Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region I
Schools Division Office I Pangasinan
PANGASINAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Lingayen

21ST CENTURY LITERATURE FROM THE PHILPPINES AND THE WORLD

TITLE: THINGS FALL APART

I. SETTING (Identify the setting of the novel and explain why the setting is important.)

Things Fall Apart takes place in Igboland, which covers the southern region of what is now
known as Nigeria, somewhere in the last decade of the nineteenth century. The majority of the
action takes place before the entrance of European missionaries. As a result, the novel's
geography is determined by precolonial principles of political and social order. In Igboland,
communities come together to defend one another and ensure their own safety. Things Fall Apart
revolves around the fictional village of Umuofia, which is part of a larger governmental entity
comprised of the so-called "nine villages."
Time and place both have significance in Things Fall Apart. The 1890s, during the start of
British colonial intrusion into Igboland, are the time period in which the story is set. The precolonial
ways of life are threatened by pressure from Europeans and finally crumble under their weight as
the drama takes place at a time of upheaval. 

II. a. CHARACTERS (Enumerate the characters and the role they portray.)

 Okonkwo, the protagonist.

b. CHARACTERIZATION (Begin with the protagonist and then moving on to the supporting
characters, discuss the characterizations in the story.)

Okonkwo- a powerful clan chief in Umuofia. Okonkwo has been motivated to achieve by
his humiliation over his unproductive, wasteful, and effeminate father, Unoka, ever since he was a
young child. Okonkwo has a high rank in his clan as a result of his laborious efforts and military
prowess, and he has amassed enough cash to maintain his three wives and their offspring. The
terrible weakness in Okonkwo is his fear of seeming frail like his father. He acts hastily as a result,
causing himself and his family a great deal of pain and suffering.
Unoka- Okonkwo has been ashamed of his father since he was a young child. Unoka was
considered a coward and a wasteful person by the standards of the clan. He never received a title
in his life, frequently borrowed money from members of his tribe, and hardly ever paid back his
 loans. He abhorred the sight of blood, hence he was never a fighter. In addition, he passed away
from a terrible disease. On the plus side, Unoka seems to have been a kind, though idle,
competent musician. He might have been a romantic, unsuited to the chauvinistic society he was
born into. Ten years after his passing, the book starts.
Nwoye- Son of Okonkwo who he considers to be weak and slothful. In an effort to make up
for the flaws he sees in Nwoye, Okonkwo hits him repeatedly. Nwoye starts acting more like a
man, which pleases Okonkwo because of Ikemefuna's influence. Okonkwo feels that Nwoye is
afflicted with the same faults that his father, Unoka, possessed in plenty. Nwoye, however, harbors
questions about certain of the laws and regulations of his tribe and finally converts to Christianity,
an act that Okonkwo characterizes as "effeminate."
Ikemefuna- a youngster that a nearby village gave to Okonkwo. Ikemefuna, who resides in
Okonkwo's first wife's hut, swiftly gains favor with Okonkwo's kids. His friendship with Okonkwo's
eldest son, Nwoye, who looks up to him, grows especially strong. Ikemefuna, who calls him "father"
and is a model clansman, grows on Okonkwo as well. However, Okonkwo does not show his
fondness for Ikemefuna because he believes that doing so would make him appear weak.
Ezinma- Okonkwo's only kid with his second wife, Ekwefi. Ezinma is the only one of
Ekwefi's ten children to survive childhood, and she is the center of her mother's universe. Their
relationship is unusual in that Ezinma addresses Ekwefi by name and treats her as an equal.
Okonkwo's favorite child is Ezinma, because she understands him better than any of his other
children and reminds him of Ekwefi when she was the village beauty. Okonkwo, on the other hand,
rarely shows his adoration because he is afraid of appearing weak. Furthermore, he wishes
Ezinma was a male since she would have made an ideal son.
Obierika- Okonkwo's close friend, whose daughter's wedding offers cause for celebration
early in the story. Obierika looks out for his friend, selling Okonkwo's yams to secure Okonkwo's
financial security while in exile and soothing Okonkwo when he is depressed. Obierika, like Nwoye,
challenges several of the tribe's customary rules.

III. POINT OF VIEW (Identify the novel’s point of view and why it is significant.)

Things Fall Apart is written in the third person omniscient, which implies that the narrator
understands and expresses the thoughts and feelings of all the characters. The narrator refuses to
pass judgment on the characters or their behavior. Despite Okonkwo's adamant rejection of his
father, the narrator depicts Unoka's narrative objectively. Although Unoka deviates from traditional
standards requiring that males should be fierce warriors, the narrator does not condemn him for his
deviation, instead emphasizing his love of music.
Similarly, the narrator explains that, despite Okonkwo's outward harshness, his
disagreeable characteristics conceal a deeper sensitivity. The narrator extends the same objectivity
to European characters, such as the missionaries and the District Commissioner.

IV. CONFLICT (You should delve into conflict much more deeply than they may have in the past. If the
story has more than one major conflict, they should detail the additional conflicts as well.

It is the novel's central conflict. People were contentedly following their norms and rituals
prior to the introduction of Christians. To them, culture was everything. They had their own set of
traditions, rituals, and behaviors. They were separated into tribes, with each tribe having a chief.
Their sole responsibility was to grow yams. From their dads, sons inherited farms. They sought
advice from their moms or maternal uncles during difficult times. A guy might have as many wives
as he desired. Only the strongest would be able to survive. They used to make up stories. Ibo
culture was a mash-up of various norms.
Every tribe in Ibo civilization attempted to retain its esteem by murdering members of other
tribes. It demonstrates that Man is humanity's deadliest adversary. The main topic of this work is
"Survival of the Strongest." There are several events in the novel in which a guy attempts to
murder another man. Okonkwo murdered his adoptive kid with his own hands in order to
demonstrate his dominance over other males in his culture. He might have avoided it, but he
demonstrated that he was dispassionate, and so possessed greater strength. Similarly, tribal
warfare revealed a fight of "man vs man." To summarize, one of the main battles in "Things Fall
Apart" is man vs man.
 V. THEME (Identify the theme of the novel and the specific meaning of the book they chose. They
should avoid stock themes such as “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and think more critically on
their author’s message.)
Cultural conflict or change
The fact that change is not only inevitable but also generally unforeseeable is another
important concept from the book. After being exiled, Okonkwo was horrified to see that his
clansmen had not put up a fight when he arrived at Umuofia. When he realized there wasn't much
he could do, he decided to kill himself. He had taken it upon himself to attack. The author is
successful in conveying to you through this book the futility of resisting change.
Self-Will
The biggest subject of this work is arguably the power of will. It encompasses every lesson
mentioned in this text. You realize that there is so much a person can do if they have the will in all
of the issues discussed in the book, from religion to killing to suicide. You come to understand that
your opinions, decisions, and history are all your own. The author informs his audience that the
greatest quality in a guy is his will, using artfully crafted phrases. Things Fall Apart is the tale of a
guy who made his way in the world, whether or not his decisions were the best ones. We may all
get knowledge from it.

VI. SYMBOLS
Fire
Throughout the book, Okonkwo is connected with burning, fire, and flame, pointing to the
fact that his main feeling is his strong and dangerous fury. But as Okonkwo realizes in Chapters 17
and 24, the issue with fire is that it destroys all it eats. Okonkwo murders Ikemefuna and Ogbuefi
Ezeudu's son and exhibits both physical and mental devastation by suppressing his feelings for the
two women in favor of a sterner, more dominant demeanor. Okonkwo finally gives in to his great
wrath, letting it to control his actions until it destroys him, much as fire feeds on itself until all that is
left is a mound of ash.
Locusts
In a highly symbolic description of the locusts that invade the hamlet, Achebe foreshadows
the entrance of the white invaders who would feast on and plunder the Igbo's resources. The Igbo
consume these locusts, which shows how harmless they are in their eyes. Similar to this, those
who become Christians are blind to the harm done to the colonized people's culture by the
colonizer's culture. The locusts' symbolic value is clear from the phrase Achebe employs to
describe them. Words like "settled" and "every," which are frequently used, highlight the insects'
sudden ubiquity and allude to the Igbo people's surprise at the white settlers' arrival.

VII. ENDING (Evaluate the ending of the story.)

The final two tragedies in Things Fall Apart are connected. The passing of Okonkwo is the
first tragedy. Okonkwo finds he is out of step with his community after a fit of unrestrained
aggression in which he murders a European messenger who tries to interrupt a gathering of clan
leaders. No one cheers his move, and Okonkwo realizes that he is the only one who wants to fight
the Europeans. Okonkwo flees to his enclosure and hangs himself, torn between his fury that the
nine villages will submit to European domination and the hopelessness of battling the Europeans
alone. With this deed, Okonkwo fulfills his destiny as a tragic hero whose battles with society result
in his demise. The passing of Okonkwo also has another, culturally distinctive, implication.