Frantz Fanon’s Tripartite Process with Reference to Chinua Achebe’s Selected Novels

A Study on Frantz Fanon’s Tripartite Process with Reference to Chinua Achebe’s Selected Novels

Colonialism made its impact on bodies and minds as well as on material conditions. – W.E.B Do Bouis

Abstract

The emergence of post colonialism from the year 1930s and it reflects the encounters made by colonialization. Generally, post colonialism throws the light on brutal sufferings of colonized countries. As Bouis says it made severe impact on psychological assets and material assets. There are several militant movements and activities were born against colonial activities. Edward Said, Frantz fanon, Gayatri Spivak and many African theorists are famous for post colonial writings. This paper is an attempt to study on Frantz Fanon’s tripartite process with reference to Chinua Achebe’s selected novels Things Fall Apart, Broken Arrow and No Longer at Ease. 

 The term ‘post colonialism’ refers to historical, political, cultural and textual ramifications of the colonial encounters between the west and non west, dating from sixteenth century to present day. In some countries it was named as purna swaraj(India), ujamaa – independence (Tanzania), amandala – the power of people (South Africa). The term can be referred in different names but the principles are same.

Post colonial writing tries to retrieve the lost culture and identity. During the period of colonization the natives are shown as secondary figures. In the post colonial writings desire for rebirth is found. The authors want to give rebirth and new identity through their writings. Writings in 1960s in the context of Algeria and its French colonial occupation, Frantz Fanon have been an influential figure in post colonial theory.

He was fascinated by the psychological effects of colonized people. He argues that colonialism destroyed every human soul. The feeling of slavery enters into human mind and makes them to rise against it. It pays way for anti-colonial movements and activities. The non-western people are the most affected mostly African people. Stuart Hall calls the black world as third world. The people in the third world are unable to recover from the effects of colonization. They are given secondary importance. They begin to feel inferior regarding their tradition, culture and religion. Fanon calls it as arsenal of complexes (the feelings of inferiority and social invisibility).

The natives are started to adopt western culture and tradition because of inferiority feeling. The people who lost their faith start to accept this but people who are staunch supporters will not accept this. Thus this stage marks the beginning of tripartite process. According to Fanon a national culture is framed in three stages. He called it as tripartite process and the process is as follows:

1.      Assimilating colonizer’s culture

2.      Discover themselves as black

3.      Anti-colonial activities

The success of this process depends upon psychological disturbance of colonized people. In his famous work Wretched of the Earth Fanon says,

‘‘The black had to create their own history, write their own stories and it is through this control over representation that the native can break free of the colonial shackles’’

            Chinua Achebe is one of the famous writers who reflect the desire to retrieve his culture and tradition (lost his culture and tradition by colonization). His writing shows his thirst to find unique identity for what his country lost. He decides to frame his own culture. His works portray the brutal sufferings of Igbo community and how the community rises against colonization. Fanon’s tripartite process can be found in Achebe’s novels such as Things fall apart, Arrow of God and No Longer at Ease.

Things Fall Apart

            Okonkwo was the warrior and the leader of Umuofia, a lower Nigerian tribe. He was the staunch believer of his tradition and he was ready to sacrifice his son Ikemefune for his community as the words of oracle. Accidentally Okonkwo killed a clansman so that he forced to exile for seven years including his family. During the second year of Okonkwo’s exile, he came to know that missionaries are entered in their community and they had been tried to convert them into Christianity. He tried to protest against this pious colonialism and made sacrifice his life.

Arrow of God

            Ezeulu was the chief priest of God Ulu, worshiped by the six villages of Umuaro. The plot began with the fighting between Ezeulu and Umuaro, two nearby villagers but the same Igbo community. This quarrel was resolved by the colonial administrator Winterbottom and he offered Ezeulu to be a colonial administrator. He refused this offer. He was thrown into prison. He believed that he was half spirit and half man. When Ezeulu returned from prison, he refused to call the feast despite being implored by other important men in the village to compromise. Ezeulu had reason to the people and to himself that it was not his will but Ulu's. The yams began to rot in the field, and a famine ensued for which the village blamed Ezeulu. Seeing this as an opportunity, John Goodcountry proposed that the village offer thanks to the Christian God instead so that they may harvest what had remained of their crops with "immunity". Many of the villagers had already lost their faith in Ezeulu. One of Ezeulu's sons died during a traditional ceremony, and the village interpreted this as a sign that Ulu had abandoned their priest. Rather than face another famine, the village converts to Christianity

No Longer at ease

            This novel began with a trail against a young man Obi who was educated in England. He went England to study the law but he changed to English. After he came from Nigeria he got a post in scholarship board of civil service. Even though he had a job but miserably failed to impress Clara. So she refused to marry him. He rejected all bribes and led an honest life. His mother becomes very ill and he started to accept bribes. His economic condition became worst because of his honest life. Her mother dead and he became mentally unrest. The acceptance of bribe became habitual for him. At a point he decided that he would not stand anymore. He has paid off all of his debts and could no longer be a part of the corruption. It was at this moment, however, when he had taken his last bribe, that he was caught, which brings us back to the beginning of the novel.

            These three novels are considered as an African trilogy which deals with physical and mental state of colonized people. The characters like Obi, Ezeulu, Okonkwo were realistic representation of colonized people. Chinua Achebe displayed not only brutal sufferings of land but also psychological encounters they made. Fanon analysed colonized people’s psychological aspects in his famous work Wretched of the Earth. He analysed their mental state within three processes which is already mentioned above.

            In Arrow of God, Ezeulu believed that he is half human and half spirit and lost faith of his people. The people are slowly adapted to Christianity. The protagonist takes these things into their mind and tried to assimilate. He fails to cross Fanon’s second stage. He stops at assimilation. In No Longer at Ease, the protagonist could not stand in his moral principle even though he was staunch supporter of his tradition and culture. He is not mentally steady. This mental weakness induced him to his change of course. The character Obi miserably failed even at the first stage.

            Frantz Fanon’s three stages of schema suitably fit into the work Things Fall Apart. The character Okonkwo, who comes to know about Christian missionaries started to assimilate the western culture. He took the analysis of his own culture and tradition and finds mentally disturbed. Thus the second process ‘disturbance’ is initiated. It makes a person to struggle against colonial movements. This rise leads to third phase which is known as ‘furious fight’ or ‘forced fight’. This third phase makes a person to act violently against colonial movements. It acts as reason to formation of many militant acts.

            While a colonized person reaches the final phase of Fanon’s tripartite process force and vengeance rised against their colonisers, they attains death. Even though he sacrifices his life at this final phrase, it is considered as the origin for anti colonial movements. The character Okonkwo rises in his third phase without any supporters. It shows his level of confidence. The protagonist attains the highest level of confidence through tripartite process.

Works Cited

Primary Resources

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print.

Achebe, Chinua. Arrow of God. New York: Anchor, 1989. Print.

Achebe, Chinua. No Longer at Ease. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print.

Secondary Sources

BARRY, PETER. "Post Colonialism." BEGINNING THEORY. S.l.: MANCHESTER UNIV, 2017. N. pag. Print

Waugh, Patricia. "Post Colonialism." Literary Theory and Criticism: An Oxford Guide. New York: Oxford UP, 2006. N. pag. Print.