"A fiddler on a roof, it seems crazy, is not it, but in this small village called Anatevka we can say that each of us is like a fiddler on a roof. That is starting his instrument a nice tune as you can without breaking the head. And this is not easy, not created and you probably wonder Why not hold here is that dangerous? The answer I can give at once, we stay here because Anatevka is our home.And how to maintain the balance, that I can answer it in one word: tradition"
Fiddler on the Roof.
Traditions in culture is one of the most important ideas for the society which has endured until today. Nowadays, we can notice that some of these ideas have changed thought the years and it adapts to the society which changes thought time and in this case, Achebe looks forward to show this breakup between the traditions of a society just like the conquest is presented in this country. Chinua Achebe, shows in his book things fall apart the role of the oral traditions and literature in the group where Okonkwo comes from. In this case, the plot starts when Okonkwo leaves his village for 3 years. During those 3 years, many changes occur to Umofia, because the Europeans conquered it.
The main part where they show the traditions that Umofia had is the first part, where Achebe explains the cause of his exile, and the things that he used to do while he was in Umofia. An important part of it would be the Agbala, where the author explains that this oracle was an important part of the community when an old man was sick or almost dying, because it would solve the problems that the old man used to solve. Another important exaple would be the importance of music when an old man died, because they represented an important part of teh community and their death must be known in all the villages around this one.
Another example thata Achebe uses along the first part is when he writes about the stories that his mom used to tell him, or about the stories that he used to hear in his community, because they were like fables to the kids, because they taught them an important part of their culture. An example of this would be the story about the big turtle that is told to Okonkwo by his mother, where she explains him the importante of the old men and the importance of knowledge. Another important fact would be the songs that the author includes in some parts of the story, because each of them means something to the village.
On the other hand, when Okonwko comes back, he notices that eveything has changed in Umofia, and in this case, he cannot go back in time and live where he wants to live. He needs to get used to the new traditionst that they have un his village, because everything that the umofians have lived, like fights, deaths, new buildings, the destroy of their traditions,etc. An example of this transition would be the reaction of any of the villages around Umofia, who also lived this change, with submission or fought against the system.
In conclusion, I think that Conrad tried to explain the process in which a culture changes through time, and in thsi case, he showed the break up between the umonian traditions represented by Okonwko, and the kew tradtions represented by the English man which ends in a metaphor when Okonkwo died, meaning the end of his culture.
