Things Fall Apart
Characters
Okonkwo: Main character and clan leader in Umuofia.
Nwoye: Okonkwo’s oldest son, who Okonkwo fears is weak and lazy.
Ezinma: Only child of Okonkwo’s second wife, Ekwefi. Ezinma is Okonkwo’s favorite child, and was one of the ten
children of Ekwefi’s to survive infancy.
Ikemefuna: Boy given to Okonkwo by a neighboring village. Lives with Okonkwo’s first wife and becomes really
close to Nwoye. Okonkwo begins to really like Ikemefuna.
Mr. Brown: First white missionary to travel to Umuofia. He also builds a school and a hospital in Umuofia. He is
described as no aggressive and understanding.
Reverend James Smith: Man who takes over for Mr. Brown and is strict and uncompromising.
Uchendu - The younger brother of Okonkwo’s mother. Hosts Okonkwo and his family when they travel to Mbanta.
District Commissioner- Part of white colonial government in Nigeria. Plans to teach African colonies his ways through
education, but disrespects the African colonies in the process.
Unoka- This is Okonkwo’s father who he is ashamed of because he was a weak man. He never became a warrior
because he feared the sight of blood, and ended up dying from a abominable illness.
Obierika- This was Okonkwo’s closest friend, and even helps Okonkwo sell some of his yams so he does not go broke.
He also begins to questions some of the tribe’s customs and traditions.
Ekwefi- Okonkwo’s second wife, mother of Ezinma, and known as the village beauty.
Enoch- He is one of the converts of Christian church in Umuofia. He is also the man who unmasked on of the
egwugwu during the ceremony honoring the earth.
Ogbuefi Ezeudu- Oldest man in the village and one of the most important leaders. He was once a great warrior and
now delivers messages from the Oracle.
Chielo- A priestess in Umuofia who is dedicated to the Oracle, and close friends with Ekwefi. She is the women that
carries Ezinama on her back to help purify her and appease the gods.
Akunna- One of the clan leaders of Umuofia and the man who works with Mr. Brown to convert people by working
with their beliefs rather than against them.
Nwakible- This man helped Okonkwo build his wealth and status back by lending Okonkwo 800 seed yams.
Mr. Kiaga- The native turned Christian missionary who arrives in Mbanta and converts Nwoye and others.
Okagbue Uyanwa- The medicine man that Oknonkwo summons to help heal Ezinma.
Maduka- Obierika’s son that Okonkwo wishes his sons were like.
Obiagell- Daughter of Oknonkwo’s first wife.
Ojiugo- Okonkwo’s third and youngest wife, whom he beats during the Week of Peace.
Characters:
Okonkwo: Main character, strong man of village, wealthy, falls from power-would not change
Ikemefuna: Boy that Okonkwo fosters from neighboring village
Nwoye: First son of Okonkwo, betrayed father by converting faiths
Nwakibie: Wealthy villager who helped Okonkwo begin his life
Ojiugo: Okonkwo’s third wife who was beaten during the week of peace
Nwoyiche: Old woman
Ezinma: Daughter of Okonwo whom he favorites and wishes she would have been a male
Ekwebi: Okonkwo’s second wife, mother of Ezinma
Obiageli: Daughter of Okonkwo
Obierika: Okonkwo’s friend and confidant – tree that bends
Nkechi: The daughter of Okonkwo’s third wife
Childo: powerful priestess of Agbala
Uchendu: leader of Okonkwo’s maternal realtions
Mr. Kiaga: Interpreter for the missionaries/teacher
Okoli: Overzealous convert who killed the sacred python
District Commissioner: White man who ruled the area around the village
Mr. Brown: Preacher who calmly coexisted with the clan
Reverend Smith: Fiery preacher who came to Umoufia and was zealous
Enoch: Worshipper of Christ – out of line and killed the python and an egwugwu
Things Fall Apart
Vocabulary
Agadi- Nwayi: a phrase meaning old woman.
Agbala: a term meaning woman, also used if a man has taken no title.
Chi: a personal god.
Obi: the large living quarters of the head of the family; for example, Okonkwo’s
hut.
Ndichie: the elders.
Nza: a very small bird.
Eze-agadi-nwayi: the teeth of an old woman.
Inyanga: showing off, or bragging.
Ilo: the village green, where assemblies for sports, discussions, etc. take place.
Ekwe: a musical instrument; a drum made from wood.
Jigida: a string of beads worn around the waist.
Iba: fever
Iyi-Uwa: special kind of stone which forms the link between ogbanje and the spirit
world.
Egwugwu: a masquerader who impersonates one of the ancestral spirits of the
village.
Umuada: family gathering of daughters, for which the female kinsfolk return to
their village.
Oji odu achu-ijiji-o: cow, i.e. the one that uses its tail to drive away flies.
Ozo: the name of one of the titles or ranks.
Ogene: a musical instrument, a kind of gong.
Udu: a musical instrument, a kind of drum made from pottery.
Efulefu: worthless man.
Eneke-nti-oba: a kind of bird.
Isa-ifi: a ceremony. If a wife had been separated from her husband for some time
and were then to be re-united with him, this ceremony would be held to ascertain
that she had not been unfaithful to him during the time of their separation.
Kotma: court messenger. The word is not of Ibo origin but is a corruption of “court
messenger.”
Kwenu: a shout of approval and greeting.
Nna ayi: our father.
Nno: welcome.
Nso-ani: a religious offence of a kind of abhorred by everyone, literally earth’s
taboo.
Obodo dike: the land of the brave.
Ochu: murder or manslaughter.
Ogbanje: a changeling; a child who repeatedly dies and returns to its mother to be
reborn. It is almost impossible to bring up an ogbanje child without it dying,
unless its iyi-uwa is first found and destroyed.
Osu: outcast. Having been dedicated to a god, the osu was taboo and was not allowed
to mix with the freeborn in any way.
Oye: the name of one of the four market days.
Ozo: the name of one of the titles or ranks.
Tufia: a curse or oath.
Uli: a dye used by women for drawing patterns on the skin.
Ununna: a wide group of kinsmen (the masculine form of the word umuada).
Uri: part of the betrothal ceremony when the dowry is paid.
Things Fall Apart Study Guide (themes)
1. Social disintegration
Towards the end of the novel, we witness the events by which Igbo society begins to fall apart. Religion is
threatened, Umuofia loses its self-determination, and the very centers of tribal life are threatened. These events are
all the more painful for the reader because so much time has been spent in sympathetic description of Igbo life; the
reader realizes that he has been learning about a way of life that no longer exists.
2. Memory/Documentary
Digression is one of Achebe's main tools. The novel is the story of Okonkwo's tragedy, but it is also a record of
Igbo life before the white man came. The novel documents what the white man destroyed. The reader learns much
about Igbo customs and traditions; showing these is a central part of the novel.
3. Greatness and ambition
Okonkwo is determined to be a lord of his clan. He rises from a life of despair to a position of leadership, and he
is a wealthy man. He is driven and determined, but his greatness comes from the same traits that are the source of
his weaknesses. He is often too harsh with his family, and he is haunted by a fear of failure.
4. Masculinity
Masculinity is one of Okonkwo's obsessions, and he defines masculinity quite narrowly. For him, any showing of
emotion is a sign of weakness. Male power lies in authority and force. But throughout the novel, we are shown men
with more sophisticated understanding of masculinity. Okonkwo's harshness drives Nwoye away from the family and
into the arms of the new religion.
5. Fear
For all of his desire to be strong, Okonkwo is haunted by fear. He is afraid of failure, and he is afraid of being
considered weak. This fear drives him to rashness, and in the end contributes to his death.
Things Fall Apart Study Guide- The role of Culture
Short Answer:
1. What are three important cultural traditions of the people of Umuofia?
2. How do the men of Umuofia earn and display their rank?
3. Who are the religious authorities of the village?
4. What does the village demand from another village as retribution for the murder of one of their
women?
5. What rules of the village does Okonkwo break?
6. What do the missionaries offer to the village to convert them?
Essay:
1. How do Okonkwo’s opinions on a man’s place in the world influence his actions?