Myth and Symbolism in Chinua Achebe’s Arrow of God

Abstract

Chinua Achebe's third novel namely Arrow of God. One of the most famous Nigerian publication in 1964. It is considered part of the African trilogy, sharing the same settings and themes. The presence of symbolism and myth in Achebe's Arrow of God plays a great role in refining African culture as well as attaching the Eurocentric histographies. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate myth and symbolism use in African Achebe's Arrow of God, it also examines the significance of both of them in reflecting the African culture and highlight how Achebe refines his indigenous culture through the use of mythic themes and symbolic meanings. In order to achieve these goals, the approach that is used is the archetypal approach to literary criticism, which considered the suitable approach that Achebe used in his novel. It is worth to mention that this novel attracted the eye of readers and got interested in reading it due to its different cultures and historical events. This dissertation will reach the point that Achebe's novel Arrow of God is full of symbolic meanings and mythical items.