Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe
Cecily Isenberg
Period 4
March 22, 2010
CHAPTER FIVE
Honoring Ani:
The New Yam
Festival
SIGNIFICANT PASSAGES
QUOTE #1:
Each new year in great anticipation,
all the villagers gather round together
for the celebratory New Yam Festival,
as it is “an occasion for joy throughout
Umuofia” (37). Guests from far away
are invited, homes are cleaned and
painted with red earth, men and
women are painted with appealing
black patterns, and the children are
decorated—even their hair.
QUOTE #2:
Everyone is happily preparing for the New
Yam Festival, yet Okonkwo “was always
uncomfortable sitting around for days
waiting for a feast” (37). He is satisfied
when he has to work and is able to unleash
his aggressions. Restless as a lion and
ready to attack, he shamefully finds fault
with his second wife’s, Ekwefi, actions and
“the storm burst” (38). Unable to harness
his negative outbursts even during this
sacred time, Okonkwo again defies
protocol. He lacks mindfulness at times
and thus further sets the stage for “things
to fall apart.”
QUOTE #3:
Erroneously blaming his second wife
for killing a banana tree, “Okonkwo
gave her a sound beating and left her
and her only daughter weeping” (38).
His raging anger explodes often and
he continuously abuses the emotions
of family members. He is too focused
on not showing any of the admirable
female traits exhibited by his father,
Unoka—especially the trait of
gentleness with his supportive family.
QUOTE #4:
Though a warrior externally, Okonkwo
still needs the blessings of Ani and
prior generations, and “Early that
morning as he offered a sacrifice of
new yam and palm-oil to his
ancestors he asked them to protect
him, his children and their mothers in
the new year” (39). He honors his
culture and humbles himself before
his spirit ancestors. He has
excessive pride, yet not too much
hubris to ask for spiritual help.
QUOTE #5:
While eating and talking with his two
daughters, he tenderly acknowledges his
affection for his only child with Ekwefi:
“Okonkwo was specially fond of Ezinma”
and “his fondness only showed on very
rare occasions” (44). He wishes that she
had been born a boy, as she has an
honorable way of carrying herself. She
understands her father and shows respect
for him at all times.
THEMES
“A well-balanced person—or a wellbalanced culture—requires the
cultivation of both “male” and “female”
virtues: for example, discipline and
forbearance; judgment and
compassion; science and art;
stubbornness and flexibility.”
Okonkwo needs to be gentle with his
family and allow mistakes to be made
without his heavy physical, emotional,
and verbal abuse as a consequence.
THEMES (Continued)
“The one who violates his or her own
conscience must always pay a price,
in one way or another.” Okonkwo
should never have taken a gun to
threaten Ekwefi—doing so only
violates his chi, his wife, and Ani. It is
all these violations that support the
burden for “things to fall apart.”
THEMES (Continued)
“Vengeance does not necessarily
bring about justice.” Okonkwo should
not have beaten Ekwefi or shot his
gun at her, as his violence does not
bring about any justice—it only brings
the disrespect of his fellow tribes’
people and certain family members—
especially Nwoye.
SYMBOLS
Yam: The main meal for the Ibo people. It
symbolizes sustenance and life—bringing
forth nutrition from mother earth, Ani.
Banana leaf: Ekwefi only uses a few
leaves to help create a good meal for the
Feast of the New Yam, yet Okonkwo falsely
accuses her of killing the tree. He is blind
to see her true motive of caretaking for her
family.
Gun: White man’s weapon—destructive in
the hands of the wrong person.
IMAGERY
Sound: “The drums were still beating,
persistent and unchanging. Their
sound was no longer a separate thing
from the village. It was like the
pulsation of its heart. It throbbed in
the air, in the sunshine, and even in
the trees, and filled the village with
excitement” (44).
IMAGERY (Sound: Continued)
“He pressed the trigger and there was
a loud report accompanied by the wail
of his wives and children”
(39).
IMAGERY (Sight: Continued)
On the last night before the festival,
yams of the old year were all
disposed of by those who still had
them. The new year must begin with
tasty, fresh yams and not the
shriveled and fibrous crop of the
previous year” (36).
IMAGERY (Sight: Continued)
“The story was always told of a
wealthy man who set before his
guests a mound of foo-foo so high
that those who sat on one side could
not see what was happening on the
other, and it was not until late in the
evening that one of them saw for the
first time his in-law who had arrived
during the course of the meal” (37).
IMAGERY (Sight: Continued)
“Okonkwo’s wives had scrubbed the
walls and the huts with red earth until
they reflected light. They had then
drawn patterns on them in white,
yellow and dark green. They then set
about painting themselves with cam
wood and drawing beautiful black
patterns on their stomachs and on
their backs. The children were also
decorated, especially their hair, which
was shaved in beautiful patterns” (3738).
SETTING
Place: Umuofia
Time: Before harvest began: The new
year
NEW VOCABULARY
Ani: The earth goddess and the
source of all fertility
Foo-foo: Mush made of yams
Ezigbo: The good one
Ilo: The village playground
Inyanga: Showing off, bragging
Obi: The large living quarters of the
head of the family
CHARACTERIZATION
Okonkwo: While he does beat his wife and
actually point a gun at her, he prays to his
ancestors for his family’s protection. He
also shows that Ezinma has a place in his
shallow, hard heart—he allows a thoughtful
tenderness to seep through the cement
and spring forth love.
Ezinma: Is a dear child: She supports her
mother and offers, “Let me make the fire
for you” (41) and comforts her father and
asks, “Can I bring your chair for you?” (44).
IRONY
“And so when he called Ikemefuna to
fetch his gun, the wife who had just
been beaten murmured something
about guns that never shot” (39).
Ironically, this sets him off and he
pulls the trigger to shoot her, even
though “he was not a hunter” (38).
He should not have this gun, as he is
“a great man whose prowess was
universally acknowledged” and he
does not need a gun to prove his
might—the gun alludes to tragedy.
SATIRE
“He had an old rusty gun” and “had
not killed a rat with his gun” (38).
Achebe shows Okonkwo’s
vulnerabilities with white man’s
weapons—that he has no business
owning the gun and that he does not
even know how to use it. His strength
comes from his physical ability and he
appears foolish—something he
despises—when unable to use the
gun properly.
FORESHADOWING
“He was not a hunter” (38). This
comment opens up Pandora’s box in
that when he gets in a rage—
Okonkwo will use a weapon that he
does not have mastery over.
Okonkwo should respect what he is
and is not capable of doing
proficiently. His lack of control, mixed
with his lack of technical expertise
foreshadow a future calamity of great
sadness and despair.
FOUND POEM
Ani, earth goddess
Ultimate judge
New Yam
Banana tree
Sound beating,
weeping
Old rusty gun
Pressed the trigger
The wail, unhurt
Feasting and
fellowship
Wrestling contest
Offered a sacrifice
Ekwefi suffered
Ezinma offered
Thank you, Ezigbo
Desire to conquer
Drums persistent,
unchanging
Filled the village
A boy’s job
Fond of Ezinma
Very rare occasions