Return migration, failed reintegration and tragedy in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

Abstract

Do affluence and skilfulness render a returnee immune to reintegration challenges? Beyond psychosocial support, would a wealthy returnee need any other form of assistance for a sustainable reintegration? Drawing upon theoretical ideas from the field of return migration, this study considers reintegration as a key issue for all returnees, irrespective of financial status, class or skilfulness, the failure of which is a disastrous end. This end explains the tragedy of Things Fall Apart, which is also reinvestigated here, and it is argued that the novel is simultaneously tragic and comic. The focus is on the possible failure of reintegration of a financially stable returnee. For this study, although tragedy inheres in whom one is, tragedy in the novel under consideration is attributive to the failed reintegration of the tragic character, despite his affluence, status or skills.