Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a novel written to shed light on the intriguing lives and misconceptions that are often identified with African culture. Achebe writes Things Fall Apart from the African view, an alien perspective that views Westerners as outsiders and Africans as insiders. Focusing on a clan in lower Nigeria, Achebe describes the culture clash that erupts when white Christians colonize and spread their religious ideals. Achebe is able to make his book so popular around the world because of his expert use of symbols such as drums, locusts, and fire. These common symbols in which drums represent the rhythm of all civilization, locusts represent the invasion of an outsider, and fire represent destruction, all contribute to Things Fall Apart by making it a novel for the ages that applies to all humanity. Achebe accomplished this by frequently using drums, crickets, and fire to better depict the loss of culture, the arrival of white men, and the destructive societal ramifications that follow. Achebe uses the symbol of tribal drums to show the thriving culture and life that Umuofia experiences before the war. The Europeans are arriving. The symbol of drums is often present during cultural gatherings and celebrations in Umuofia. During the festival, which marks a new year of harvest, “the drums [beat] always, persistent and unchanging. Their sound [is] no longer a thing distinct from the living village” (104). The drums are clearly linked to the culture and traditions of the village. Furthermore, the “persistent and unchanging” beating of the drums also reflects the unity of society and the current functioning of the tribe (104). These traditions are unique to Umuofia and are an integral part of African culture. However, this immutable and unchanging middle of paper......is only used by Achebe to further enrich the common theme of the clash of opposing cultures, but it is also what makes Things Fall Apart a universal human experience . it is common to all. Achebe uses these symbols because all cultures can relate to them: drumming is seen as a celebration of culture, locusts are unwanted invaders, and fire is destructive. Things Fall Apart is written from a unique African perspective and shows how Europeans destroyed important parts of African culture. Perhaps Achebe uses universal symbols not only to make them more relevant to all cultures, but also to increase humanitarian missions in Africa. Nonetheless, Achebe's use of figurative language and common elements not only highlights the more profound changes Umuofia is experiencing, but it also causes people to question their preconceptions about society..