ORIENTALISM AND ITS IMPACTS TOWARD THE LIFE OF UMUOFIANS IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART

Abstract

This thesis tries to analyze the impacts of orientalism toward the life of a clan, Umuofia, which is reflected in the novel of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. This novel tells about the life of people of Umuofia (about its economic, politic, social, culture, and religion). Unfortunately, the life of the clan which is at the beginning based on the bound of kinship and tolerance must fall apart when the white people come to the clan. The white people’s perspectives which sees the people of Umuofians as a wild, lazy, and uncivilized has caused the white people think that they have obligation to civilize those people. Through missionaries’ missions, the white people begin their civilizing effort. This thesis uses postcolonial approach to evaluate a work of literature produced by cultures that developed in response to colonial domination. It is also used to understand- politically, socially, culturally, and psychologically- the operations of colonialist and anticolonialist ideologies. The method of analysis in this thesis is inductive method. It analyzes the data from the specific cases to the general conclusion. The application of the method in this thesis begins from the previous life of the clan before the coming of the White people and the life of the clan after the coming of the White people. The data are collected from several books and encyclopedia dealing with theory of orientalism, postcolonial theory, colonialism, imperialism and other notions that are pertinent to the topic of discussion. In addition, a number of data taken from internet resources are applied to support the analysis of the thesis. This thesis contributes to understanding about orientalism and its impacts toward the Orient. The results of the research show that: firstly, the life of the clan which, at the beginning, was based on the bond of kinship and tolerance falls apart after the White people come to the clan. Secondly, The White people’s policy to build church, school, and hospital is only their effort to maintain their hegemony toward the Umufians. Finally, the coming of the White people that not only brings religion but also governmental system becomes a proof of colonialism in Umuofia.