World Lit—Things Fall Apart Chapters 9-11
Chapter 9 Summary:
Okonkwo finally sleeps after three nights of not sleeping because he feels guilty for killing
Ikemefuna. He finally is beginning to feel better when his wife Ekwefi bangs on his door to tell
him that Ezinma (his favorite child) is dying. Okonkwo thinks it is iba (fever/flu) and starts to
gather the leaves and grasses to make her a medicine. The reader is told more about the
relationship between Ekwefi and Ezinma, who she spoils. Readers also learn that Ekwefi had 10
children, 9 of which died as infants or toddlers, and Ezinma has been her one child who
survived. The tribe believes multiple deaths like this is the result of a bad spirit haunting a
family, and the family calls in a medicine man who tortures the spirit and it is believed that
Ezinma would then live. Okonkwo finishes the medicine and gives it to Ezinma.
Read closely from page 76- From “Ezinma was an only child and the center of her mother’s
world.” to page 79 ending on “How could she know that Ekwefi’s bitterness did not flow
outwards to others but inwards into her own soul; that she did not blame others for their good
fortune but her own evil chi who denied her any?”
1. Why is the relationship between Ezinma and her mother so important to Ekwefi?
2. How do you think this has affected Okonkwo?
3. In this chapter we see Okonkwo care for his child. Why do you think Achebe included
this so shortly after showing us the brutal side of Okonkwo when he killed Ikemefuna?
Chapter 10 Summary:
Chapter 10 begins as the village court is starting. We see that disputes are handled by a group
of elders and are presented in public for all to hear. The reader is introduced to the egwugwu,
the elders that dress up like ancestral spirits of the village to rule on important matters. They
are dressed up in frightening costumes and the women are terrified of them. It is believed they
represent the ancestors. The case heard is over a man who wants his wife or his money for her
bride price back, and her family refuses as he beat her often and was not a good husband.
Read closely from page 91 from “Odukwe was short and thickset. He stepped forward, saluted
the spirits and began his story.” to page 93 when the ruling is given. Read up to “He pulled his
staff from the hard earth and thrust it back.”
4. What do the rulers decide should happen to Odukwe’s wife?
5. What does this show about their culture and how they treat women? Be specific.
6. Google “women’s rights 1890s” Is this tribe any different than the white men that come
later in their treatment of women?
7. Why do you think Achebe included this side story in the book? We learn nothing about
Okonkwo, but rather about his culture. How does it affect the way we see the culture’s
treatment of women and therefore Okonkwo’s treatment of women?
Chapter 11 Summary:
Ezinma and her mother are bonding, telling stories when the priestess Chielo arrives and
demands that Okonkwo and Ekwefi hand over Ezinma. Chielo says the oracle in the cave wants
to see her and will not tell them why. Okonkwo argues that she has been sick recently and asks
if she must go; Chielo yells at him and tells him he should not defy the gods. Reluctantly,
Okonkwo and Ekwefi hand over their daughter, who Chielo carries on her back away into the
night. After a little bit of time, Ekwefi follows them even though it is very dangerous and shows
her defiance against the gods. Ekwefi follows Chielo and Ezinma through all 9 villages and
ultimately to the cave where the oracle lives. Ekwefi is very scared as it is night and the Igbo
people are very superstitious. Waiting for her daughter, Ekwefi is scared by a noise and finds
Okonkwo has also come to the cave. She thinks back to the beginning of their marriage.
Read closely the story Ekwefi tells Ezinma starting on page 96 with “Once upon a time…” to
page 99 “That is why Tortoise’s shell is not smooth.”
8. What is the function of the story Ekwefi tells Ezinma? (As in, why tell this story?)
9. Does our culture tell similar stories? Explain.
10. This story is a good example of the types of stories women tell, whereas the men tell
stories of bloodshed and violence. What does this show about the gender expectations
in the Igbo tribe? Is this similar or dissimilar from what our culture expects of mothers
and fathers?