Things Fall Apart
- This title is a line from a W. B. Yeats poem  Africans are learned people, too.
- This is an ominous and prophetic title  things will not end well.
- What falls apart? Nigeria’s indigenous Igbo culture – and Okonkwo
Context
- published in 1958, two years before Nigeria’s independence from Britain and
about 40 years after Europe’s “scramble for Africa”
- a response to the white man’s accounts of Africans as primitive + cultureless
- intentionally written in English to ensure wide readership across Nigeria and
Europe
Setting
- 1890s Nigeria, immediately before Britain’s seizure of the country
- Umuofia, a Nigerian village with sophisticated social structures and traditions
Achebe’s purpose
Ibsen’s purpose
- to shatter stereotypical portrayals of - to shatter stereotypical portrayals of
Africans  by capturing the complex
Victorian women  by capturing
Igbo culture, including its language
their self-empowerment
(vocab, proverbs, and stories)
- to portray the clash between the - to portray the clash between the
white colonial gov’t and the native
societal norms of a patriarchal world
Igbo people
and women’s desires for a
purposeful life
- to show the devastating effects of - to show the devastating effects of
colonialism on a society
gender norms on women
- to give voice to the colonized (a - to give voice to the oppressed
muted, exploited people)
(muted and exploited women like
Hedda)
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Chapter 1
- Okonkwo had “no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with
his father”  Okonkwo vs. Unoka
- Okoye’s visit to Unoka to collect debt: “Having spoken plainly so far, Okoye
said the next half dozen sentences in proverbs. Among the Ibo the art of
conversation is regarded very highly”  using this kind of language requires
intelligence and sophistication
- Okoye’s visit is polite + civilized  the Ibo are committed to harmony amongst
clansmen
Chapter 2
- the Ibo approach to settling disputes:
1) “An ultimatum was immediately dispatched to Mbaino asking them to
choose between war on the one hand, and on the other the offer of a
young man and a virgin in compensation”  commitment to harmonious
relations --- they are not savages!
2) “In fairness to Umuofia it should be recorded that it never went to war
unless its case was clear and just”  more civil than the Europeans?
- Okonkwo’s whole life was “dominated by fear, the fear of failure and
weakness . . . And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion – to hate everything
that his father had loved. One of those things was gentleness and another was
idleness”  masculinity vs. femininity
The irony is that Unoka inspires/shapes Okonkwo’s masculinity.
Chapter 3
- yams  symbol of competence, manliness, and success
- Okonkwo’s ability to climb Umuofia’s social ladder  Ibo culture values a
man’s prowess and will, allowing him to move up in life despite his ancestor’s
bearings --- a far cry from Europe’s rigid class divisions
- Unoka’s words: “It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone” 
a warning to Okonkwo to temper his self-reliance; one’s community is
important, too
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Things Fall Apart
Chapter 4
- What is chi?
 “But it was really not true that Okonkwo’s palm-kernels had been cracked
for him by a benevolent spirit. He had cracked them himself.”
 Does Okonkwo exist outside of the reach of chi? Is he more special than his
clansmen? Does he lack respect for the gods of the clan?
- What is the Week of Peace?
Okonkwo’s violation of the sacred week:
 “Okonkwo was not the man to stop beating somebody half-way through,
not even for fear of a goddess.”
 “The evil you have done can ruin the whole clan”  Is this foreshadowing?
- Okonkwo’s internal self vs. external self (theme)
 Okonkwo’s regard for Ikemefuna
 Okonkwo’s remorse for violating the Week of Peace
 Okonkwo’s chastisement of Nwoye and Ikemefuna for preparing the seedyams poorly
 How is this theme expressed in Hedda Gabler?
- Could Okonkwo be a tragic hero?
 Definition: a virtuous character who is destined for downfall, suffering, or
destruction brought on by a personal fault
Chapter 5
- What is the Feast of the New Yam?
 Who is Ani?
 Why does Okonkwo beat Ekwefi?
- Okonkwo’s gun that “never shot”  a metaphor?
- What happens to Obiageli’s water pot?
 Ikemefuna protects Obiageli while Okonkwo beats + shoots at his wife.
Who is more of a man in this case?
- What are some of Okonkwo’s flaws?
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Things Fall Apart
Chapter 7
1. Let’s praise Ikemefuna:
- He lifts Nwoye’s spirit  improves Nwoye and Okonkwo’s relationship
- He has a fond regard for his own mother and sister  A man needn’t hate
women and hide affection in order to be a good man.
2. Let’s consider Nwoye vs. Okonkwo:
- Okonkwo believes that a man who can’t rule his women and kids is not a
man at all.
- Nwoye feigns annoyance and grumbles at women to show that he can
control his women-folk.
- Nwoye listens to Okonkwo’s stories of violence and bloodshed but prefers
his mother’s folk tales about animals.
- Nwoye’s spirit breaks after Ikemefuna is killed  Okonkwo beats Nwoye
for crying  criticism of this Ibo practice
- Nwoye’s spirit broke when he heard the twins crying from inside earthenware pots in the forest  criticism of this Ibo practice
3. Let’s look at Okonkwo’s masculinity/insecurity:
- Ezuedu warns Okonkwo: “That boy calls you father. Do not bear a hand in
his death.”  Killing Ikemefuna is like killing a clansman (total violation of
the Ibo commitment to peace)
- “Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut [Ikemefuna] down.
He was afraid of being thought weak.”
- “Then something had given inside [Nwoye]. It descended on him again, this
feeling, when his father walked in that night after killing Ikemefuna. 
Okonkwo’s desperation to appear strong hurts his relationship with Nwoye
4. The locusts came.
- “Quite suddenly a shadow fell on the world, and the sun seemed hidden
behind a thick cloud.”
- “The settled on every tree and on every blade of grass; they settled on the
roofs and covered the bare ground.”
- What could the locusts foreshadow or symbolize?
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Things Fall Apart
Chapter 8
- The connection between weakness and femininity, according to Okonkwo:
1) Okonkwo’s genuine depression following Ikemefuna’s death
vs.
“When did you become a shivering old woman . . . 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.”
2) Okonkwo’s thoughts on his daughter: “If Ezinma had been a boy I would
have been happier. She has the right spirit.”  He doesn’t allow himself
to freely adore Ezinma because she is a girl.
3) Okonkwo’s dismissal of Ogbuefi Ndulue’s valor due to Ogbuefi Ndulue’s
strong bond with his wife and their closely timed deaths
- Manliness needn’t be so severe and extreme:
About Ikemefuna’s death, Obierika says: “You know very well, Okonkwo, that I
am not afraid of blood; and if anyone tells you that I am, he is telling a lie. And
let me tell you one thing, my friend. If I were you I would have stayed at home.
What you have done will not please the Earth. It is the kind of action for which
the goddess wipes out whole families.”  An omen?
- Introduction to change:
1) Some tribes do not determine bride-prices with sticks.
2) In other tribes, a man’s children belong to his wife and her family.
3) There exist men whose skin is as white as chalk (the Ibo take this lightly as
they did with the arrival of the locusts; they are light-hearted and do not
suspect any doom).

Obierika’s brother notes: “But what is good in one place is bad in another
place.”
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Things Fall Apart
Chapter 9
- Insight into Ibo culture:
 ogbanje – a wicked child who, after dying, enters it mother’s womb to be
born again
 iyi-uwa – a special stone that stores the ogbanje’s spirit; destroying the iyiuwa allows a cursed child to live
- Ezinma is the center of Ekwefi’s world. Ekwefi honors her more than she
honors Okonkwo.  She doesn’t prioritize Okonkwo just because he is a man.
- Upon hearing that Ezinma was dying, Okonkwo “sprang from his bed, pushed
back the bolt on his door and ran into Ekwefi’s hut” and then gathered leaves
and grasses to make a medicine for her.
1) Okonkwo doesn’t hate everything about women; he values Ezinma
enough to save her.
2) Okonkwo does women’s work (gathering and cooking) in this situation 
He does have a feminine side.
Chapter 10
The egwugwu ceremony:
 egwugwu = a masked man impersonating one of the clan’s ancestral spirits
(there are nine egwugwus representing the nine villages of Umuofia; their
leader is called Evil Forest)
 a ceremony for men  It should be very proper and tough.
 purpose = to settle a domestic dispute between a husband and wife  “I
don’t know why such a trifle should come before the egwugwu.”
 Evil Forest “ran a few steps in the direction of the women; they all fled in
terror, only to return to their places almost immediately”  fake terror
 “Okonkwo’s wives . . . might have noticed that the second egwugwu had the
springy walk of Okonkwo. And they might also have noticed that Okonkwo
was not among the titled men and elders who sat behind the row of
egwugwu. But if they thought these things they kept them within
themselves”  This ceremony is a bit phony + fraudulent. It doesn’t garner
full reverance or respect.
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Chapter 11
Agbala’s ceremony:
- Agbala = woman
- Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, takes Ezinma away to the cave, and even
Okonkwo cannot stop her: “Beware, Okonkwo! . . . Beware of exchanging
words with Agbala. Does a man speak when a god speaks? Beware!”
- When Ezinma is gone, Ekwefi “stood for a while, and then, all of a sudden,
made up her mind. She hurried through Okonkwo’s hut and went outside.
‘Where are you going?’ he asked. ‘I am following Chielo,’ she replied.  She
has the resolution of a warrior.
- At the mouth of Agbala’s cave, Ekwefi “swore within her that is she heard
Ezinma cry she would rush into the cave to defend her against all the gods in
the world. She would die with her.”
 How does this compare to Okonkwo’s thoughts/actions when Ikemefuna
was in danger?
 Ekwefi is affectionate, strong, and brave. This contradicts Okonkwo’s
belief that women are weak.
- Why does Okonkwo go to Agbala’s cave?
- How does Agbala’s ceremony compare with the egwugwu ceremony?
Let’s read the story about the tortoise and the birds with this understanding:
 tortoise = outsider / white settler / Christian missionary
 birds = indigenous population / Ibo people
 The story is an allegory about the arrival of white settlers and their
subsequent colonialism.
The tortoise does not die in the end!! OMG!!!
allegory = an extended metaphor in which the concrete symbols in the story
represent abstract meanings
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Chapter 12
- Read the paragraph that starts “Okonkwo was also feeling tired . . .”
 Let’s discuss characterization.
 And some more of the same old themes.
- Read about the market of Umuike:
 the man’s goat
 “They use medicine.”
 An omen?
- Read the paragraph that starts “When the women retired, Oberieka presented
kola nuts to his in-laws . . .”
 What does this scene show us (again) about the Ibo people?
Chapter 13
- Read from “The land of the living was not far removed . . .”
 Ezuedo’s funeral  a glimpse of the Ibo people’s sensible understanding
of death
- Read Ezuedo’s eulogy: “Ezuedo! . . . If you had been poor in your life life . . .”
 “If a man caused it, do not allow him a moment’s rest.”
 Okonkwo’s gun
 refuge in Okonkwo’s motherland
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Chapter 17
What is the Evil Forest?
- The clan offered the missionaries “as much of the Evil Forest as they cared to
take. And to their greatest amazement the missionaries thanked them and
burst into song.”
 The clan’s dedication to peaceful solutions  expel the missionaries by
non-violent coercion
 The different values + beliefs of the two groups  they don’t see eye to
eye
Why does the church win converts?
- The missionaries survive in the Evil Forest  the church challenges the Ibo
beliefs and survives the wrath of the gods
- A woman seeks refuge from forced infanticide  the church offers refuge to
those who suffer in Ibo society  rejection of Ibo culture
- Okonkwo beats Nwoye for his involvement with the church. Nwoye leaves and
never returns.
Is it the church that encourages a rejection of Ibo culture, or is it policies like
infanticide and people like Okonkwo who break their kin’s spirit and push
them away?
Okonkwo felt “a strong desire to take up his machete, go to the church and
wipe out the entire vile and miscreant gang.”
- The church challenges his norms and threatens the meaning + security of his
high rank and esteem.
- . . . but if he can’t bend, he’ll break.
“Living fire begets cold, impotent ash.”
- Is Okonkwo starting to come to terms with his own shortcomings?
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Chapter 18
“The white man had not only brought a religion but also a government.”
The osu, outcasts, join the church: “Before God . . . there is no slave or free. We
are all children of God and we must receive these our brothers.”
- The Christians believe all people are equal before God  the church
challenges the Ibo social structure  What will happen to high-standing men
like Okonkwo?
“The heathen say you will die if you do this or that, and you are afraid. They also
said I would die if I built my church on this ground. Am I dead? They said I would
die if I took care of twins. I am still alive. The heathen speak nothing but
falsehood.”
- Mr. Kiaga exposes the fallibility of the clan’s beliefs, values, and practices
Let’s read about the sacred python: “Perhaps it never did happen . . .”
- the clansmen’s reaction: Let’s not do anything. This is between the killer and
the god.
- Okonkwo’s reaction: Use force to chase the Christians out of the village.
- the compromise: Ostracize the Christians (a non-violent punishment) 
Mbanta is really, really committed to peace  Okonkwo is out of sync with
his community.
Chapter 19
Let’s read: “It was going to be Okonkwo’s last harvest in Mbanta . . .”
- Okonkwo isn’t grateful for his time in his motherland  He still doesn’t
appreciate the feminine; he has rejected the opportunity to change + grow
while in exile.
Let’s read: “‘I beg you to accept this little kola’ . . .”
- Purpose of Okonkwo’s feast: It is good for kinsmen to meet.
- “I fear for you; I fear for the clan.”  Things have started to fall apart.
What do Okonkwo and the elders care so much about the bond between their
clansmen?
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Part 2
- What is the significance of Part 2 to Okonkwo’s character?
- What is the significance of Part 2 to the Ibo?
- Why does Achebe close Part 2 with the words: “I fear for you; I fear for the
clan”?
Chapter 20
Let’s read: “Seven years was a long time to be away from one’s clan . . .”
- Why has Okonkwo been so focused on his return to Umuofia?
- What could Okonkwo have been focusing on instead?
Let’s read: “Umuofia had indeed changed during the seven years Okonkwo had
been in exile . . .”
- worthy clansmen have joined the church
- the white government has built laws, a court, and a prison according to their
values and beliefs  What happens to the authority of titled Ibo men? What
happens to the power of the egwugwu to settle disputes?
Let’s read: “The court messengers did not like to be called Ashy Buttocks . . .”
- Okonkwo asks, “Does the white man understand our custom about land?” 
Does the white man even suspct that the Ibo people have their own
established customs?
- Obierika explains, “He has put a knife on the things that held us together and
we have fallen apart.”
 Why does Achebe want European colonists to understand this?
 Why does Achebe want post-colonial Nigerians to understand this?
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