Things Fall Apart and Life Goes OnAchebe often focuses on man's conflicts within himself and with his culture. Things Fall Apart is no exception. Achebe's story is about a strong man, Okonkwo, whose life is dominated by fear and anger. The fear of the main character, Okonkwo, is generated first by the fear of failure, then by the fear of the unknown. The unknown in this story is the arrival of the English in Africa. A religion is introduced into the villages and new ways of thinking appear. Overall, the African village that Okonkwo knew and grew up in slowly begins to disappear. Okonkwo is not only afraid for himself but for his entire village. He is afraid that his culture will disappear and be forgotten by younger generations. Achebe is able to show the reader his intentions early on in the book by including a quote from WB Yeats' poem "The Second Coming": Tossing and turning in the widening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer; things fall apart; the center cannot hold; simple anarchy descends on the world. Achebe lets the reader know from the beginning that Nigeria's rich cultural heritage is crumbling and that there will be no happy ending. Okonkwo's life symbolizes the life and wealth of the tribe and the village. As the story progresses, Okonkwo's life begins to deteriorate, as does that of the village. The story ends with the death of Okonkwo and the death of an entire civilization. The settlers took over the village; children no longer believe in the old ways. Things are falling apart and no one wants to put them back together. Life goes on with the invasion of the English, but it will never be the same again. Achebe was born and raised in a large village in Nigeria. He was also educated in Nigeria. After a short career in radio, Achebe began lecturing abroad and settled for a time as a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts..