manuscript is under review). Habermas, T, and Bluck, S. (2000). Getting a life: The Emergence of The Life Story in Adolescence, Psychological Bulletin 126, 748-769. Kafalenos, E. (2001). Not Yet Knowing: Epistemological Effects of Deferred and Suppressed Information in Narratives. New York.McAdams. D.P. The Psychology of Life Stories Reviews of General Psychology, 5,100-122. McAdams, D. P. (2005). The Wisdom of Expensive: Autobiographical Narratives Across Adulthood. Review of General Psychology, 29, 3,198-208 McKee, P, and Barber, C. (1999). On defining Wisdom” International Journal of Human Development, 49,149-164. Pasupathi, M Standinger, U. M, and Baltes, P. B. (2001). Seeds of Wisdom: Adolescents’ Knowledge and Judgments about Difficult Life Problems. Developmental Psychology. , 37,351-361. Randall W. L. and Kenyon, G.. M. (2000). Ordinary Wisdom: Biographical Aging and The Journey of Life. Westport, CT: Prager. Smith, J, and Baltes, P. B. (1990). Wisdom related knowledge:Age/Cohort Difference in Response to Life Planning Problem Developmental Psychology 26, 494-505. Journal of Communication and Culture: International Perspective Vol.1 No.3, December, 2010

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