A postcolonial reading of "Things Fall Apart"

Things Fall Apart's postcolonial perspective is a reasonably relative lens to view with in analyzing the novel. For instance, during the incarceration of the six tribal leaders, the District Commissioner explains to them that their burning of people's houses and the church "...must not happen in the dominion of our queen, the most powerful ruler in the world" (Achebe 160). Already, there is a feeling of superiority and even perhaps a bit of racism taken from this text. The fact that the Commissioner considers the Queen to be the most powerful ruler in the world is a part of that psyche that is narrow-minded and imperialistic. This psyche is in part due to the beliefs that, according to the Historical Development of Postcolonialism, "...Western Europeans, and, in particular the British people, were biologically superior to any other race" and "Many British people believed that Great Britain was destined to rule the world". Also, after Okonkwo's suicide, the District Commissioner equates Okonkwo's whole ordeal to a paragraph's worth, a chapter at most: " One could almost write a whole chapter on him. Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph..." (Acehe 171). This disregard for the value of the Other's culture/existence, often leads to a battle between the two cultures. Take for example the religious debate between Akunna and Mr. Brown: "neither of them succeeded in converting the other but they learned more about their beliefs" and so "[Mr. Brown] came to the conclusion that a frontal attack...would not succeed" (Achebe 147-148). In writing an analysis of the novel, racial injustice/inequality and cultural clash, for now, seem to be a sturdy enough foundation to write upon. Essentially, Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, I feel, is trying to establish the fact that no one culture is superior over the other. In fact, diversity in culture is encouraged as it opens up new perspectives in which to view things.