Things Fall Apart Study Guide
Part 1: Chapters 1-13
Literary Terms:
Direct Characterization: author tells directly about character’s personality/attitude
Indirect Characterization: reader has to figure out character based on his actions, physical appearance,
words, and what others say about the character
Motivation: reasons that compel a character to act as he/she does
Myth: anonymous, traditional story that explains a belief, custom, or mysterious natural phenomenon
Tragic Hero: a person that is neither good nor bad that commits an act that results in suffering and utter
defeat (Okonkwo=tragic hero)
Hubris: the defect of character that causes a tragic hero to ignore warnings of disaster; like a personality
flaw
Vocabulary:
Wily (3)—clever, knowing
Amiss (9)--wrong, incorrect
Discerned (9)—to see or recognize
Imperious (12)—arrogant, domineering or overbearing
Malevolent (13)—evil or harmful
Brusqueness (26)—abrupt in manner, rough
Benevolent (26)—wanting to help, kind, generous
Repentant (31)—remorseful, to feel sorry
Leper/Leprosy (74)—chronic disease that causes ulcers on the skin
Audacity (76)—boldness or daring, very confident and arrogant
Defiant (77)—boldly resistant or challenging
Esoteric (88)—private, understood by only a few
Tumult (122)—violent or noisy commotion of a crowd
Chapter1
1) Describe Okonkwo.
He is famous. He’s a wrestler who defeated the best wrestler (the Cat) in a match. Okonkwo
looks intimidating. He is very successful, but also full of pride.
2) Describe Okonkwo’s father, Unoka. How is he different from Okonkwo?
He doesn’t really work, so he borrows money from everyone in the village. He enjoys music and
playing his flute. He also likes to drink.
3) Why does Okoye go to visit Unoka? What does Okoye need?
Okoye needs to gather his resources to have a party for his new title. Unoka owes him money.
Unoka tells Okoye that he needs to pay his big debts first.
4) How are people judged in this society?
People in this society are judged by achievements and success. They are not judged by their
family/family’s actions.
Chapter 2
5) Why are all the men called into the market place for a meeting?
They came in to talk about a woman who was killed at the market. They needed to talk about
what to do about it.
6) How does Okonkwo threaten his wives and children?
He yells, nags, and beats them. In Okonkwo’s society, as long as he has a just reason, it is
perfectly acceptable to beat his wives/children.
7) Why must Ikemefuna live with Okonkwo? How does Ikemefuna feel?
Ikemefuna has to live with Okonkwo because the clan asked him to take care of him for the time
being. Ikemefuna was afraid. He doesn’t understand what had gone wrong.
Chapter 3
8) According to Agbala, why do Unoka’s harvests fail? How do his failures affect Okonkwo?
The harvests fail because Unoka isn’t using new land or growing a different crop. His hand is
weak. Okonkwo has nothing to inherit from his father, Unoka.
9) Why does Nwakibie agree to give Okonkwo yams to plant?
He knows that Okonkwo is trustworthy and a hard worker, unlike his father.
10) How does the yam crop turn out this year? How does that affect Okonkwo?
He loses 2/3 of his crop…a bad harvest year. After this year, he feels like he can survive anything.
Chapter 4
11) How does Ikemefuna fit into Okonkwo’s household?
Ikemefuna is treated like a son.
12) Why did Okonkwo break the week of sacred peace? What are his consequences?
He beats his third wife because she’s late coming home and isn’t ready to make his dinner. His
consequences are to pay one hen, one she-goat, a length of cloth, and 100 cowries (money) to
the shrine of Ani.
13) At the end of the chapter, which two characters have become close? Why might this be a
problem?
Ikemefuna and Nwoye become friends. It’s a problem because Nwoye seems weak and
Ikemefuna is strong, so it seems like Okonkwo likes Ikemefuna better than his own son. Also,
Ikemefuna is just staying with Okonkwo, and his father was involved with murder. So there’s a
chance that Ikemefuna might be punished for his father’s crime.
Chapter 5
14) Describe Okonkwo’s second wife, Ekwefi. Why did she want to be his wife? What does this
suggest about Okonkwo?
Ekwefi was the village beauty when she was young. Okonkwo beats Ekwefi for taking banana
leaves, and afterwards, she jokes about his hunting skills (talks smack). So Okonkwo shoots his
gun at her and misses. Ekwefi wanted to marry Okonkwo because he was the best wrestler. She
left her other husband to be with Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s favorite child is Ezinma, Ekwefi’s
daughter, which suggests that he loves Ekwefi the most.
Chapter 6
15) During the wrestling meet, who does Ekwefi talk to? Explain their relationship.
She talks to Chielo, the priestess of Agbala. She’s an oracle (a person who tells the future).
Ekwefi and Chielo are friends, and Chielo calls Ezinma “my daughter”, which shows how close
the two women are.
Chapter 7
16) What does Okonkwo want for his son Nwoye?
He wants Nwoye to grow into a tough man and be able to take care of Okonkwo in old age.
17) Why are the villagers excited to see the locusts?
The locusts haven’t come for a long time, and they are good food.
18) What happens to Ikemefuna? How does Nwoye react?
Ikemefuna is killed by Okonkwo. Nwoye cries over his death, and after it happens, he is
depressed.
Chapter 8
19) How does Okonkwo behave after Ikemefuna’s death?
He is depressed: he doesn’t eat and doesn’t do anything. He just lays around. He keeps thinking
about Ikemefuna and wishes Ezinma was a boy.
20) What does Obierika remind Okonkwo of when they discuss Ikemefuna’s death?
Obierika tells Okonkwo that he has done something wrong (he wasn’t supposed to be there
when the men killed Ikemefuna), and the gods are going to punish him.
21) How do the villagers view the customs of other tribes?
They think that the other tribes are wrong or strange.
Chapter 9
22) Describe Ekwefi and Ezinma’s relationship.
They are very close. They act like equals, not like mother and daughter. They are more like best
friends. Ezinma calls her mother “Ekwefi” instead of “mama.” Ekwefi lets Ezinma eats eggs, and
this shows that she spoils Ezinma. She does this because Ezinma is the only kid who has lived
this long.
23) How many children has Ekwefi borne? What happened to nearly all of them?
She has borne 10, nine died.
24) What is Ezinma called? How is her death prevented?
Ezinma is called ogbanje. This means that she repeatedly dies and returns to her mother to be
reborn. One way the people try to prevent this from happening is to mutilate the child to
“scare” the spirit from coming back. Ekwefi was also sent to her motherland to give birth, but
that didn’t prevent it also.
Ezinma’s death is prevented because they found her iyi-uwa. This is a stone is wrapped in a rag.
This is a link between the ogbanje and the spirit world, and it must be destroyed.
Chapter 10
25) Who is one of the egwugwu?
Okonkwo is one of them.
26) What is the point of the ceremony?
It is a trial. The egwugwu are judges or like a jury.
27) How do the egwugwu decide the case?
The man has to bring a pot of wine and beg for his wife’s forgiveness. If he does this, her family
needs to let her go back to her husband.
Chapter 11
28) Why does Chielo come to Okonkwo’s compound one night?
She came to take Ezinma away to bring her to the caves because Agbala, the god, wants to
speak to Ezinma.
29) Who follows Chielo and Ezinma? Who joins her later?
Ekwefi follows her even though she is not supposed to do this. Okonkwo joins her later.
Chapter 12
30) Why is Okonkwo tired?
He stayed up all night following Ekwefi to Agbala’s cave because Chielo had taken Ezinma there.
31) Describe the wedding ceremony.
Men brought their own stools and goatskins and sat in half circles. There was a feast and
speeches. They had wine, singing and dancing. The bride’s family gives the groom’s family a
goat.
Chapter 13
32) What happens to Ezeudu’s 16 year old son?
Okonkwo accidentally shoots and kills Ezeudu’s son.
33) Where do Okonkwo and his family go? What happens to their compound?
They go to Mbanta, which is in Okonkwo’s motherland. Their compound is burned to the
ground.
34) At the end of the chapter, what does Obierika think about?
Obierika thinks about why people are punished for accidental crimes. Okonkwo didn’t mean to
kill Ezeudu’s son, but he is still punished.