English Things Fall Apart Study Guide Secondary
English Things Fall Apart Study Guide Secondary
English Things Fall Apart Study Guide Secondary
e Suggested Reading .............................................................................. 28 Heinemann released the book without changing a word. Its
initial publishing run was 2,000. Four years later Heinemann
chose Things Fall Apart as the first book in its African Writers
Series. The book has sold more than 10 million copies and has
AUTHOR
Chinua Achebe
Critical Response
YEAR PUBLISHED Critics praised Achebe's writing style. One called it "vivid,"
1958 while another described it as "clear and meaty." Achebe's
depiction of Igbo life and culture was also appreciated. Some,
GENRE however, were turned off by his portrayal of missionaries and
Historical Fiction imperialism. These critics claimed Achebe was ungrateful and
questioned whether he wanted to return to "mindless times."
PERSPECTIVE AND NARRATOR
Today the book is viewed as a profound story that changed
Things Fall Apart is told in the third person by an omniscient
the way the world looks at Africa. Note that throughout the
narrator who has a deeply personal connection to the setting,
book, Achebe refers to the Igbo people as Ibo, an older, and
an 1890s Nigerian village.
now outdated, spelling. This study guide and other materials
TENSE use the Igbo spelling.
Things Fall Apart Study Guide Author Biography 2
Ekwefi
Ekwefi is Okonkwo's second wife. Ekwefi was attracted to
Okonkwo when she saw him defeat Amalinze the Cat in
wrestling. She could not marry him because he was too poor.
After he achieves success, she leaves her husband and goes
to Okonkwo, who takes her in with no questions.She is
particularly close with her only child, Ezinma. After losing nine
children, Ekwefi was a broken woman. When Ezinma lived
beyond infancy, Ekwefi rejoiced. She treats her daughter more
like an equal than a child. The loss of children has also created
a connection to Okonkwo, who accepts behaviors from her
that he does not from his other wives. He shows her more care
and concern.
Ezinma
Ezinma is the only child of Okonkwo's second wife, Ekwefi. She
is particularly close to her mother. Okonkwo also favors
Ezinma. He feels a connection to her and appreciates her
boldness. Her behaviors and attitude make Okonkwo wish she
were a boy. Ezinma feels a similar fondness for her father.
Obierika
Obierika is the closest thing Okonkwo has to a confidant. Like
Okonkwo, he has achieved status within the clan. He has
multiple wives and children. He marries off one daughter, and
his son is a wrestling champion. When Okonkwo is forced to
leave Umuofia, Obierika cares for his land and property.Unlike
Okonkwo, Obierika is more nuanced in his thinking and is able
Character Map
Nwoye
Son; rebels and
leaves clan
Unoka
Laziness brings
Obierika
Father/Son
Supportive equal
shame to family
Father/ Friends
Son
Okonkwo
Man of action; driven
by need for respect
Father/
Son
Father/
Daughter
Ezinma Ikemefuna
Pride of father and Adversaries Death brings guilt
favored child and shatters family
District
Commissioner
Little regard for
clan's past
Main Character
Minor Character
Obierika Obierika is Okonkwo's friend. First Wife First Wife is Nwoye's mother.
Okika is an Igbo leader and one of Ikemefuna adjusts to life in Umuofia and views Okonkwo as his
Okika
the men imprisoned with Okonkwo.
father. Nwoye, Okonkwo's son, is fond of Ikemefuna, whom he
sees as an older brother and admires for his skill at making
Okoli is the Igbo Christian who kills
Okoli bows from the local trees and building traps for hunting. This
the royal python.
pleases Okonkwo, whose greatest fear is that Nwoye will take
after Okonkwo's father, Unoka.
Okoye is Unoka's neighbor who
Okoye
attempts to collect a debt.
When the priestess Chielo orders that Ikemefuna is to be killed,
a village elder, Ezeudu, warns Okonkwo not to take part in the
Uchendu is the leader of Okonkwo's
Uchendu killing. He does so anyway, fearing that if he does not
mother's side of the family.
participate he will lose respect. The murder causes Okonkwo
great despair, and Nwoye is devastated.
said that white men would descend like devouring locusts and Soon the District Commissioner and an armed band arrive at
destroy them. Okonkwo's compound to arrest him. Obierika solemnly informs
them that Okonkwo is not there and leads the group to where
When missionaries arrive in Mbanta and request land to build a Okonkwo has hanged himself. Suicide is an abomination in
church, the clan rulers give them part of the evil forest, their religion, and Okonkwo's friends cannot touch his body.
believing that the clan's gods will strike the missionaries down. They must rely on the soldiers to bury him. Furiously, Obierika
After the church is built and the missionaries survive, villagers rebukes the District Commissioner for destroying "one of the
begin attending services, including the first female convert and greatest men in Umuofia." As he walks away, the District
Nwoye. Soon Nwoye's cousin spots him at the church and Commissioner reflects that Okonkwo's story might be worth
goes straight to tell Okonkwo. This news drives Okonkwo to including in a book he is writing, which will be called The
severely beat Nwoye, who then leaves home and moves to Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.
Umuofia. Okonkwo wonders how he could have a son who is
so weak. He decides this is just the way things are: "living fire
begets cold, impotent ash."
Plot Diagram
Climax
7
10 Falling Action
Rising Action
6
11
5
4 12
3 Resolution
2
1
Introduction
Introduction Climax
1. Growing up poor, Okonkwo gains fame by wrestling. 9. The egwugwu, village leaders destroy church.
2. Okonkwo and his family take in Ikemefuna. 10. Okonkwo, five other clan leaders are jailed and beaten.
3. Okonkwo participates in the killing of Ikemefuna. 11. Okonkwo kills the court messenger.
Timeline of Events
20 years later
civic titles and three wives makes him "one of the greatest
c Chapter Summaries men of his time" in the eyes of his clan and in his own eyes.
His jaunty step makes it appear that he walks "on springs."
In Chapter 1, readers become acquainted with both Okonkwo At the meeting, Ezeugo, a powerful orator, explains that a
and the person whose behavior has shaped Okonkwo's clanswoman has been killed by someone from Mbaino. Clan
character: his despised father, Unoka. The chapter presents members decide to send a delegate to Mbaino to negotiate.
these details about Okonkwo: The people of Mbaino will have the choice of offering Umuofia
a young man and a virgin as payment for the loss—or waging
He became a hero to his clan when, as a teenager, he beat a
war.
wrestling champion who had been undefeated for seven
years. Okonkwo was "as slippery as a fish" and defeated the The narrator notes that Umuofia is "powerful in war and in
champion in a fight that was one of the fiercest his village magic" and is therefore feared by its neighbors. The clan goes
had ever seen. to war only if its Oracle declares the war just.
In the following 20 years, Okonkwo's fame and stature have
grown. His status as a successful farmer and war hero with Okonkwo is chosen as the negotiator. When he goes to the
and serves as an inspiration for the future. He believes that by of others and is now taken to task by other clansmen, who
exercising his will, he can overcome fate. remind him not to "forget to be humble."
Okonkwo has already shown he has little patience with people Ekwefi particularly enjoys the festival's wrestling contest. Each
who are less successful than he is. When he interacts with year the contest reminds her of the time long ago when she fell
such an individual, his impatience often emerges as in love with Okonkwo. He had won the match—and her
brusqueness—as it does at a village meeting where he heart—in "the greatest contest within living memory." Although
disrespects Osugo. Okonkwo is concerned about the opinions
they did not marry then, she later left her husband to become the age of six."
Okonkwo's wife.
The primary wrestling match is a lengthy affair that looks as if
Ezinma, Ekwefi's daughter, calls her mother by her first name. it will end in a draw. Finally one wrestler makes a tactical
The two converse as if they are equals. Okonkwo is especially mistake and loses the match.
fond of Ezinma but rarely shows it.
Analysis
Analysis
Although Okonkwo is generally interested only in work and
This chapter paints a picture of one of Umuofia's most warfare, here he relaxes and enjoys the spectacle. He has built
important festivals, the Feast of the New Yam. Held just prior much of his reputation on the strength of his past wrestling
to the yam harvest, the festival is a time of relative inactivity for championship. Watching the matches not only relaxes but also
Igbo men. invigorates him, as it plays to his own beliefs and skills. In this
setting Okonkwo behaves just as everyone else does. His
Okonkwo, however, cannot cope with idleness. Nervous passion for wrestling is clear, and he is in his element.
energy builds and explodes when he finds an outlet in beating
Ekwefi. Wife beating is tolerated in his culture. Once again the The seating at the match, with men on stools in front and
actions motivated by Okonkwo's anger do not put him in women in the back, is an indicator of Umuofia's patriarchal
conflict as long as he is in balance with Igbo traditions. society and its effect on Okonkwo, his wives, and his children.
The sexes are separate and not equal.
Readers learn more about Ekwefi in this chapter. In leaving her
husband to become Okonkwo's wife, she shows an
independence and desire that is unique among the women of
Umuofia. Her daughter, Ezinma, has similar traits and is also
Part 1, Chapter 7
beautiful like her mother.
and brings the two of them closer. Earlier in the novel, ceremony is taking place to set the bride-price for Obierika's
Ikemefuna was described as a sacrifice and "ill-fated." That daughter. The bride-price is the amount that the suitor's family
foreshadowing of Ikemefuna's fate has now come to fruition. will pay to obtain Obierika's daughter as a bride for their son.
During the betrothal ceremony, the men drink wine and
The locusts' arrival and reception foreshadow the missionaries' negotiate the price using broomsticks to symbolize their offers
incursion in Chapter 15, where the metaphor of white men as and counteroffers. The negotiations over, Okonkwo and the
locusts is introduced. When locusts appear in Chapter 7, it is others discuss customs of other clans that they regard as
as though a "shadow fell on the world, and the sun seemed outlandish. They also believe the concept of white
hidden behind a thick cloud." The locusts cause darkness. men—beings with skin white as chalk who walk on feet with no
There's a contrast between the darkness that announces the toes (meaning the white men wear shoes)—to be fantastic. The
locusts' arrival and the joy people have in seeing and eating men doubt the existence of these beings, whom they have
them. heard of but have never seen. One jokingly compares white
men to lepers, as the Igbo term for leprosy translates to "white
Okonkwo's fear of being viewed as weak forces him into an skin."
action he regrets: participating in Ikemefuna's murder. Despite
not being able to look when the initial blow is struck, Okonkwo
strikes the final blow because he is "afraid of being thought Analysis
weak." His true weakness—an excessive concern with how
others see him—overrides his affection for his adopted son. This chapter deals with the emotional aftermath of Ikemefuna's
murder. Okonkwo drinks as a form of escape but cannot rid
The chapter ends on an ominous note and foreshadows a
himself of guilt. Enzima's presence comforts him. He sees in his
deeper change in Nwoye.
daughter a strength that is missing in his other children, except
Ikemefuna. This disturbing realization reawakens his guilt.
This is the first time that the concept of white men is Ekwefi's history of child death returns to haunt her as Ezinma
introduced in the novel. The comparison to lepers, people with falls ill. When Ezinma's iyi-uwa was found and destroyed a year
a disease that causes skin sores and nerve damage, is apt. The ago, Ezinma's link to the world of ogbanjes was broken, so the
white men will destroy the villagers' culture just as leprosy girl should now remain in the world of the living. With the girl's
destroys its victims. illness, however, Ekwefi questions the validity of the previous
cure.
Part 1, Chapter 9
Part 1, Chapter 10
Summary
Summary
Ekwefi bangs on Okonkwo's door in a panic. "Ezinma is dying,"
she wails. Okonkwo runs to Ekwefi's hut and declares that Crowds have assembled at the ilo (an open space where
Ezinma has iba (fever). village gatherings are held) to view a trial that is taking place.
Nine egwugwu (masked village elders who
Readers learn Ekwefi had nine children before Ezinma but all impersonate/represent ancient spirits of the clan) act as
of them died. Before Ezinma was born, Ekwefi was bitter and judges. The nine egwugwu are "the most powerful and most
despondent. When Ezinma reached the age of six, "love secret of the clan." Each represents a village of the clan.
returned once more to her mother, and, with love, anxiety."
A man claims that his wife's relatives kidnapped his wife and
After Ekwefi's ninth child died, Okonkwo called in a medicine children. He says he went to his in-laws and asked them to
man, who mutilated the child's corpse and buried it in the Evil return his bride-price as called for by the law of the clan.
Forest. Igbo believe that such a corpse is an ogbanje. (An
ogbanje is a child who, upon death, reenters its mother's body The wife's family admits that all of this is true. However, they
and waits to be born again.) For an ogbanje to survive say the man beat his wife every day during the nine years they
childhood, its iyi-uwa (the stone that links the ogbanje and the were married. One beating nearly killed her. They say she
spirit world) must be found and destroyed. should not have to pay the money, because she fled to save
her life.
Ezinma is believed to be an ogbanje. A year ago a medicine
man searched with her for her iyi-uwa and destroyed the stone. The egwugwu instruct the man to go to his in-laws and beg to
have his wife return. They advise the wife's family to accept his
This is the first time Ezinma has been sick since then. She request.
takes the medicine that Okonkwo prepares and falls asleep.
Analysis
Many of the villagers realize on some level that the egwugwu
are actually men from the area. "But if they thought these
things," the narrator says, "they kept them within themselves." Ezinma into the Oracle's cave, and Ekwefi waits outside.
The clan believes that their tribe's ancient spirits are the ones Okonkwo appears and sits with Ekwefi. She appreciates his
permitted to judge them, and a select group of clan leaders coming and is reminded of when she first came to Okonkwo's
impersonate these ancient spirits so that clan members can hut and he took her in.
see, hear, and believe in this judgment process. The nine men
portraying the egwugwu take care to costume themselves and
alter their voices to further their impersonations. The remaining Analysis
clan members go along with the impersonations, even if they
suspect the truth. In this chapter, the moral of Ekwefi's folktale is clear: don't be
greedy. The power of language resounds within the folktale.
Through this role-playing, the egwugwu fill an important Turtle uses language to outwit the birds. The birds are gullible
function for the clan. They act as judge and jury. They take and lose out because of their honesty and decency.
these roles seriously, and the people obey their verdicts. This
belies the view of the Igbo as a primitive people who believe Readers get a look at Chielo in her role of priestess to the
might means right. While Okonkwo certainly believes in Oracle Agbala when she comes to fetch Ezinma. Commanding
strength and masculinity, he is an egwugwu and by extension and eerie in her speech and appearance, she is hardly the
recognizes the law. woman with whom Ekwefi spoke at the wrestling match.
The patriarchal nature of the clan is once again noted: "It was Another side of Okonkwo's character is revealed when he tries
clear ... that the ceremony was for men." Women are on the to convince Chielo not to take Ezinma. He is clearly frightened
outside, although the court case focuses on women's rights. A for his child. This tenderness does not end with Ezinma.
man is not free to treat his wife any way he chooses. The Okonkwo is acutely aware of the closeness of Ezinma and
husband is shamed for the way he treats his wife and must beg Ekwefi.
forgiveness. However, the wife does not speak at the trial, and
Ekwefi's maternal feelings drive her to follow Chielo and
her return is a foregone conclusion if her husband apologizes.
Ezinma. She will go to any length to protect Ezinma, even if it
means going against the gods. Okonkwo, in turn, follows
Part 1, Chapter 11 Ekwefi and therefore also defies the gods. Okonkwo shows his
concern for his wife when he says, "Go home and sleep. I shall
wait here." This interaction, along with Ekwefi's reaction, is the
first display of love between husband and wife in the book.
Summary
Ekwefi tells Ezinma a story about Tortoise, a cunning creature
who outwits birds. Tortoise enjoys the best of a feast that the
Part 1, Chapter 12
birds were invited to, while the birds are stuck with scraps. The
birds get their revenge, which leads to Tortoise's shell
breaking. A medicine man puts the shell back together, and
Summary
"that is why Tortoise's shell is not smooth."
Chielo returns Ezinma to Okonkwo's compound. The narrator
Chielo comes to Okonkwo's compound to fetch Ezinma reveals that Okonkwo had "not slept at all [the night before]. ...
because Agbala, the Oracle, wants to see the girl. Okonkwo He felt very anxious." He made multiple trips to the cave before
pleads with her to come back, saying the child is asleep. he found Ekwefi there waiting.
Ekwefi wants to go with her daughter but is told coming to
The villagers are in a festive mood as they prepare for
Agbala without being summoned would bring about a curse.
Obierika's daughter's uri (part of the betrothal ceremony).
Chielo carries Ezinma away. Later, Ekwefi tells Okonkwo she is Obierika has purchased a large goat in a far-off marketplace
going to follow Chielo, regardless of the punishment. She and plans to present it to his in-laws. Everyone prepares food
follows her all night through all nine villages. Chielo takes for the ceremony. While the women are cooking, a cow gets
loose, and they run to retrieve it. rare accomplishment of taking three titles. Drums are beaten,
and guns and cannon are fired. Before his final rite, "the tumult
Obierika's in-laws arrive bearing 50 pots of wine, a large increased tenfold." Words are spoken in tribute. The tumult
number. As the feast progresses there are toasts, singing, and continues and reaches "fever-heat."
dancing. The bride appears and dances while the crowd
cheers. As the bride leaves with her suitor's family, they pay Okonkow joins other funeral guests who shoot their guns in a
visits to prominent people, who present them with gifts. salute to Ezeudu. However, his gun explodes, and the shrapnel
kills Ezeudu's 16-year-old son. Killing a clan member is an
offense against the earth goddess. Okonkwo must flee, but
Analysis since the killing was accidental, he will be allowed to return to
the clan after seven years. Gathering their most valuable
Displaying emotions publically does not fit with Okonkwo's belongings, he and his family go to his mother's village, Mbanta.
perceptions of manliness. In this chapter, however, his grave
concern for Ezinma is an indicator that he cares a great deal Soon Ezeudu's neighbors storm Okonkwo's compound and
about his children. destroy it, symbolically cleansing the land that Okonkwo has
soiled with their clansman's blood. One of the men is Obierika,
Cultural unity within the clan is depicted in the preparations for who questions the traditional cleansing ritual because the
the uri, in which the community functions as one big family. killing was an accident.
Every part of the ceremony is cooperative: the preparation of
the feast itself, the retrieval of the cow, the generous
contributions of palm wine, the gift of the big goat, and the Analysis
recognition that the joining of two families contributes to the
joining of two villages. Chapter 13 concludes the first part of the novel, ending with an
event that is unthinkable to Okonkwo—his exile from the
The Umuike marketplace where the goat is purchased is large village.
and crowded. Umuike people want their market "to grow and
swallow up the markets of their neighbors." This thirst for Okonkwo cannot escape the killing of Ikemefuna. The death of
success and power has created a market that is unsavory and Ezeudu, who warned Okonkwo against harming Ikemefuna, is a
filled with thieves. "They can steal your cloth from off your reminder, and it foreshadows yet another killing that Okonkwo
waist in that market," observes one of Obierika's guests. commits. This killing—at Ezeudu's funeral—is unintentional.
Obierika and others believe the Umuike people use medicine While Okonkwo continues to feel guilt for the intentional
(magic) to enable their thievery. The Umiuke market can be murder, an exercise of free will, he suffers no outward
seen as a symbol for the negative elements of commercialism. repercussions.
It presents a marked contrast to the celebration of family and
community at the equally crowded uri. However, the unintentional crime causes a great upheaval in
his life. Once again, his inexperience with guns leads to
conflict. This crime of killing Ezeudu's son is considered
Summary The narrator points out that nothing like this crime has ever
happened in the village. The tribe uses violence as a form of
Umuofia awakes to the news that Ezeudu, the clansman who expression. At the burial of Ezeudu, clansmen brandish
told Okonkwo not to participate in Ikemefuna's execution, has machetes and shoot guns and cannons; after the man's son is
died. "A cold shiver [runs] down Okonkwo's back" as he recalls killed, the men destroy Okonkwo's compound. It is controlled
the warning. violence and done for a ceremonial purpose.
Ezeudu was the oldest man in his village and had achieved the Obierika is characterized as thoughtful. He questions
Uchendu notes that everyone suffers but that they must go on. Using a metaphor, the Oracle calls the white men locusts.
He believes that Okonkwo is fortunate to have the support Earlier, in Chapter 7, the arrival of actual locusts brought joy to
system of his motherland. the people; the insects were a dietary treat. Their appearance
Part 2, Chapter 16 the story has shown repeatedly, Okonkwo has no patience.
The missionaries have spread just as the locusts did. The first
man was a harbinger, like the first swarm of locusts. However,
Summary the missionaries cannot be killed off and are slowly infiltrating
the clan.
Two years later, Obierika returns to Mbanta. Since his last visit,
he reports, missionaries have arrived and built a church in
Umuofia. They have also converted some villagers to Part 2, Chapter 17
Christianity. The elders are displeased but don't believe the
new religion will last. Obierika has noticed Nwoye among the
converts and wants to tell Okonkwo of the boy's activities.
Summary
However, Okonkwo won't discuss his son, so Obierika learns
from Nwoye's mother how Nwoye became intrigued by the The missionaries have been preaching in the Mbanta
missionaries. Initially, one white man and six converts came to marketplace. Now they request land and receive a plot in the
Mbanta. The white man had a commanding presence and Evil Forest that the villagers believe is filled "with sinister
spoke through an interpreter. He declared that the Igbo gods forces." No one expects the missionaries to accept the land.
were "pieces of wood and stone" and went on to talk about the The elders are convinced the missionaries do not know what
Holy Trinity. they are doing and that they will fail miserably.
Okonkwo, who had been hoping the conversation with the After the missionaries build their church, the villagers wait for
missionaries would lead to a fight, walked away, thinking they their gods and ancestors to take revenge. They expect the
were crazy. Nwoye, however, was fascinated. The hymn they gods' vengeance to occur within 28 days. When the 28th day
sang "seemed to answer a vague and persistent question that passes and nothing happens, the missionaries win a few more
haunted his young soul." converts. They include a woman named Nneka, who is
pregnant. Her previous pregnancies resulted in twins—an
abomination in the Igbo faith. Those infants were abandoned to
die, and Nneka does not want to risk the same fate.
Nwoye had been attracted to the missionaries from the drew inspiration and confidence." The osu become the most
beginning, but "he dared not go too near the missionaries ... for zealous converts.
fear of his father." When Nwoye does go to the church, his
cousin Amikwu sees him and tells Okonkwo. Nwoye comes A Christian has killed a python, and the Mbanta leaders gather
home, and Okonkwo begins to beat him, but Uchendu steps in to decide how to proceed. The python is a revered animal that
and demands the boy's release. Okonkwo contemplates what the Igbo refer to as "Our Father." Okonkwo wants to force the
has happened with his son, but it makes little sense to him. missionaries out of the village for this offense. However, the
After all, Okonkwo is called the "Roaring Flame" for his group decides the matter is between the person who killed the
strength and boldness. How can Nwoye be so weak and python and the god.
Then Okoli, the man who is accused of killing the python, falls
ill and dies. The clan sees this as confirmation that "the gods
were still able to fight their own battles." As a result, they
Analysis
decide not to ostracize the Christian clan members.
The elders and clan leaders believe they are clever to let the
missionaries have land in the Evil Forest. This will surely mean
the missionaries are doomed to failure. The clan's gods and
Analysis
ancestors will strike the missionaries down. Then the clan can
In this chapter, the Christians show a willingness to accept
reunite, and faith will be restored. Yet the church is built, and
everyone. Their compassion inspires the converts and attracts
the time of punishment passes. The Igbo gods have failed to
those who had been at the bottom of the society, such as the
punish the intruders.
osu. They are given a chance to be seen as equals. Accepting
Up to this point, Nwoye has been attracted to the missionaries the osu tests the strength of the church, as several converts
but has accepted his fate of living with his family in Okonkwo's threaten to leave, but it eventually helps the missionaries to
compound. In this chapter, however, Okonkwo beats Nwoye increase the number of new members.
for attending church. This may be one beating too many.
Once again, Okonkwo is ready to take action. He wants to
Nwoye exercises free will by returning to the church and
drive the Christians out, by any means necessary. Again his
deciding to become a student at the church school in Umuofia.
reaction is at odds with that of the clan. The anger that fueled
The leader of the Mbanta church, Mr. Kiaga, blesses Nwoye
his success in Umuofia does not help him in Mbanta, and the
because he "forsakes his father." In an example of situational
church's increasing authority over the people of the village
irony, Nwoye is returning to Umuofia, Okonkwo's homeland, to
further undermines his own.
learn skills his father would never dream of teaching him. He
has forsaken Okonkwo's way of life. Okonkwo has a foil in Mr. Kiaga. A foil is a character whose
qualities contrast with the qualities of another character
(usually the protagonist). This contrast serves to highlight the
Part 2, Chapter 18 main character's qualities. Both Okonkwo and Kiaga are
zealous men with an unwavering vision of how things ought to
be. However, unlike Okonkwo, Mr. Kiaga is able to inspire those
Summary around him to believe as he does.
Summary Summary
Seven years have passed in Mbanta, and Okonkwo has Ever since leaving Umuofia, Okonkwo has planned his return.
prospered. However, he is anxious to return home, and "he He is determined to "regain the seven wasted years." Okonkwo
[regrets] every day of his exile." Okonkwo sends money to intends to build a bigger compound, take two new wives, and
Obierika to construct huts in his former compound so that his get titles for his sons. He has recovered from the break with
family will have a place to stay when they return. Nwoye and expects to "bring [his other sons] up in the way of
the clan."
Okonkwo gathers his three wives and instructs them to
prepare a great feast. The feast will be his way of thanking his Okonkwo also plans to find a husband for Ezinma, with whom
mother's kinsmen. he is especially close. She understands him and carries out his
requests, including persuading her half-sister, Obiageli, to wait
An old family member makes a speech thanking Okonkwo for for marriage until they return to Umuofia. Okonkwo wishes
the feast, which is even bigger than they expected. He adds Ezinma was a boy.
that it is good for kinsmen to gather. The man confides that he
fears for the younger generation and for the clan because of However, when Okonkwo arrives in Umuofia, he finds that the
the "abominable religion that has settled among you." village has changed dramatically. The church continues to
grow and includes high-ranking men. In addition, there is a
court and a District Commissioner who judges legal cases.
Analysis Arrogant, heavy-handed court messengers, recruited from the
local men, guard a prison and mistreat the prisoners. One of
Okonkwo's insistence on adhering to tradition and the clansmen was condemned by the court and hanged after
expectations is once again on display. The feast must be big killing a man.
because he "cannot live on the bank of a river and wash my
hands with spittle." Okonkwo views the feast as both a social Okonkwo discusses the changes with Obierika and asks why
obligation and a chance to show how he has prospered. the people do not fight. Obierika reminds him of the fate of the
Abame people and adds, "It is already too late." Clansmen have
Okonkwo regrets having left Umuofia. He believes the exile has abandoned the tribe and joined with the strangers. Obierika
held him back; he would have prospered even more in Umuofia. says the white man was smart in that he came "quietly and
Okonkwo also feels more comfortable in Umuofia because the peaceably." He notes the white man has "put a knife on the
"men were bold and warlike." things that held us together and we have fallen apart."
the titles do not matter anymore. His goals do not reflect the upon the clan. He interacts with the people, enabling him to
fact that power has shifted to the church and to the figure out the best way to draw them toward Christianity. He
representatives of the British government. appeals to their sense of independence when mentioning the
need to read and write. However, Brown has an ulterior motive:
Okonkwo's patriarchal beliefs are also unchanged. He can "From the very beginning, religion and education went hand in
sense the fire within Ezinma but can't value it in a woman. hand."
The chapter ends with Okonkwo and Obierika sitting together The people of Umuofia now appreciate the trading store, send
in silence. They have no answers to the challenges the clan their children to the missionary school, and utilize the hospital.
faces. Okonkwo, the man of action, is left sitting and doing They have accepted the presence of the new religion. Even the
nothing. great men of the clan talk with Brown. It seems just a matter of
time until larger numbers of people convert.
Summary home during the wrong year because his sons cannot enter
into ozo society (one of the ranks in Igbo culture) for two more
years. However, the importance of this society in the village is
Many in the clan appreciate some of the changes brought by
no longer clear. In contrast, Nwoye, the son he has cursed, has
the white men, particularly the trading store and the money
adapted to the new society and is prospering.
that is flowing into Umuofia.
Mr. Brown is a decent man who does not force his religion
Enoch, Smith's disciple, is ready for a fight. In this respect, he returned, when men took action and were respected for it.
The interpreter does not understand the dialect of the mob's the meeting to be civil. The District Commissioner surprises
spokesman and cannot relay his message to Smith. The them. The scuffle is brief, and they do not have a chance to
interpreter also changes the meaning of Smith's reply. Thus, draw their machetes. This contrasts with the war counsel in
neither Smith nor the group from Umuofia communicate their Chapter 2, when Okonkwo holds a discussion with his
messages. Language is again a barrier to coexistence. As a opponents and is treated with respect. The rules have
result, the church is destroyed, and a battle is underway. changed, and the men are not prepared.
Okonkwo is rejuvenated and feels the clan has reclaimed its The court messengers are both disrespectful and cruel to the
old ways. He has convinced the men in Umuofia to arm prisoners, humiliating them by shaving their heads and
themselves so they will be prepared—unlike the people in whipping and starving them. They also inflate the fine so that
Abame. they can steal the extra funds. As agents of the court, they are
far worse than the "criminals" they deal with.
Three days later, messengers from the District Commissioner's
office invite Okonkwo and five others to his office. They go
because an "Umuofia man does not refuse a call." However, Part 3, Chapter 24
they bring machetes, although they choose not to carry guns,
which "would be unseemly."
after the Commissioner's men enter the room, there is a brief welcome them but simply move out of their way. Okonkwo's
scuffle, and they handcuff Okonkwo and the others. male relations and friends gather at his hut, but they notice the
whip marks on his back, and nobody talks to him except
The clansmen are given a lecture about their ill-treatment of Obierika.
people, and a fine is set. The kotma, or court messengers, are
told to treat the prisoners with respect. Instead, they forcibly A meeting is called for the next day. In anticipation, Okonkwo
shave the prisoners' heads, beat them, and withhold food and cannot sleep, the "bitterness in his heart ... now mixed with a
water. The court messengers go to Umuofia and inform the kind of childlike excitement." Okonkwo is preparing for war,
villagers what has happened. The men of Umuofia gather and and he swears vengeance. If Umuofia will fight, he will join
them. If not, he will avenge himself. where Okonkwo has hanged himself and asks the men to take
the body down. Because suicide is an abomination, Obierika
People enter the meeting place "from every quarter of the nine says, "His body is evil and only strangers may touch it." He also
villages." Okika, one of the six prisoners, speaks to the crowd, explains that only strangers may bury the body.
lamenting that their gods are weeping and that some clan
members have joined the British. He vows that they need to Obierika speaks angrily to the District Commissioner and says
fight, even though it means they must "shed the blood of a Okonkwo was a great man. Obierka declares, "You drove him
clansman." to kill himself; and now he will be buried like a dog." The District
Commissioner tells his men to remove the body.
The meeting is interrupted by court messengers demanding
they stop the meeting. Using his machete, Okonkwo beheads At the novel's end, the District Commissioner, who is planning
the messenger in charge of the group, and the villagers allow to write a book about his experiences, decides this event might
the other messengers to get away. Okonkwo now realizes that be worth a paragraph. He plans to call the book The
there will be no war. Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.
Analysis Analysis
Okonkwo's return to the village is tense. Others surround him, Okonkwo's physical death is anticlimactic. The changes in his
but there is no interaction among them. He will take revenge village and demise of the clan have left him dead inside.
and fight, even if it means doing so alone. The narrator notes
that the meeting place is filling with people from all of the nine The family is noticeably absent from this chapter. Despite his
villages. However, other than a brief exchange with Obierika, dedication to the clan and his family, Okonkwo dies alone.
Okonkwo talks to no one. He has separated himself from the Even his good friend cannot go near him. Because of his
clan members and will join them only if they act as he feels suicide, Okonkwo is considered an abomination—a tragic fall
they should act. for a man who was once highly respected.
Okonkwo's anger derives from his tragic flaw: his fear that he Okonkwo's decision to end his life can be seen as heroic. He
will be weak, like his father. In the new society, his final act of was a principled man who could not survive in a society that
murder sets him apart from the rest of the clan. He will not did not abide by his view of right and wrong. Always a man of
adjust to the new society, and the clan will not act as he action, he took the only one available to him. Unable to face
believes it should, by going to war. He is a classic tragic figure, change, he rejected it.
caught between his own needs and values and those of his
The District Commissioner claims to understand the people of
people.
Africa and plans on writing a book about them. His proposed
title shows how little the white men understand the culture
they have destroyed.
Part 3, Chapter 25
Summary
g Quotes
The District Commissioner descends on Okonkwo's compound
"Okonkwo had clearly washed his
with a group of soldiers and court messengers. He asks for
Okonkwo, but Obierika tells him he is not there. After the hands and so he ate with the kings
District Commissioner threatens the men, Obierika agrees to
and elders."
show them where Okonkwo is and asks for the group's help.
Obierika then leads the District Commissioner to the tree — Narrator, Part 1, Chapter 1
This description makes it clear that Okonkwo's ambition and These words describe Okonkwo as he begins his exile in
drive have enabled him to succeed. Hard work is valued and Mbanta. He never completely adjusts to his new surroundings.
respected by the clan.
— Narrator, Part 1, Chapter 2 Uchendo says this about the Abame people who killed the
white man. He associates silence with danger.
— Narrator, Part 1, Chapter 4 These thoughts are going through Okonkwo's mind as he
contemplates the loss of Nwoye. He wonders how he could
have produced a son so different from himself.
Okonkwo is ready and eager to do his part. He needs to be
engaged in activity to feel useful.
Okonkwo does not heed this advice. He decides he must be This reference to the book's title is part of Obierika's analysis
involved in Ikemefuna's death or he will lose respect. The of how the missionaries and white men destroyed the clan.
decision is disastrous, as it leads to the rupture with his son
Nwoye.
"Okonkwo was deeply grieved. ...
"It was like beginning life anew He mourned for the clan ... for the
nostalgic for the time when the men were violent and would wealth, and respect. Okonkwo begins to increase his stature in
fight back when wronged. the clan after he borrows and plants yam seeds in Chapter 3.
The title of the book refers to the pressure that the clan faces
Yams from the arrival of white men and missionaries. The colonizers
bring a new religion and court system and give little
consideration to how Igbo society previously functioned. They
Yams are grown by Igbo men and symbolize masculinity, assume that the clan is without culture and living in a
haphazard manner, in need of enlightenment.
Yet the clan has a fully functioning society that includes drive the missionaries from their territory. In Okonkwo's eyes,
traditions and holidays. Vibrant celebrations mark the the clan responds to these foreigners with passivity rather
beginning and ending of the harvest season, while detailed than strength. He sees the clan's acceptance of the
rituals accompany both weddings and funerals. They have a missionaries as a betrayal of the clan's tradition and of their
justice process, and their culture is rich in music, dance, warlike ancestors.
folktales, and proverbs.
Although Ikemefuna's execution is demanded by the Oracle
Changes come about rapidly when the white men and and is therefore an accepted part of Igbo tradition, Okonkwo's
missionaries arrive. The impact of the changes is negligible at participation in the act can be seen on a personal level as an
first, but it grows and begins to dominate the clan. Outcasts act of betrayal. Okonkwo—though warned not to—helps kill the
are the first to abandon traditions and adapt to change. boy who called him father.
Even the clan leaders eventually recognize that they are His son's departure from the clan makes Okonkwo wonder
unable to stop the changes. Okonkwo is the only member left how a man could abandon the gods of his father. This,
who refuses to alter his beliefs and behavior. His refusal to Okonkwo believes, is the ultimate betrayal.
adapt leads to tragedy and to his suicide—the ultimate
transgression against his beliefs.
e Suggested Reading
Fate versus Free Will Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart: With Related Readings. St.
Paul, MN: EMC/Paradigm Pub., 2002. Print.