One of the most important moral lessons of Things Fall Apart is
the danger of what we would now call toxic masculinity
. Okonkwo epitomizes this attitude, even though it damages those around him, including members of his own family.
What are the values in Things Fall Apart?
These values include:
the ability to support oneself and family
.
respect for sacred things and tradition
. the ability to adapt to new challenges or surroundings.
What is the moral of Things Fall Apart?
The Struggle Between Change and Tradition
As a story about a culture on the verge of change, Things Fall Apart deals with
how the prospect and reality of change affect various characters
. The tension about whether change should be privileged over tradition often involves questions of personal status.
What is the purpose of Part One of Things Fall Apart?
In addition to narrating Okonkwo’s struggle to build a distinguished reputation, Part One also
provides a broad view of the precolonial Igbo cultural world
. Achebe showcases numerous Igbo cultural values, religious beliefs, and ritual practices to provide the reader with a sense of the Igbo world.
What is the conclusion of Things Fall Apart?
The conclusion to Things Fall Apart is that
a final confrontation between Igbo religious and cultural life and the new religion of Western missionaries occurs at a traditional ceremony lamenting the suffering of Igbo ancestors, the ancient gods
.
What is the summary of Things Fall Apart?
Things Fall Apart is about
a Nigerian man, Okonkwo, who watches as his village is destroyed by European missionaries
. Once a feared and respected man in his village of Umuofia, Okonkwo is reduced to eventually taking the orders of white men.
What are the values of Umuofia?
Three of the values shared by the clan of Umuofia are
reverence for the elderly, belief in a female earth goddess (the source of all fertility), and the practice of polygamy
. None of these customs sit well with the Christian missionaries such as Reverend James Smith.
What literary devices are used in Things Fall Apart?
Achebe’s skillful use of literary devices like
metaphor, simile, imagery, and repetition
demonstrate the quality of writing. Achebe’s understanding of the “human experience” demonstrates the relevance of theme.
What are the three parts of things fall apart?
There are three parts of Things Fall Apart, and they
trace the rise, fall, and attempted but tragically unsuccessful return to power of Okonkwo
. When we meet Okonkwo in the first part of the novel, we learn that he is one of the most respected and influential members of his tribe.
What Okonkwo fears most?
Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the
fear of failure and of weakness
. … Instead, Okonkwo suffers from the existential fear that he will not succeed in life and thus end up like his unremarkable father.
What is the main conflict in things fall apart?
Major conflict On one level, the conflict is
between the traditional society of Umuofia and the new customs brought by the whites
, which are in turn adopted by many of the villagers. Okonkwo also struggles to be as different from his deceased father as possible.
Why do you think Okonkwo kills himself?
With a feeling of hopelessness, Okonkwo gives up and hangs himself. He commits suicide
because he cannot deal with the changes that the Christian white men are making in his village
. While the white man from Europe came in to civilize the Igbo tribe, he did not succeed.
Who is to blame for Okonkwo’s death?
Okonkwo
is responsible for his death because he has remained stagnant while his village and family are changing. His entire life was measured against his father so he never established his own sense of identity — he just wanted to be opposite of his father. With the modernization and evolution…
What led to Okonkwo’s downfall?
Anger, violence, pride, an inability to adapt, and a fear of being like his father
all take part in the downfall of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart.
Why was Ikemefuna killed?
He tells Okonkwo that the Oracle has decreed that Ikemefuna
must be killed as part of the retribution for the woman killed three years before
in Mbaino. He tells Okonkwo to take no part in the killing since the boy calls him “father.” … Afraid to appear weak, Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna with his machete.
Why is Okonkwo’s exile ironic?
The irony is in the fact
that Okonkwo cannot get his village leaders to go to war
. To have a been such a strong leader, now Okonkwo has lost his authority. Another example of irony is that Okonkwo took Ikemefuna into his own home. Now, Okonkwo understands how Ikemefuna feels having to leave his homeland.
