Social Changes in Chinua Achebe's Arrow of God

Abstract

Chinua Achebe is one of the first writers to portray the richness and complexities of African society and its impact on the people. In Arrow of God, the fall of Ezeulu is the outcome of the clash between faith and change. It pits the chief priest of the deity Ulu, against colonial administrators, Christian missionaries and his own people. Ezeulu stands as a symbol of resistance and defeat in a crucial period of social and spiritual crisis in Nigeria. Ezeulu's impotence at restoring order to his own household suggests an inability at unifying the people. He fails at unification but refuses to admit defeat. Arrow of God is an unforgettable portrayal of the downfall of a man in a society forever altered by colonialism.