Part three 4Q
In part three of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo returns from exile to find
his hometown, Umuofia, completely transformed and influence by the church and “white men.”
Among the transformations, Reverend James Smith replaces Mr. Brown, the translator, and
instills the purism and orthodox of Christianity that Mr. Brown had not. Even though the village
is still overrun by Christians, Okonkwo seems to be less pedantic about it but he and the
villagers are still cautioned and arm themselves with weaponry. As the town leaders of Umuofia
were gathered in a meeting, soldiers surprisingly attacked their rendezvous, arrested them, and
threw them into jail for several days, until Ezinma and the rest of the village collect the two
hundred (and fifty) cowries for bail. As the leaders, yet again, have another meeting, this time
Okonkwo is prepared for any attack- he even kills a town messenger with his machete. The
following day, when the District Commissioners go to Okonkwo’s compound, they find him
hanging from a tree; he committed suicide. But this experience was not benign, for as the district
commissioner is now going to write a book about Okonkwo’s actions and it will be titled: “The
Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.”
In chapter 24 of his novel, Achebe writes, "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?'" When Okonkwo killed the court messenger, his fellow
clansmen- whom are supposed to be dearly close- even back away from him in fear. In fact, his
violent and rash action is even questioned by “why did he do it.” This causes Okonkwo to realize
that no one supports him and he finally comes to a revelation that he can’t save his village and its
orthodox traditions no matter how intently he tries. His beloved and honored village Umuofia is
on the verge of surrender, and Okonkwo himself feels utterly defeated; to him, things have just
“fallen apart.”
Also, by saying, “The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself
would make interesting reading. One could almost write a whole chapter on him. Perhaps not a
whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph, at any rate. There was so much else to include, and
one must be firm in cutting out the details,” Achebe notes a theme like that of “progression
through past.” Meaning, in order to learn and be more wise, one must learn from one’s or
another’s mistakes and not repeat the fault that he or she had done. By publishing a story about
Okonkwo, the district commissioner teaches a lesson to his readers: do not be rash in decisionmaking or you will regret it.
Although these events merely happened in the novel, it can also be applied to real life.
The basis for the third part is to be aware of the consequences when acting spontaneously. When
Okonkwo killed the messenger on a spur, it caused him regret and he hung himself as
punishment for his unrational actions; when Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and wonded more
during the Virginia Tech massacre, he committed shot himself through his temple. Whether it be
in a book or in the news, the theme is: think before one acts and create reasonable rationality. As
the old saying goes, “The rabbit will run fast and right into a brick wall; the turtle will walk and
make it home alive.”