Alienation And Integration

Chinua Achebe,known as “the father of modern African literature,” is one of the most prestigious writers in Africa.He has devoted all his life to writing Africa,presenting his African writings to the world.His most famous novel Things Fall Apart mainly depicts the authentic Ibo life before colonization and the great changes in Ibo society after the arrival of the British colonizers.The present thesis,from the perspective of postcolonial criticism,discusses cultural hybridity in Things Fall Apart in terms of the “writing back” strategy,language and religion.It argues that,despite the negative image and cultural advantages of the British Empire,the inevitable cultural change is not the same as cultural decay in the colonial encounter.It is the process from alienation to integration that contributes to cultural hybridity.The thesis consists of three parts: the introduction,the main body and the conclusion.The introduction presents an overview of Achebe’s life,creation,and the main content of Things Fall Apart.It also introduces the postcolonial theory,the literature review,the significance and the research method.The main body is divided into four chapters.The first chapter is mainly about the exploration and analysis of the “writing back” strategies in Things Fall Apart,and elaborates on the dual image of the British Empire.The second chapter mainly discusses the preservation of the indigenous language and the appropriation of English,exploring the linguistic hybridity in the novel.The third chapter discusses the religious conversion and analyzes the positive influence of Christian missionary activities on Ibo society.The fourth chapter analyzes the process of cultural hybridty from alienation to integration.The conclusion summarizes Achebe’s postcolonial thoughts in Things Fall Apart: moving from the cultural conflict and alienation to cultural hybridity.In a sense,the integration of civilizations is a way for African cultural renewal and spiritual reconstruction.