what’s with all the threes?

So when I started reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe I was struggling with how to annotate it because it seemed to be very straightforward with its didactic tone (point!), so I decided to track words or numbers used frequently so I could find the deeper meaning in them. Now that I’m farther into the book I see more elements that contribute to the “Big Idea” or the “Meaning of the Work as a Whole” of course, but I’m going to look into why Achebe added in the specific numbers of what he was describing in Okonkwo’s life and the culture in general. He frequently quantifies things as three, seven, or nine. The numbers four and twelve are also used, but not repetitively. I noticed that when Achebe uses these numbers they are often associated with certain elements of the story. He uses nine when he gives details on the villages or Africa as a whole, seven when he is describing the culture of the Umuofia, and three when he looks into daily life and situations. 

In the beginning he starts off the story by quantifying Okonkwo’s high status, saying, “Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond” (Achebe 3).  The number nine is frequently used in the Bible as a sign of completeness or finality which could contribute to the view of Africa as put together and working in harmony or as one complete unit despite the amount of villages and varying traditions among them. On the day of wrestling, a staple in Umuofia’s culture, there are said to be “seven drums and they were arranged according to their sizes in a long wooden basket” (Achebe 46). Now seven is known to be the holy number of perfection as it joins the number three (God) and four (man) together, representing an ultimate sign of unity. This contributes to his message of unity among the African people specifically in their culture and spiritual rituals. The seven drums described in this example could be seen as a portrayal of the perfect continuity of the circle of life and the normality of their culture, even though it may not seem so to an outsider. After the depression that Okonkwo sunk into as a result of killing his “sort-of” son, Ikemefuna, “for the first time in three nights, Okonkwo slept. He woke up once in the middle of the night and his mind went back to the past three days without making him feel uneasy” (Achebe 75). Three is another number with a great Biblical connection to completeness, specifically to the belief in the Holy Trinity (God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). So yes, the number three also represents wholeness and holiness. 

The amount that he uses these numbers that associate with completeness, especially from a Christianity standpoint contributes to one of the ideas of the novel, how incredibly important it is to see the intricacy and wholeness of a culture, no matter how foreign it is from your own. It all depends on the lens you take when learning about the world, and Chinua Achebe wrote using specific elements from the Christian faith so that he could truly connect his experiences and soul to his culture and roots. He is not just one thing. He was raised Christian but he strongly identifies with and loves his Nigerian roots. Through this unique viewpoint, he becomes an example of completeness and contributes to the importance of educating on different cultures and ideas. Achebe’s style of writing is reflective of scripture and there are parts with Biblical significance, that aren’t just numbers, that contribute to the “Big Idea” of Things Fall Apart, but I’ll look into those another time 🙂