THINGS FALL APART
SIGNIFICANT POINTS
Chapters 21-25
Chatper 21
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Akunna explains the religious tradition of the Igbo
Chukwu is the creator God and a masculine force
Achebe shows the rich culture of the Igbo people
The Igbo do not worship idols but worship a Supreme God. The lesser gods are manifestations of
the Supreme God
Igbo society was an organic whole with religion, government, social relationships, and the
economy all connected
Historically, the Christian missionaries offered the Igbo educational opportunities but as a result
many became Christians
As the Igbo assimilated Western culture, the traditional way of life fell apart
Chapter 22
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Reverend Smith and the zealous convert, Enoch, unmask the egwugwu
This undermines a central concept of Igbo religion
This is considered a crime on many levels (symbolic killing of an ancestor, exposes unmasked
spirit to women and children)
Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming” begins with this passage:
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The Falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”
The falcon is trained to hunt small game. Falconers breeds, trains, or hunts with falcons
This tells us that with the colonial era, the African social order is going to disintegrate
Chapter 23
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Okonkwo does not understand the white man’s power and that life has permanently changed
The colonial government does not understand Igbo beliefs, customs or jurisprudence
The District Commissioner honestly believes that British Imperialism will help the Igbo people
The D.C. also does not know about the court messenger’s behavior
Historically, this represents the “pacification” of the people of Nigeria from 1900-1920
The British destroyed traditional religion and way of life of diverse people in Nigeria and created
a country out of different clans who spoke different languages and had a different customs
Chapter 24
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Okonkwo chooses violence over words at the meeting
Okonkwo appears impetuous, violent and angry
He is paradoxically afraid of failure and doomed to failure in spite of personal achievements
Okonkwo commits murder to reclaim traditional power and authority usurped by the white man
The clan, however, does not understand and does not act with solidarity
Okonkwo recognizes that the clan has failed to resist oppression and respond to the rapid
changes introduced by the British
And yet, Okonkwo has not always respected Igbo beliefs (he denies the feminine elements of a
balanced Igbo life, he violates the Week of Peace, he takes a shot at his wife, participates in the
ritual murder of Ikemenufu, and accidentally kills Ezeudu’s son)
Also, the clan itself breaks their own values (throws twins in the forest, ostracizes mothers,
enslaves the osu, and discriminates against unsuccessful men)
Christianity, however, changes things: twins are rescued, abject mothers, the osu and weak men
are given dignity and new life)
Paradoxically, as Christianity brings new life and a voice to the disenfranchised, it also destroys
traditional life, divides the clan, and introduces a violent colonial government
Okonkwo only relates to the masculine elements of Igbo life. He defends the Igbo concepts of
communalism, equal opportunity, strong kinship relationships, and the traditional religion
However, Okonkwo does not question the injustices of traditional life such as the Igbos’
treatment of twins, discrimination against the osu and the marginalization of the weak and
abnormal
Okonkwo may represent the fundamental Igbo attitude of individualism and independence
He may be a microcosm for the traditional Igbo worldview
Chapter 25
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Okonkwo is a paradox. He represents traditional Igbo life yet his self-destruction contradicts
everything the Igbo society represents
Is he a tragic hero because his individualism results in disaster when he stands for his
convictions
His suicide saves him imprisonment, cheats the whites of revenge, and makes a mockery of the
values of the clan
Is Okonkwo mad?
What does he really stand for and what is the significance of his destruction/death?
Does Okonkwo represent the suicidal fragmentation of Igbo society?
His life is ruled by fear of failure and yet he fails
He is unable to understand his father or son
He is unable to balance the male and female energies in the traditional world order
He is unable to adapt to the changes introduced by the white colonizer
His suicide is shocking and ambiguous
Ironically, his death is as shameful as his father’s
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Obierika addresses the District Commissioner, “That man was one of the greatest men in
Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now, he will be buried like a dog…” Is this an
indictment against Christianity? How has Christianity destroyed what held Igbo society
together?
Newton Stallknecht states, “Achebe describes, often with shrewd anthropological insight, the
moral disintegration of an ancestral order and of an heroic leader brought into collision with
European powers and ideas.”
Achebe does not idealize or romanticize the past or Igbo life but he does show that Europe did
not introduce civilization to savages