Things That Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a novel written to highlight the intriguing lives and misconceptions that are often identified with African culture. Achebe writes Things Fall Apart from the African view, a foreign perspective that sees Westerners as outsiders and Africans as insiders. Focusing on a clan in lower Nigeria, Achebe outlines the clash of cultures that erupts when white Christians colonize and spread their religious ideals. Achebe is able to make his book so popular around the world due to his expert use of symbols such as drums, locusts, and fire. These common symbols where drums represent the rhythm of all civilization, locusts represent invasion by an outsider, and fire represents destruction, help Things Fall Apart make it a novel for the ages that applies to all 'humanity. Achebe achieved this by frequently using drums, locusts, and fire to better delineate the loss of culture, the arrival of white men, and the destructive social ramifications that followed. 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 drum symbol is often present during cultural gatherings and celebrations in Umuofia. During the festival, which marks a new year of harvest, “the drums [beat] still, persistent and unchanging. Their sound [is] no longer a thing separate from the living village” (104). The drums clearly refer to the culture and traditions of the village. Furthermore, the “persistent and unchanging” beat of the drums also reflects the unity of society and how the tribe currently operates (104). These traditions are unique to Umuofia and are an integral part of African culture. However, this immutable and per… means of paper… is only used by Achebe to further enrich the common theme of the clash of opposing cultures, but they are also what makes Things Fall Apart a universal human experience. this is common to all people. Achebe uses these symbols because all cultures can identify with them: drums are seen as a celebration of culture, locusts are unwanted invaders, and fire is destructive. Things Fall Apart is written from Africa's unique perspective and shows how Europeans destroyed important parts of African culture. Perhaps Achebe uses universal symbols not only to make him more relevant to all cultures, but also to try to increase humanitarian missions in Africa. However, Achebe's use of figurative language and common elements not only highlights the deeper changes experienced by Umuofia, but also causes people to question their preconceived notions about society..