The British appear misguided in their understanding of the African, interpreting events from their narrowed lens the native appears to possess an elemental cruelty that the European has difficulty understanding. Resisting British incursion into what is deemed as local domain, Ezeulu refuses, and this sets off a chain of unfortunate events for both men.Īchebe does not favour either side in this novel. Due to his independent thinking and pro-British stance, Ezuelu is summoned by local British head, Captain Winterbotham, to be appointed Paramount Chief of Umuaru. The British meanwhile are upsetting the governance structure of the traditional African tribe by appointing local Paramount Chiefs who will be tow their line. And yet he is proven right as events unfold, and the tribe holds a grudging respect for him. He believes in learning about the British and their ways by educating one of his sons in a Christian school, a move that does not sit well with the rest of the tribe. He is a pacifist while the tribe is prone to fighting. He rules his family-comprised of multiple wives and many children-like a dictator, and yet feels that, due to his contrarian views, he is losing his grip on the larger tribe. He is tasked with calling the dates for important festivals like the planting and the harvesting of yams. And yet, when Achebe swings over to the Englishman’s POV, the style changes to a more formal British one I was reminded of Graham Greene’s lost colonials upholding the far reaches of Empire with liberal doses of alcohol, idealism and guilt.Įzeulu is the Chief Priest of Umuaru, an agglomeration of six distinct tribes that formed an uneasy union to fend off other marauding tribes. Many characters, especially from protagonist Ezeulu’s large family and tribe, are introduced all at once, Igbo words pepper the African side of the narrative, and the dialogue is heavy with analogy: “When a house falls, do you ask if the ceiling falls with it?” or “The fly that has no one to advise it follows the corpse to the grave,” or “The inquisitive monkey gets a bullet in the face.” Many pages are given away to depict quotidian life in a household or village. I felt as if Achebe was trying to write the African novel in English, unfettered by western conventions of novel-craft. Unlike in Things Fall Apart, there is no glossary of local words and customs, and yet there is a lot of local flavour here: poetry, quotes, customs and festivals described in elaborate detail. It’s a novel that chronicles Igbo tribal life in the 1920’s, fracturing under its own human frailties and prejudices, and stoked into decline by the British colonial incursion. I felt as if Achebe was trying to write the African novel in English, un I liked this book the best among Achebe’s African Trilogy. I liked this book the best among Achebe’s African Trilogy. Spare and powerful, Arrow of God is an unforgettable portrayal of the loss of faith, and the downfall of a man in a society forever altered by colonialism.more But his people will not be dominated so easily. Yet he believes himself to be untouchable: surely he is an arrow in the bow of his God? Armed with this belief, he is prepared to lead his people, even if it is towards their own destruction. But his authority is increasingly under threat-from rivals within his tribe, from functionaries of the colonial government, and even from his own family members. But his authority is increasingly under threat-from rivals within his tribe, fro Set in the Igbo heartland of eastern Nigeria, one of Africa's best-known writers describes the conflict between old and new in its most poignant aspect: the personal struggle between father and son.Įzeulu, the headstrong chief priest of the god Ulu, is worshipped by the six villages of Umuaro. Ezeulu, the headstrong chief priest of the god Ulu, is worshipped by the six villages of Umuaro. Set in the Igbo heartland of eastern Nigeria, one of Africa's best-known writers describes the conflict between old and new in its most poignant aspect: the personal struggle between father and son.