Readers may find it difficult to compare and contrast an African cultural novel and a German short story, yet there are many areas of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and “Godfather Death” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm to dissect. Coming from very different parts of the world, the authors maintain a straightforward approach to their respective works. In addition the protagonists have similar endings. The two stories seem completely different on the surface, but a thorough reading reveals more than one basic element is the same.

In Things Fall Apart and “Godfather Death”, simple language is used throughout to convey an easy-to-follow writing style. For example, in Godfather Death, the fable states “Now that it soon happened that the king grew ill, and the doctor was summoned to say whether a recovery was possible. But when he came to the bed, Death was standing at the sick man’s feet, and now no herb grown could save him.” (PG. 10 Kennedy) This excerpt introduces a new character, setting, and conflict without any descriptions. This writing style doesn’t sugarcoat anything. There is a limited amount of context to analyze, and what is there, is extremely straightforward. The writing style in Things Fall Apart is slightly more complex, however not by much as it is still very easy to follow along. “The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has a put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” (PG. TFA) Okonkwo is summarizing the white people’s story very simply. The white people are essentially the main antagonist in the story, but are not referred to as such until the end of the book. This quote, like the one from “Godfather Death”, is straightforward enough that there is not much remaining for the reader to dissect. Both of these stories allow the reader to follow along without shoving adjectives, similes, metaphors, and symbols down the reader’s throat.

Things Fall Apart and “Godfather Death” have similar endings from a certain perspective. In the closing chapters of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo kills the colonial official, as one last attempt to 'save' his tribe from the weakness and influence of the white man. No one else backs his attempt however. So when the British come to get Okonkwo, he had beaten them in a sense by ending his own life before the British could. Regardless of who actually committed that final act of killing Okonkwo, his previous actions had sealed his fate. Similarly, in “Godfather Death” the protagoist’s actions result in his own death as well.
“When the doctor came to the sick girl’s bed, he saw Death by her feet. He should have remembered by his godfather’s warning, but the