In the novel Things Fall Apart, author Chinua Achebe highlights representations of race, covering traits ranging from violent and intrusive to judgmental and ignorant and the various contexts in which arise. These representations can be further explored and understood through the scholarly work of Carey Snyder and his commentary on Achebe's unique narrative style. Among other things, Snyder challenges the “pervasive ethnographic and anthropological mode of reading Achebe's novel” (156). Snyder insists that the novel should be read "meta-ethnographically, in a way that takes into account the complexity inherent in any ethnographic situation" and thus reveals "the results of the narrative as fiction" (157). In doing so, Snyder believes that the reader is capable of achieving a level of appreciation regarding the nonethnographic literary value of the novel, rather than the novel as mere “cultural documentation” (157). While I agree that the novel is more than just an ethnographic reading of the cultures depicted, I believe that the representations should not be seen primarily at this "subtly reproduced style" level of fictional nature, but rather be used to see elements of individuality and human nature, which are in fact non-fictitious (Snyder 169). I will argue that the representations of the Igbo and the English are not only influenced by the author as Synder suggests, but, in the process, are inaccurate and extreme. They can be seen further globally, revealing traits found in humans everywhere, and thus making arguments about human nature as a whole rather than just the races that represent it. The novel Things Fall Apart highlights the notion of violence and abu. .....in the middle of paper..., laws, rules or even religion, each person is still attributed an individuality. Therefore, I believe that Okonkwo's violent reaction and the messengers' abusive behavior speak more to the inherent qualities of individuals as human beings from all walks of life, influenced by different environments, rather than revealing traits characteristic of a certain race, as some readers may believe incorrectly. In conclusion, the representations of race within Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart highlight the larger issue of humanistic qualities and nuances of individualism within the Igbo and British cultures, and the Negro and Caucasian races respectively. These are addressed through the scholarly work of Carey Snyder, who assists the reader by pointing out the complexities of Achebe's perspective and its effect on the ethnographic value of the novel..