REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY

THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR TEACHER EDUCATION

“Things Fall
Apart”
By: Chinua Achebe
Submitted by: ANGIELYN MONTIBON

Submitted to: DR. ADELYNE COSTELLO- ABREA

Things Fall Apart

 Chinua Achebe, in full Albert Chinualumogu
Achebe, (born November 16, 1930, Ogidi, Nigeria—died
March 21, 2013, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.), Nigerian
novelist acclaimed for his unsentimental depictions of the
social and psychological disorientation accompanying the
imposition of Western customs and values upon traditional
African society. His particular concern was with emergent
Africa at its moments of crisis; his novels range in subject matter from the first contact of an
African village with the white man to the educated African‘s attempt to create a firm moral order
out of the changing values in a large city.

Achebe grew up in the Igbo (Ibo) town of Ogidi, Nigeria. After studying English
and literature at University College (now the University of Ibadan), Achebe taught for a short
time before joining the staff of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation in Lagos, where he served
as director of external broadcasting in 1961–66. In 1967 he cofounded a publishing company
at Enugu with the poet Christopher Okigbo, who died shortly thereafter in the Nigerian civil war
for Biafran independence, which Achebe openly supported Upon his return to Nigeria he was
appointed research fellow at the University of Nigeria and became professor of English, a
position he held from 1976 until 1981 (professor emeritus from 1985). He was director (from
1970) of two Nigerian publishers, Heinemann Educational Books Ltd. and Nwankwo-Ifejika Ltd.
After an automobile accident in Nigeria in 1990 that left him partially paralyzed, he moved to the
United States, where he taught at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. In 2009
Achebe left Bard to join the faculty of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

His first book is titled ―Things Fall Apart‖. Achebe also published several collections of
short stories and children‘s books, including How the Leopard Got His Claws (1973; with John
Iroaganachi). Beware, Soul-Brother (1971) and Christmas in Biafra (1973) are collections
of poetry. Another Africa (1998) combines an essay and poems by Achebe with photographs by
Robert Lyons. Achebe‘s books of essays include Morning Yet on Creation Day (1975), Hopes
and Impediments (1988), Home and Exile (2000), The Education of a British-Protected
Child (2009), and the autobiographical There Was a Country: A Personal History of
Biafra (2012). In 2007 he won the Man Booker International Prize.

Things Fall Apart

 Things Fall Apart is acclaimed as the finest novel
written about life in Nigeria at the end of the nineteenth
century. Published in 1958, it is unquestionably the world‘s
most widely read African novel, having sold more than
eight million copies in English and been translated into fifty
languages. But it offers far more than access to pre-colonial
Nigeria and the cataclysmic changes brought about by the
British. It also can be a window into the story of the
Aborigines in Australia, the Maori of New Zealand, and the
First Nations of North, Central, and South America in the
―falling apart‖ of the indigenous cultures of these and other
places whose centers could not hold.

Chinua Achebe is the ideal teller of this story, born

in Nigeria in 1930 and growing up in the Igbo town of Ogidi. He spoke Igbo at home and studied
English in school, imbibing the dual culture. In an autobiographical essay, he describes his
childhood as being ―at the crossroads of cultures.‖ In the course of a distinguished academic and
literary career, much of it in exile, Achebe has been the recipient of many awards, beginning
with the Margaret Wrong Memorial Prize in 1959 for Things Fall Apart and including more
than thirty honorary doctorates. Achebe is in great demand throughout the world as a speaker and
visiting lecturer, and is presently teaching at Bard College in New York.

Things Fall Apart tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center
around Okonkwo, a "strong man" of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first story traces Okonkwo‘s
fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives. It provides us with a powerful fable about
the immemorial conflict between the individual society. The second story, which is as modern as
the first is ancient, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo‘s world
through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing European missionaries. These twin dramas are
perfectly harmonized and they are modulated by an awareness capable of encompassing the life
of nature, history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul. Things Fall Apart is the most
illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from
within.

Things Fall Apart

Okonkwo

He is one of the great men and influential leader among the nine
villages of Umoufia. He is a strong and cruel man especially to the
unsuccessful men who reminds him of his father, his whole life was
also dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weaknesses. Since he
was young, he had experienced so much hardships in life. He felt
embarrassed with his father‘s laziness which made their family
suffered in big debts and made him work hard to support his mother
and siblings. Okonkwo‘s hard work and prowess in war have earned
him a position of high status in his clan, and he attains wealth sufficient to support three wives
and their children. Those experiences made him behaves rashly, bringing a great deal of trouble
and sorrow upon himself and his family.

Nwoye

He is Okonkwo‘s oldest son, whom he believes weak and lazy. To correct

his faults in acting like woman (lazy), Okonkwo continualy beats him
hoping that he will learn to apply masculinity. Later he grew-up to exhibit
more masculine behaviour with the influence of Ikemefuna which pleases
Okonkwo. However, when the new faith began to exists on their village,
Nwoye doubted his their tribe‘s beliefs and late converted into Christianity
that resulted to Okonkwo‘s anger nd even abandoned him as his own son.
Okonkwo believes that Nwoye has the same weakness that his father had
possessed while living.

Ezinma

The only child of Okonkwo‘s second wife, Ekwefi. She possessed

the beauty of his mother, and has been believed that she is the
center of his mother‘s world for she is the only child who survived
during infancy out of ten. Ezinma is also Okonkwo‘s favourite
child because of the good qualities like being understanding and
good follower of his likeness better than any of his other children.

Things Fall Apart

Moreover, Okonkwo showed her rarely great affection for he fears that doing so would make
him weak. he wishes that Ezinma were a boy because she would have been the perfect son.

Ikemefuna

He was a boy given to Okonkwo by a neighboring village with a

young virgin as compensation for the death of Ogbuefi Odu‘s wife
who has been murdered by Mbaino. Ikemefuna lived for three
years in Okonkwo‘s household and he became popular on
Okonkwo‘s children. Nwoye looks him up for being cheerful and
hardworking that late on influenced him to act like he did. It
pleases Okokwo, and later on calls him ―father‖. Howeve,
Okonkwo does not demonstrate his affection because he fears that
doing so would make him look weak.

Mr. Brown

He was the first white missionary to visit Umuofia. Between his

flock and the clan, Mr. Brown establishes a policy of
compromise, understanding, and non-aggression. In Umuofia, he
even makes friends with prominent clansmen and builds a
school and a hospital. Unlike Reverend Smith, he tries to appeal
to the tribe's values in a polite manner rather than imposing his
faith on it forcibly.

Reverend James Smith

Mr. Brown's replacement missionary. Reverend Smith, unlike

Mr. Brown, is firm and unyielding. He forces his converts to
abandon all of their traditional beliefs, and he shows little regard
for indigenous customs or culture. He is the prototypical white
colonialist, and his actions exemplify colonialism's flaws. He

Things Fall Apart

purposefully incites his congregation's wrath, even indirectly supporting some very significant
sins through Enoch.

Uchendu

The younger brother of Okonkwo‘s mother. When Okonkwo and

his family visit Mbanta, Uchendu greets them warmly and advises
Okonkwo to be grateful for the comfort his motherland provides,
lest he anger the dead—especially his mother, who is buried there.
He is a calm, reasonable man who serves as a foil (a character
whose emotions or actions contrast with the emotions or actions of
another character) to Okonkwo, who acts rashly and without
thought.

The District Commissioner

An authority figure in the white colonial government in Nigeria.

The prototypical racist colonialist, the District Commissioner
thinks that he understands everything about native African customs
and cultures and he has no respect for them. He intends to
incorporate his observations into an ethnographic study of local
African tribes, a concept that encapsulates his dehumanizing and
reductive attitude toward racial minorities.

Unoka

Okonkwo's father, whom Okonkwo has despised since he was

young. Unoka was a coward and a spendthrift by the clan's
standards. He never received a title, borrowed money from his
clansmen, and rarely paid back his debts. Because he was afraid of
blood, he never became a warrior. Furthermore, he died of a
deplorable sickness. On the positive side, Unoka appears to have
been a gifted musician as well as a gentle, if inactive, person. He
could have been a dreamer, unsuited to the chauvinistic culture he grew up in. Ten years after his
death, the novel begins.

Things Fall Apart

Obierika

Okonkwo's close friend, whose daughter's wedding gives early in

the narrative with cause for celebration. Obierika watches out for
Okonkwo, selling his yams to ensure that he does not go hungry
while in exile and comforting him when he is depressed. Obierika,
like Nwoye, questions several of the tribe's customary rules.

Ekwefi

Okonkwo's second wife, who was once the village's most beautiful
woman. Ekwefi left her previous spouse and moved in with
Okonkwo. Ezinma is her only surviving kid, the other nine having
perished in infancy, and Ekwefi is continuously afraid of losing her
lone child. Chielo, the goddess Agbala's priestess, is good friends
with Ekwefi.

Enoch

A fanatical convert to the Christian church in Umuofia. The

climactic battle between the indigenous and colonial legal systems
is precipitated by Enoch's rude act of pulling the mask off an
egwugwu at an annual rite to honor the earth deity. While Mr.
Brown first restrains Enoch for the sake of community harmony,
Reverend Smith applauds his zealotry.

Ogbuefi Ezeudu

The oldest man in the village and one of the most important clan elders and leaders. Ogbuefi
Ezeudu was a great warrior in his youth and now delivers messages from the Oracle.

Things Fall Apart

Chielo

A priestess in Umuofia who is dedicated to the Oracle of the

goddess Agbala. Chielo is a widow with two children. She is
good friends with Ekwefi and is fond of Ezinma, whom she calls
―my daughter.‖ At one point, she carries Ezinma on her back for
miles in order to help purify her and appease the gods.

Akunna

Umuofia's clan head. Mr. Brown's method for converting the biggest number of clansmen by
working with, rather than against, their belief system is advanced by Akunna's influence on the
missionary. However, in doing so, Akunna develops a clear and reasonable defense of his
theological system, as well as some remarkable connections. In so doing, however, Akunna
formulates an articulate and rational defense of his religious system and draws some striking
parallels between his style of worship and that of the Christian missionaries.

Nwakibie

A wealthy clansmen who takes a chance on Okonkwo by lending him 800 seed yams—twice the
number for which Okonkwo asks. Nwakibie thereby helps Okonkwo build up the beginnings of
his personal wealth, status, and independence.

Mr. Kiaga

The native-turned-Christian missionary who arrives in Mbanta and converts Nwoye and many
others.

Okagbue Uyanwa

A famous medicine man whom Okonkwo summons for help in dealing with Ezinma‘s health
problems. He also dug up

Maduka

He is Obierika‘s son. Maduka wins a wrestling contest in his mid-teens and Okonkwo was
pleased with his personality and masculinity which he had wishes to have a manly sons like him.

Obiageli

Things Fall Apart

The daughter of Okonkwo‘s first wife. Although Obiageli is close to Ezinma in age, Ezinma has
a great deal of influence over her. She also respected Ezinma‘s advices very much when
Okonkwo have told them during his exile to not marry in Okonkwo‘s motherland, instead in
Umoufia.

Ojiugo

Okonkwo‘s third and youngest wife, and the mother of Nkechi. Okonkwo beats Ojiugo during
the Week of Peace when she plated her hair, and leave with no food for Okonkwo.

Things Fall Apart

 A Family tree of the novel “Things Fall Apart”

Things Fall Apart

Chapter 1: Okonkwo: The Strongest Man in the Village

 Okonkwo was a well known man throughout nine villages for defeating the unbeatable
wrestler for seven years, Amlinze the Cat.
 He had no patience among unsuccessful and lazy men including his father named,
Unoka. He blamed him for having a bitter life on his youth.
 Many years before, Okoye visited Unoka to ask for the payments that he had borrowed,
but unfortunately he went home nothing because Unoka told him that he will pay first his
big debts.
 Unoka died and taken no titles, was heavily in debt and Okonkwo was very ashamed of
him.
 Okonkwo worked hard during his youth and had won fame as the great wrestler out of
nine villages .
 He became a wealthy farmer, had 2 barns full of yams and married his third wife.
 He became respected among all people.

Chapter 2: A Lad and A Young Virgin

 The town crier announced that evey town in Umuofia will gather at the market place.
 Ten thousand men was gathered and in front of them was Ogbuefi Ezeugo.
 It was announced that Mbaino dared to murder a daughter of Umuofia, and that was
Ogbuefi Udo‘s wife.
 The crowd filled with anger and they sent a messenger to Mbaino and then later asked to
choose between war or to offer a young man and a virgin as compensation.
 Umuofia was feared by all neighbors, so when Okonkwo went to Mbaino, he returned
home with a lad and a young virgin.
 Umoufia never went to war unless accepted by Oracle of Hills and Caves.
 The young girl should go to Ogbuefi Udo to replace his murdered wife, while the lad was
taken to Okonkwo‘s household.

Things Fall Apart

  The lad named Ikemefuna was still confused on Okonkwo‘s rule on his household after
he had beaten Nwoye, his twelve-year old son to be corrected by his laziness.

Chapter 3: Okonkwo’s Hardworks

 When Okonkwo was still a boy, he remembered that his father went to the Oracle of hills
and caves to find why he had a miserable harvest.
 He was told that his laziness and weakness became the reason of his sufferings.
 When Unoka died, he was feared to have like his father‘s contemptible life.
 Okonkwo worked on Nwakibie and earn his first seed yams. He was offered eight
hundred seeds from Nwakibie, and another four hundred seeds from his father‘s friend.
 The weather was very bad when Okonkwo first sow his own yam and those year of
harvest became a great failure.

Chapter 4: Week of Peace

 A meeting was conducted to discuss the ancestral feast and an old man feels ashamed
because Okonkwo called him a woman.
 Okonkwo later apologized and was asked to be humble.
 Okonkwo was feared by all men that‘s why he had been chosen to go other village and
receive the lad and a girl.
 Ikemefuna was under Okonkwo‘s household for three years that even the elders in
Umoufia almost forgotten him.
 Okonkwo‘s son, Nwoye, became close to the lad and they share good companionship,
that even Okonkwo became fond of him.
 Okonkwo broke the week of peace when he had beaten Ojiugo, his third wife, after
leaving home without food just to plait her hair.
 Ezeani, the priest of Goddes Ani, warned him about the punishment he must receive.
 Okonkwo secretly brought a female goat, a hen, a length of cloth and hundred cowries to
offer to the shrine of their goddess as what was told by him.
 After a week of peace Okonkwo together with his son and Ikemefuna were fetching yams
and then suddenly the heavy rain falls filled the place .
 Ikemefuna thought about his mother and his three-year- old sister.

Things Fall Apart

Chapter 5: Feast of New Yam

 The Feast of New Yam was approaching.

 New yams could not be eaten until it had been first offered to the powers.
 Okonkwo also ask his wives‘ relatives for the feast and everyone seems very excited
excluding him who is uncomfortable sitting around. He would be happier working on his
farm.
 All of the people in Okonkwo‘s compound including Ikemefuna were very excited in
preparing foods and cleaning the house.
 Okonkwo got mad on banana tree that has lost it leaves.
 The leaves were cut off by his second wife to wrap the foods, the reason of Okonkwo‘s
anger and she had receive a sound beating.
 Okonkwo asked Ikemefuna to fetch his gun, and he pointed it to his second wife after
saying that this gun never shot. Luckily, she did not receive any harm.
 Second day of new year, the day of wrestling match.
 Ekwefi, Okonkwo‘s second wife is the village of beauty. Okonkwo won her heart the last
time he had thrown the Cat in greatest context.
 They have a daughter named Ezinma. She helped here mother in cooking food so that
they can watch the contest.
 Okonkwo together with his daughter shared some stories and ate together before they
proceed to the game.

Chapter 6: The Most Awaited Match

 The wrestling began and the crowd were gathered to watch the game.
 The game started with the rhythm and beats made by drums.
 Maduka, the son of Obierika won the game.
 Chiello, the priestess of Agbala greeted Ekwefi, and send her regards to Ezinma.
 The wrestling again started new matches as the drummer took again their sticks.
 The last match went to Okafo and Ikezue.
 Though they have equal match and strength, Okafo still managed to win the game and
was carried home shoulder high and sang with praise.

Things Fall Apart

Chapter 7: Ikemefuna’s Death

 Ikemefuna lived in okonkwo‘s household for three years and the elders of Umoufia
seemed to have forgotten him.
 He already absorbed the way of his living and even influenced Nwoye of his hard work
and masculinity, which made Okonkwo glad and pleased with his son‘s improvement.
 Okonkwo invited Ikemefuna and Nwoye on his obi and he told them stories about tribal
wars , vipolence and b;loodshed stories that made Nwoye realized that those stories he
had heard from his mother is not suitable for a man like him.
 The visit of locusts was the most awaited part of all the people in the village.
 After the locusts descended the village, they happily collected and roosted it.
 Ogbuefi Ezeudu, the oldest man of Umoufia told Okonkwo about the oracle that
Ikemefuna will be killed and he should not bear a hand on his death.
 A group of elders from nine villages of Umoufia came to Okonkwo‘s house saying that
they will bring Ikemefuna with them the next day.
 The next day, a group of men returned with a pot of wine. When they were walking
around the heart of the forest including Okonkwo, Ikemefuna can‘t stop thinking of his
mother and sister.
 One of the men raised his machete and blow the pot over Ikemefuna‘s head, he tried to
beg help from Okonkwo but he just looked away and cut him down because he‘s afraid of
being thought weak.
 As Okonkwo returned to his home, it was clear on Nwoye‘s face the sadness because of
the thought that his friend had died.
 Nwoye recalled his feeling years ago in last harvest season when he heard a voice of twin
infants in thick forest that was putted in earthenware pots and thrown away in the forest.

Chapter 8: Okonkwo’s Sorrow

 Okonkwo still can‘t moved on on Ikemefuna‘s death, he became weak and had not eaten
anything.
 Ezinma took care of him.

Things Fall Apart

  Okonkwo was in grief of Ikemefuna‘s death, that he even cursed himself for being a
woman again.
 He decided to visit his friend, Obrieka who is currently asking for his help about his
daughter‘s bride price. He also met Maduka, Obrieka‘s son.
 Obrieka warned him about laying hands on Ikemefuna‘s death.
 Obrieka entertained his daughter‘s suitor named Ibe, and it turned out that the bride price
was finally settled at twenty bags of cowries.

Chapter 9: Ezinma’s Iyi-Uwa

 Okonkwo was now finally recovered.

 He remembered the story of ear and the mosquito.
 Ekwefi banged Okonkwo‘s door telling that their daughter, Ezinma is dying.
 Okonkwo went to his wife‘s hut and prepared leaves and herbs for his daughter‘s
medicine.
 Way back before, Ekwefi had suffered a good deal in her life, she had borne ten children
and the nine died in infancy, only Ezinma survived.
 Ezinma was an ogbanje.
 More than years ago, the medicine man had dug-up Ezinma‘s iyi-uwa, she was convinced
to tell the medicine man where di he put her ―iyi-uwa‖ and it was later found on the
orange tree.
 Everyone was so amazed when the shiny peeble fell out, they shouted with joy and after
that long year ago , Ezinma has not been ill.
 Okonkwo returned with medicinal trees and shrubs that put on a pot. He placed Ezinma,
astride the steaming pot and covered her with mat. She was drenched with perspiration
and Ekwefi layed her down until she fell asleep.

Chapter 10: The trial between Mgbafo and Uzowulu

 Communal ceremony on the village of Ilo.

 There was a trial between two groups: Mgbafo and her two brothers and on the other side
were Uzowulu-Mgbafo‘s husband- and his relative.

Things Fall Apart

  It was first started with a ritual where the nine ancestral spirits leaded by Evil Forest,
called egwugwu interfered in trial to settle the things of both parties.
 Evil Forest listened the concern of both parties.
 Uzowulu stated his concern about his wife that was taken by his in-laws and even beated
him without returning the bride price.
 Odukwe, Mgbafo‘s brother, also defended that her sister was beaten by his husband every
single day when she was pregnant that resulted into her miscarriage.
 However, Evil Forest‘s decision is to let Uzowulu bring a pot of palm-wine to his in-laws
and beg for his wife‘s return. While Odukwe was asked to take the wine brought by
Ozowunlo and let Mgbafo, his wife to came with him.

Chapter 11: Agbala is looking for Ezinma

 On one dark night, Ekwefi told the children about the story of the turtle and birds who
have great feast in the sky.
 Ezinma tried to tell her story too but all of a sudden, a priestess of Agbala, named Chielo
was possessed and she addressed greetings to Okonkwo saying that he wanted to see
daughter, Ezinma.
 Chielo bring Ezinma with her to the place where the Agbala wanted to see her.
 As a worried mother to her child, Ekwefi followed them until they reach the mouth of the
cave , and Chielo seemed to notice her presence.
 Fortunately, Ekwefi wasn‘t caught on act while following them.
 She waited on a cave mouth and Okonkwo was also there waiting for their child.
 She remembered the days when she had married Ane because Okonkwo was too poor
then to marry. However, after years that she could not bear, she went to Okonkwo‘s
house and that was the beginning of their relationship.

Chapter 12: Bride Price

 Celebrating the uri of Obrieka‘s daughter.

 Okonkwo‘s wife also brought their present to Obrieka‘s wife. Ekwefi was tired and
sleepy for their experience in following the priestess.

Things Fall Apart

  The priestess was not even surprised at finding them at the mount of the cave waiting,
Ezinma returned home safe and carefully placed on the bed while asleep.
 Three young men helped to slaughter two giant goats from the market of Umuike.
 Obrieka‘s relatives and friends arrived and later on, his in laws brought forty-five pots of
palm wine as a present for the special event.
 The night was filled with happy songs, chants and lively dances.
 After they visit to prominent men like Okonkwo, the suitor‘s family brought the bride to
their own home to spend seven market weeks.

Chapte 13: Unexpected Happenings

 Ezeudu, an old man that once told Okonkwo to bear no hands on Ikemefuna‘s death, has
died.
 Ancestral spirits/egwugwu appeared from the underworld
 The three oldest man in the whole clan danced the funeral steps of the tribe unsteadily.
 Guns fired, cannon exploded, and he accidentally pierced the dead man‘s sixteen-year-
old son.
 Okonkwo collected his valuable belongings for he and his family were about to flee from
the clan.
 It was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman and a man who committed it
must flee from the land and could return after 7 years.
 Ezeudu‘s quarter stormed Okonkwo‘s compound, they kill his animals and destroyed his
barn including Obrieka- to give justice of the earth goddess.
 Obrieka reminisce his wife‘s twin children whomhe had thrown away.

Chapter 14:

 Okonkwo was now on his mother‘s kinsmen in Mbanta. He was now under Uchendu‘s
shelter- his mother‘s brother.
 Okonkwo was given a plot to build a shelter for himself and for his wives.
 Each of Uchendu‘s son offered 200 seeds of yam for him to start in planting season.
 However, the weather was not good for them, it became a challenge for Okonkwo and his
family to work very hard to plant a new farm.

Things Fall Apart

  Anikwu, Uchendu‘s youngest son is marrying a new wife, and the last ceremony had
been performed.
 Anikwu‘s sisters optimistically ask questions about the bride‘s purity and loyalty.
 On the second day, Uchendu acknowledged and explain to his son and daughters about
Okonkwo‘s sudden living in Mbanta.
 He inspired Okonkwo to remain strong in sufferings of life through sharing his sad
experience in losing wives and children.

Chapte 15: Two Years After the Exile

 After two years of Exile, Obrieka visited Okonkwo with two young men carrying bags
full of cowries.
 Obrieka also spare time talking with Uchendu and exchanged stories about their elders
and friends in distant clans.
 The story of Abame that has been wiped out.
 A white man appeared to Umoufia according to the oracle that he will result destruction
in the clan, so they decided to kill him and tied up his iron horse (bicycle) in sacred silk
cotton tree.
 Another three white me with band of ordinary men went to the clan.
 The three white men and very large number of other men surrounded the market and
began to shoot, everybody was killed except for the man who has illness on their home.
 The story of mother kite and daughter kite.
 Obrieka and Nwoye exchanged greetings to each other.
 Nweke, Obrieka‘s son married a new wife, who is Okadigbo‘s second daughter.
 Obrieka give Okonkwo‘s money from his yams that he left.

Chapter 16: New Religion

 Obrieka visited Okonkwo again when nearly two years later.

 The white man built church on their clan and it gave the clans great sorrow when they
won a handful of converts.
 Obrieka found out that Nwoye was among with those missionaries.

Things Fall Apart

  The white missionaries with an Ibo interpreter shared to them that there is only one true
God, and the gods and goddesses that they have worshipped were false god.
 They shared the Holy Trinity but the clans were not that open to listen.
 Nwoye was captivated in this group because of the poetry of new religion, it is a hymn
about two brothers sat in the darkness and persistent question of young soul that made
him remember twins crying as well as Ikemefuna‘s death.

Chapter 17: Father’s Anger to New Faith

 The missionaries spent their first four or five nights in marketplace.

 They asked the entitled men for a plot to build their church and they were given a piece
of land in Evil Forest.
 They built churches and the clans were very amazed that after four days the missionaries
were still alive. They thought that they have unbelievable power to talk with evil spirits.
 The missionaries gradually converted people in mbanta including Nneka, the wife of
Amadi.
 Nwoye returned home and saluted to his father but Okonkwo was very angry upon
knowing that he came from church.
 Okonkwo was very angry with the possibility that his son would be converted to the
white men‘s faith, and forget their ancestral shrine sooner. It came to his mind that he
will wipe all those missionaries.

Chapter 18:

 The church had gone on living and gradually becoming stronger.

 Stories gaining around that white man had not only brought religion but also government,
it was even said that they hanged a man who killed missionaries, but it was all a lie.
 Two outcasts went to church and the members was hesitant to receive them. However,
Mr. Kiaga stopped them explaining that they need God more than them.
 The outcasts shove off their long tangled hair and become one of those faithful Christian.
 The conflict of killing the royal python.
 The clan including Okonkwo have the urge to kill the Christians, but later then decided to
ostracize them.

Things Fall Apart

  The bell man proclaimed about adherents of new faith
 Wednesday in Holy Week, everyone was busy in bringing red earth and white chalk and
water to scrub the church.
 When the women were about to fetch a water, they did not bring any single drop because
they were outlawed to do so.
 they came to realize that maybe the reason is the sacred python killed by Okoli which
seems to be false.

Chapter 19: Bond of Kinship

 Okonkwo‘s last year and last harvest in Mbanta.

 He prepared a feast as thanksgiving for his motherland for being grateful to them.
 His wives and children were also bsy preparing lots of yams, three goats, foo-foo, yam
pottage, palm-wine and many more.
 All the kinsmen and Uchendu were also gathered together.
 Kola nut was given to him to break and prayed to the ancestors.
 Uchendu feared young people for not understanding the bond of kinship.

Chapter 20: We’re Falling Apart

 Okonkwo went back to his old compound. Everything had changed and he had lost the
chance to lead his warlike clan against new religion.
 His yams grew abundantly in Umoufia and in his motherland.
 He invited his five other sons on his obi and told them about abandoning Nwoye as their
brother and they should act like a man.
 Ezinma grew up a fine young lady. She became the most beautiful in Mbanta and lots of
men tried to ask for her hand but Okonkwo insisted that it would be better to marry
someone in Umoufia.
 Okonkwo became so fond of Ezinma for being such an understanding child and he do
hope that she were a boy.
 During seven years, the church became stronger and even the worthy man joined it
including Ogbuefi Ugonna.

Things Fall Apart

  The church had also brought a government that imprisoned those who offended against
white man‘s law.
 Okonkwo was not amazed with the change especially for Umoufia people who was
converted in new religion.
 Aneto killed Oduche in fight over land, and he was taken to Umuru, hanged after Oduche
died.
 Obrieka stated that they have fallen apart.

Chapter 21: Everything Has Changed

 There are some Umoufia people who did not feel strongly as Okonkwo.
 The white man had also built trading store and for the first time, palm oil and kernel
became things of great price and much money flowed into Umoufia.
 Mr. Brown came to be very expected even by the clan because he trod softly on its faith.
 One of the great mean named Akunna had given his son to be taught in Mr. Browns
school.
 Akunna shared his faith about their god Chukwu, after long conversation Mr. Brown
came to realize that the frotal attack on other religion is not effective.
 Mr. Brown built school and little hospital in Umoufia and there were lots of students
came.
 A few months later, they make a court messenger and a court clerck who later on became
teachers.
 Mr. Brown was breaking down in health.
 Five months earlier, before okonkwo‘s return, Mr. Brown sent Nwoye ( now Isaac) to
pay hima visit but Okonkwo just threated him.
 Okonkwo was not happy upon his return for he have not receive any special notice and
the people were more focused on ne religion and trading store.
 He saw his clan breaking up, falling apart, and became soft like a woman.

Chapter 22: The Clan Versus The Church

 Reverend James Smith, Mr. Brown‘s successor, was a different man and he was
distressed about many of his flocks showed as the trinity and the sacraments.

Things Fall Apart

  Enoch, son of snake priest had seemed so much greater than Mr. Brown‘s devotion to the
new faith.
 Enoch is the one to touch off conflict between the clan and the church.
 He unmasked and egwugbu in public which is the greatest crime in the clan .
 He killed ancestral spirit and Umoufia was thrown to confusion.
 All masked egwugbu of Umoufia assembled in marketplace and the countless spirits and
bells created terrible voices.
 Furious bond came to Enoch‘s compound wearing heavy protections and charms.
 Mr. Smith also heard the Mother of Spirits wailing for her son that gives him fear.
 Mr. Smith made a prayer to God to save them and the wsdom prevailed, may lives were
saved and the band of egwugbu moved out.
 Mr. Smith faced all those spirits through walking quietly to the door, but the angry spirits
was so strong that even told him and his interpreter named Okeke to leave their place
and the church should be destroyed.

Chapter 23: The Leaders’ Imprisonment

 Okonkwo was almost happy when the clan, which turned false on him appeared to be
making amends
 The district commissioner told his messenger to bring the six leaders in the village
 Ogbuefi Ekwueme tell the story of how Enoch murdered an egwugbu.
 The six men were imprisoned and after three days of being cursed and not eating
anything, Okonkwo expressed his anger and even said to his fellow prisoner that they
should have killed the white man.
 It was heard by the messenger and they were locked up.
 Court messengers tell the people of Umoufia that their leaders will be released soon as
long as they will paid a fine of 250 bags of cowries.
 The next morning, the village criers collected 250 bags of cowries without delay to please
the white man.

Things Fall Apart

 Chapter 24: Okonkwo’s Vengeance

 The fire was paid, Okonkwo and his fellow prisoner were set free.
 The village crier again announced that another meeting would be held so Okonkwo was
so excited. He wore vengeance for the white man‘s treatment.
 Okonkwo remembered the days where they killed Isike‘s men
 Obrieka and Okonkwo were now gathered in marketplace and began to look for
Egonwanne.
 Okonkwo was very motivated to fight alone if Umoufia would choose to be coward.
 Okika, one of the prisoner, expressed his grief upon seeing that some of the sons of
Umoufia were not with them.
 Four messengers suddenly came and told them that the District Commissioner ordered to
stop their meeting.
 Okonkwo drew his machete and descended twice the man‘s head and died.
 Okonkwo wiped his machete and went away. It brought people of Umoufia into
Confusion.

Chapter 25:

 District Comissoner with armed band of soldier and messenger arrived to Okonkwo‘s
compound and look for Okonkwo.
 Obrieka, together with his men guide them to bring to where Okonkwo was.
 As they arrived, they were so shock seeing Okonkwo‘s body dangling on the tree.
 Obrieka ask for the messenger‘s help to bring him down, for it is against their custom to
touch a man who take his own life.
 He said that he‘s one of the great me of Umoufia, but he must be buried like a dog.
 The District Commisioner stopped him and told the chief messenger to take down the
body and bring all the people to the court.
 The commissioner learned number of things in many years . (District Commissioner must
never attend to such undignified details such a hanged man from the tree.)
 The Pacification of Tribes of The Lower Niger- the commissioner had chosen this title of
the book.

Things Fall Apart

Colonialism and Its Disadvantages Among theTribes

Colonialism is one of the major themes of the novel which is introduced in this novel.The Ibo
tribe has seen rich in culture that originates from their ancestors. However, when Christianity
were introduced to the villages, the dilemma on protecting their existing faith occurred.
Okonkwo was in grief and pain as he witnessed that gradually his people were converted and
turned their back to their gods and goddesses and when Okonkwo returns from exile to his
village, Christianity has already spread so far. This great challenge of the tribe really tested their
strong bond that later on became evident that there‘s not enough power to build it up again
especially when some off the great or wise men from their village started to embrace the new
religion within the village. Several norms and traditions have been abolished calling them
savage ways. However, it happens that the Igbo people become furious over this cultural
onslaught but not all of them. This transformation of the locals spread chaos and change the
indigenous culture but at the cost of the destruction.

Masculinity as Basis of Being A Strong Man

Okonkwo stresses much upon masculinity that he is often ashamed at his own father who was a
musician and lazy instead of being an active and a violent man. That is why he does not like his
son, Nwoye who is peaceful and compares him to Ikemefuna who is more courageous.
Okonkwo‘s masculinity makes him cruel and ruthless even in his domestic affairs. It is also that
when others fail, to prove his masculinity he kills Ikemefuna. He then encourages himself after
that during his self-reflection when his conscience makes him feel guilty. He also berates his
ancestors for avoiding bloodshed and anger.

Sense of Justice

The sense of justice and dispensation of justice gives stability to society as shown by Things Fall
Apart. The Igbo people have different institutions and traditions for dispensing justice to the
people. Okonkwo is exiled under this tribal legal system and is brought back after seven years.
He kills his adopted son Ikemefuna under this system. However, when the arrival of the English
has destabilized this system, the Igbo system seems old and barbaric in comparison to it. Their

Things Fall Apart

traditions fall apart due to the fast institutionalized religion and governance of the white people.
Therefore, it provides a sense of justice that prevails in the end when Okonkwo commits suicide.

Pride As The Greatest Strength and Weaknesses

Okonkwo‘s greatest weakness is his pride, which is constantly under threat both from within his
community and from without. Okonkwo takes pride in his achievements. This pride is justifiable,
since he has accomplished a lot. He has a right to be proud because he has accomplished so
much. He has not only shown himself to be one of Umuofia's most fearsome fighters, but he has
also risen through Umuofia's social ranks faster than any of his contemporaries. Okonkwo‘s exile
in Mbanta also deals a serious blow to his pride. he intends to reclaim his pride by protecting his
homeland against European encroachment. ―If a man comes into my hut and defecates on the
floor, what do I do? Do I shut my eyes? No! I take a stick and break his head.‖ To maintain his
pride, Okonkwo eventually resorts to violence, which leads to his untimely demise.

Things Fall Apart

  Igbo lifestyle is highly stylized, from its ritual speech to the actions performed for
certain ceremonies. Most of these formalized interactions occur in an attempt to show
respect to some external being – another man, an ancestral spirit, or a god. Respect and
knowledge of one‘s role in society is very important in determining such customs.
Another institution that rituals address and honor is the family unit. Stylized language, in
particular, seeks to hold the family together by means of promises.
 The traditions of the Umuofia are used to show respect to either the family unit or
the gods. The coming of the Christians is the sole cause of the breakdown of Umuofia
traditions and customs.
 As an agricultural society, the survival of the Umuofia depends on the earth and its
predictable cycle of seasons. Thus we see frequent worship of the earth and her bounty,
especially at the new year and during harvest season. The Igbo also reap the earth‘s
wealth in rather economical and effective ways – tapping trees for palm-wine,
capitalizing off of locust plagues, and making medicine with herbs. Human beings are
implicitly viewed as the children of the earth, though the conduct of the white men
throws doubt on that assumption. In addition to being generous, the earth can also be
deadly and is ruthless and not provide food and resources if offended in some way by
human actions.
 Social rank and relative wealth play great roles in determining a person’s destiny in
Umuofia society. But sometimes a man with sheer force of will can change his
stars through hard work and a smattering of luck.
 The gods have their own language which lowly humans cannot understand. The
Christians speak English and require an interpreter to communicate with the Umuofia.
However, interpreters are often from different parts of the country and have noticeable
differences in speech. So concepts and connotations are inevitably lost in translation.

Things Fall Apart

 The title ―Things Fall Apart‖ describes how the Ibo tribe‘s culture and religion
have changed due to the colonialism that brought by the white men. They started to bring
religion (Christianity) in Umoufia and later on implement their own government which
gradually converted Umoufia people to the new faith and laws. This became a challenge to the
leaders of the clans for the fear that the religion they believed from their ancestors will finally
fade. And it is very evident in the story that the colonialism brought by the white men brought a
big impact for a sudden change of people‘s existing faith, they doubt the religion they used to
believe, and the ancestral gods and spirits that they have worshipped.

In the 24th chapter of the book, when Okonkwo realized that the people who were
converted in the new religion are not only the foolish men in Umoufia, instead there are already
lots of wise and great men from their clan who also joined the white men‘s religion , really
disappointed him that urge him to take revenge. This scenario made him become hopeless like
everything falls apart. There‘s no unity as an Umoufia people anymore, and the change of
beliefs had gradually lost their culture and identity as a member of the tribe.

In addition the title can be also connected to the story which illustrates both an
individual's sorrow and a society's sorrow. The novel's protagonist, Okonkwo, who was wealthy
and respected at the start of the story, meets a tragic end at the end. Achebe depicts the fallout
from the life of Okonkwo, an ambitious, well-known, and respected African. When he suffers,
though, his entire tribe suffers as well. At the beginning of the novel, the Ibo society was a
peaceful, organic society, but at the end of the novel it falls into pieces

Things Fall Apart

I. POINT OF VIEW

The story takes a third-person omniscient perspective, which means that as the name
implies, an omniscient narrator is all-seeing and all-knowing. While the narration outside of any
one character, the narrator may occasionally access the consciousness of a few or many different
characters. Though it frequently focuses on the main characters, such as Okonkwo, Ikemefuna,
Nwoye, and Ekwefi, it does so. This narrative style contributes to a better understanding of the
Igbo people, their beliefs, and their social practices. It also helps to portray them as more
complex personalities, rather than the clichés that the missionaries see.

II. CONFLICT

 Man vs. Society- the conflict is between Umuofia's traditional society and the new
customs brought by the whites, which many of the villagers have adopted. Okonkwo
likewise tries to distance himself from his deceased father as much as possible. His
father, he feels, was weak, effeminate, indolent, humiliating, and destitute which he did
not wanted to be.

 Man vs. Himself- Okonkwo is continuously in conflict, calculating his actions on how a
man should act, despite the fact that they conflict with his sentiments, throughout the
novel against the white man himself. Okonkwo wrestles with himself at the end of the
novel on what to do now that his culture is doomed.But when he realizes how truly alone
he is, he struggles with whether he can go on living, and the implications killing himself
would have. For instance, Okonkwo was fighting with his inner fears of failure. Her son
was fighting with his weaknesses. Perhaps, this inner conflicts forced Nwoye to divert his
religion. Apparently, people were happy but they were trying to find a better life.
Obeirika was also a follower of Igbo culture and obeyed every order of earth goddess but
he was against philosophy of killing the twins. He wanted to do something but could not.

 Tradition vs. Change- The change that take place among the Ibo people after the arrival
of Christian missionaries are profound. Many persons who were formerly unpopular
among the Igbo are now turning to Christianity and acquiring status as a result of their
acts. When Okonkwo returns from exile, he discovers that the religion has shattered

Things Fall Apart

 much of Ibo society's cohesion. Even his son has joined the ranks of the converted.
Okonkwo tries but fails to marshal support for a return to traditional life, and so he kills
himself.

 Man s. Man- The Man vs. Man conflict form in Things Fall Apart covers the relationship
between the main character, Okonkwo, and his first son, Nwoye. Many incidents are
there in the novel where man tried to kill his fellowman. To demonstrate his supremacy
over other males in his community, Okonokwo killed his adoptive son with his own
hands. He had the option of avoiding it, but he chose to do so. He could avoid it but he
showed that he was emotionless hence he possessed more strength.

 Religion Vs. Religion

Ibo people have belief in (Chukwu or Chineke), whom they consider creator god.
Similarly an earth goddess (Ala) was also there for them to worship. Furthermore, they
believe in spirits and ancestors who guard their living offspring. In a nutshell, they
practiced polytheistic religion. On different occasions, different gods came to their aid.
White men, on the other hand, brought Christianity with them. They exclusively
worshipped one God, which was frowned upon by Ibo society. When they observed that
Christianity called killing twins a brutal act they stood against it and tried to stop its
expansion. Eventually, religion vs. religion conflict arouse. Finally, Igbo religion was
eliminated and Christianity overpowered.

III. HISTORICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL/MYTHOLOGICAL/
RELIGIOUS ALLUSIONS (if there are)

 Religious allusion-

1. Chapter 2: ―It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods
and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth
and claw. The phrase “red in tooth and claw” is an allusion to the poem “In Memoriam
A. H. H.” (1849) by the nineteenth-century British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Things Fall Apart

 2. In chapter 7 : There is a biblical allusion being mentioned: “I n this way the moons
and the seasons passed. And then the locusts came.” This is an allusion to the biblical
story of the plague of locusts told in the Book of Exodus.
3. Chapter 7: He heard Ikemefuna cry, ―My father, they have killed me!‖ as he ran
towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was
afraid of being thought weak. This is an allusion to the biblical story of God testing
Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as told in the Book of Genesis.

4. Chapter 16: He told them . . . [e]vil men and all the heathen who in their blindness
bowed to wood and stone were thrown into a fire that burned like palm-oil. But good men
who worshipped the true God lived forever in His happy kingdom. ―We have been sent . .
. so that you may be saved when you die[.]‖
This is an allusion to the Christian theological ideas of heaven, hell, and redemption.

5.Chapter 16: It was a story of brothers who lived in darkness and in fear, ignorant of the
love of God. It told of one sheep out on the hills, away from the gates of God and from
the tender shepherd‘s care.
This is an allusion to the biblical story of Cain and Abel as told in the Book of Genesis.

6.Chapter 17: ―Let us give them a portion of the Evil Forest. They boast about victory
over death. Let us give them a real battlefield in which to show their victory.‖
This is an allusion to the Christian belief in Jesus Christ’s victory over death by
sacrificing himself to save humankind, thereby opening the gates of heaven for humans to
live an everlasting life.

7. Chapter 21: He had just sent Okonkwo‘s son, Nwoye, who was now called Isaac, to the
new training college for teachers in Umuru.
This is a biblical allusion to Abraham’s son, Isaac, who Abraham intended to sacrifice to
God in a test of faith.

8. Chapter 22: Enoch had killed an ancestral spirit, and Umuofia was thrown into
confusion.
This is an allusion to the biblical story of Cain and Abel in the Old Testament, in which
Cain establishes a line of evil in the world by murdering his brother, Abel. Cain’s first
son is named Enoch.

Things Fall Apart

 9.Chapter 22: He believed in slaying the prophets of Baal.
This is an allusion to the worship of the pagan god Baal described in the Old Testament.
 Historical/Political Allussion

1. Chapter 23: ―We have a court of law where we judge cases and administer justice just
as it is done in my own country under a great queen.[‖]
This is an allusion to Queen Victoria, the reigning head of the British Empire from 1837
to 1901.
2. Chapter 24: He thought about wars in the past. The noblest, he thought, was the war
against Isike.
This is an allusion to Chief Isike, a leader of the Nyamwezi people of Tanzania, who
fought against German colonization.

IV. LANGUAGE USED, SYMBOLISMS USED, FIGURES OF SPEECH

Symbols · The novel is highly symbolic, and it asks to be read in symbolic terms. The locusts
represent white colonists falling upon the Africans, appearing to bring good fortune but actually
foreshadowing difficult encounters. Okonkwo's nature is symbolized by fire: he is ferocious and
destructive. The drums, as a third emblem, signify the community of clansmen in Umuofia's
physical link, and acts as a metaphorical heartbeat that beats in unison, uniting all the village
members.

Language Used

The novel is told in English rather than the original Igbo speech, despite the fact that it is written
from the perspective of the Igbo people. The book makes a counter-argument to colonialism by
telling the story in the language of the colonizers. It enables the Igbo to recount their story in a
way that colonists can comprehend and that demonstrates their education. Proverbs and tiny
stories are also used throughout the narrative to provide more understanding of the Igbo people.
When the locusts descend on the community, for example, metaphoric language are employed to
describe the incident in order to make it symbolic of Christian colonization.

Things Fall Apart

Figures of Speech:

1. Simile

The use of such similes aggravates the quality of his language. The similes in the following
sentences throw light on characters, their actions and states:

 Amalinze was a willy craftsman, but Okonkwo was as slippery as fish in water (Things
Fall Apart, 3)., 3).
 As soon as Unoka understood what his friend was driving at, he burst out laughing. He
laughed loud and long and his voice rang out clear as the ogene, and tears stood in his
eyes. (7)
 Okonkwo did not taste any food for two days after the death of Ikemefuna […]. He felt
like a drunken giant walking with the limbs of mosquito. (57)
 Maduka vanished into the compound like lightening. The conversation at once centered
on him, and everybody agreed that he was as sharp as a razor. (64)
 She was rewarded by occasional spells of health during which Ezinma bubbled with
energy like fresh palm wine. (72)
 It is here‖, said Ezinma touching the ground with her finger. Okonkwo stood by,
rumbling like thunder in the rainy season. (75)
 The night was impenetrably dark. The moon had been rising later and later every night
until now it was seen at dawn. And whenever the moon forsook evening and rose at cock-
crow the nights were as black as charcoal […]. There was an oil lamp in all the four huts
on Okonkwo‘s compound, and each hut seen from the others looked like a soft eye of
yellow half-light set in the solid massiveness of night. (86)

3. Personification

A few numbers of personifications are found in Things Fall Apart. Some inanimate items are
credited with human traits. As if they were human individuals, they are described and addressed
as such. Aside from that, some animate objects that are not human are addressed as if they were
human. Most of the personifications in the novel occur in the course of telling short stories by
certain characters.

 Nowye, the son of Okonkwo is being told a story by her mother. In that story ‗Earth‘,
‗Sky‘ and ‗Vulture‘ etc. are personified: He remembered the story she often told of the

Things Fall Apart

 quarrel between Earth and Sky long ago, and how Sky withheld rain for seven years, until
crops withered and the dead could be buried because the hoes broke on the stony Earth.
At last Vulture was sent to plead with Sky, and to soften his heart with a song of
suffering of the sons of men. Whenever Nwoye‘s mother sang this song, he felt carried
away to the distant scene in the sky where Vulture, Earth‘s emissary, sang for mercy. At
last sky was moved to pity, and he gave to Vulture rain wrapped in leaves of coco-yam.
(48)

 T here is another story that was told to Okonkwo by his mother when he was a child. He
remembers that story. In the course of the story ‗mosquito‘ and ‗ear‘ are personified:
Mosquito, she had said, had asked Ear to marry him, whereupon Ear fell on the floor in
uncontrollable laughter. ―How much longer do you think you live? ―She asked. ―You are
already a skeleton‖. Mosquito went away humiliated, and any time he passed her way he
told Ear that he was still alive. (68) Apart from the above there are some other short
stories told by character where words like ‗Tortoise‘, ‗Parrot‘, ―Mother Kite‘ and
―Daughter Kite‘ etc. are personified.

2. Metaphor

There are a few uses of metaphors in Things Fall Apart. Those are indicating the point of
similarity or resemblance between two essentially different things but not directly. The similarity
is suggestive and speculative. The metaphors in the novel throw light on characters and
atmosphere.

 Yam is considered as the supreme crop. Okonkwo works hard and grows Yam in his
field. The resemblance of Yam is made with men‘s crop and coco-yam is with women‘s
crops as follows:

And so at a very early age when he was striving desperately to build a barn through
share-cropping, Okonkwo was also fending for his father‘s house. It was like pouring
grains of corn into a bag full of holes. His mother and sisters worked hard enough, but
they grew women‘s crops, like coco-yams, beans and cassava. Yam, the king of crops,
was a man‘s crops. (21)

Things Fall Apart

 The metaphor of ‗locust‘ in the novel is related to nature: The locusts had not come for
many, many years, and only the old people had seen them before […]. At first, a fairly
small swarm came. They were the harbingers sent to survey the land. (50)

4. Oxymoron

Most of the oxymoron in the novel reflects the attitude of Okonkwo; the protagonist, Uchendu;
Okonkwo‘s uncle, people of Mbanta and Mr. Kiaga; the white missionary. Those are as follows:

 When he began again, the anger of his face was gone and in its place a sort of smile
hovered, more terrible and more sinister than the anger. (11)
 He laughed a mirthless laughter and turned to his sons and daughter. (121)
 When this was interpreted to the men of Mbanta, they broke into derisive laughter. (133)

5. Anthithesis

Antithesis In the novel Things Fall Apart Achebe has used some numbers of antithesis. The two
clauses contrasted in meaning highlight the characters, situations, artistry and theme in the novel.

 Okonkwo‘s compound was like a deserted homestead. It was as if cold water had been
poured on it. His family was all there, but everyone spoke in whispers. (177)
 Ezinma had prepared some food for her father as soon as news spread that the six men
would be released. She took it to him in his obi. He ate absentmindedly. He had no
appetite; he only ate to please her. (179)

6. Rhetorical Question

These rhetorical questions highlight characters, situations, theme and artistry in the novel too. A
few examples of such uses are:

 When did you become a shivering old woman‖, Okonkwo asked himself, ‗you, who are
known in all the nine villages for his valour in war? How can a man who has killed five
men in battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to their number? Okonkwo, you
have become a woman indeed. (59)
 Why should a man suffer so grievously for all offence he had committed inadvertently?
But although he thought for a long time he found no answer […]. He remembered his

Things Fall Apart

 wife‘s twin children, whom he had thrown away. What crime had they committed? (113-
114)

V. FLASHBACK, FORESHADOWING

Foreshadowing · The author‘s initial description of Ikemefuna as an ―ill-fated boy,‖ which

presages his eventual murder by Okonkwo; the arrival of the locusts, which symbolizes the
eventual arrival of the colonizers; Obierika‘s suggestion that Okonkwo kill himself, which
foretells Okonkwo‘s eventual suicide.

Flashbacking- Achebe's prose is enhanced by flashbacks. Okonkwo's images of his father are
shown through flashbacks. Unoka's character is developed through flashbacks. Unoka can be
visualized by the reader. Similarly, the reader may comprehend Okonkwo's relationship with his
father. It's simple to see why Okonkwo is afraid of following in his father's footsteps. It's
understandable why Okonkwo despises his father.

Things Fall Apart

1. ―But he was not the man to go about telling his neighbors that he was in error. And so people
said he had no respect for the gods of the clan. His enemies said that his good fortune had gone
to his head.‖

Analysis: The writer explains Okonkwo‘s nature is often misunderstood by the people because
he doesn‘t speak. In front of the priest, he admits his error and repents. Outwardly, however, his
pride prevents him from revealing his true nature to everyone. As a result, people frequently
speak against him, and the priest believes that if Okonkwo does not confess his mistakes in
public, he will lose respect in the tribe.

2. ―When did you become a shivering old woman,‘ Okonkwo asked himself, ‗you, who are
known in all the nine villages for your valor in war? How can a man who has killed five men in
battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to their number? Okonkwo, you have become a
woman indeed.‘‖

Analysis :Okonkwo speaks to himself as he cannot deny the fact the feeling of guilt and
conscience after killing his adopted son Ikemefuna. He cannot believe that even he killed lots of
men there are still guilt than burdens his thought which he believes he‘s acting like a woman for
being weak. This is his attempt to reassure himself while he expresses hatred over his weakness.

3. ―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 put a knife on the things that held us together and we have
fallen apart.‖

Analysis : Okonkwo offers these words of disappointment to Obierika when he realizes that
everyone has turned against each other. He blames white men for the change who have arrived
in the African continent to propagate their faith. Africans, on the other hand, have made mistakes
by allowing white people to live among them. They've been split up and taken over by other
white men.

Things Fall Apart

4. ―Okonkwo stood looking at the dead man. He knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He
knew because they had let the other messengers escape. They had broken into tumult instead of
action. He discerned fright in that tumult. He heard voices asking: ‗Why did he do it?‖

Analysis: This line was said when Okonkwo realize that Umoufia people were not going to fight
on war. Okonkwo, who is very angry and is completely broken in spirit and feels extremely
guilty as he begins to hear voices in his head.

5. Obierika was a man who thought about things. When the will of the goddess had been done,
he sat down in his obi and mourned his friend's calamity. Why should man suffer so grievously
for an offense he had committed inadvertently? He remembered his wife's twin children, whom
he had thrown away. What crime had they committed?

Analysis: Obierika questions the customs of his clan, something he had done previously after
Ikemefuna was killed. If a great man such as Obierika questions tribal traditions then there are
probably others. It is these others who eventually accept the new religion of the white man.

Things Fall Apart

Retrieved from:

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achebe/9780385474542/teachers-guide/

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Achebe#:~:text=Chinua%20Achebe%2C%20in%20full%20Albert,Western%20customs
%20and%20values%20upon

Things Fall Apart