Locusts In Things Fall Apart

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One of my father’s favorite sayings, “Go get yourself a bag” is one of the most memorable things I have ever heard him say. The “bag” in this case symbolizes money. The English language is full of symbolism, and the symbolism in Things Fall Apart can be spotted everywhere . Throughout the novel, countless examples of things that resemble a bigger picture can be found. However, one little detail stuck out to me more than anything, and this was the arrival of the locusts in chapter 7. The locusts come out so rarely, but the elders remember their last appearance. The locusts arrive and the mood of the village becomes positive. The villagers know that they will be eating good for a while. Notice the correlation between the arrival of the locusts …show more content…
It’s mentioned that the locusts are so heavy they break tree branches. Could this be in relation to the white man’s introduction of the new faith? The faith “breaks branches” in the sense that it tears families apart, and their tradition that the Igbo strive so hard to maintain. In this case the similarities are too hard to ignore. Both are talked in a sense that they both are somewhat damaging to the community, and both give off the idea that they are kind of breaking down …show more content…
Obierika goes to visit the oracle and has questions about the white man. He returns and says “The Oracle said the white man were on their way. They were the locusts”. At this point the similarities are just too high to ignore. The locusts come once every generation or every few generations. The white man’s arrival was somewhat surprising but not entirely due to the fact that the Oracle said they were coming. In both cases the locusts and the white man have expected arrivals, and are even being compared to each other. A not so easily identifiable similarity between the white man and the locusts requires deeper level thinking. The Igbo desire to eat the locusts due to their good taste. The end result is that they want not to get rid of them per say, but to use them. After a while, the Igbo are seeing the effect the white man and their new religion are having on their society. A few of them desire to use them or togged rid of them. In both cases an end to a situation is
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