The novel chronicles the life of Okonkwo, the leader of an Igbo community, from the events leading up to his banishment from the community for accidentally killing a clansman, through the seven years of his exile, to his return , and it addresses a particular problem of emergent Africa—the intrusion in the 1890s of ...
What is the summary of the Things Fall Apart?
The novel chronicles the life of Okonkwo, the leader of an Igbo community, from the events leading up to his banishment from the community for accidentally killing a clansman, through the seven years of his exile, to his return , and it addresses a particular problem of emergent Africa—the intrusion in the 1890s of ...
What are the major plot points in Things Fall Apart?
- Growing up poor, Okonkwo gains fame by wrestling. ...
- Okonkwo and his family take in Ikemefuna.
- Okonkwo participates in the killing of Ikemefuna.
- Okonkwo is exiled from the clan for an accidental killing.
- The white man and missionaries arrive in the villages.
- Nwoye leaves his father and joins the missionaries.
Why is Things Fall Apart an important book?
“Things Fall Apart” tells the story of Okonkwo, a leader in an Igbo village in Nigeria in the 1890s, as he deals with his own personal struggles as well as the impact of British colonialism. The book describes the rich culture and complexities of Igbo society , articulating an insider’s sense of the African experience.
Is Things Fall Apart a true story?
Things Fall Apart is not a true story . It is based on the real European colonization of Nigeria during the late nineteenth century, but the protagonist, Okonkwo, is not a real historical figure.
What is the moral lesson of Things Fall Apart?
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 is the climax of Things Fall Apart?
Climax. The climactic point in the novel arises when, Okonkwo, without his realizing it, shoots a young member of his community and kills him . Though this was an accident, Okonkwo has to abide with the law that deems he should be banished from his village for seven years.
What is the main theme 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 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 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 . ... It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.
Achebe’s primary purpose of writing the novel is because he wants to educate his readers about the value of his culture as an African . Things Fall Apart provides readers with an insight of Igbo society right before the white missionaries’ invasion on their land.
Why is things fall apart a classic?
Things Fall Apart is the first of three novels in Chinua Achebe’s critically acclaimed African Trilogy. It is a classic narrative about Africa’s cataclysmic encounter with Europe as it establishes a colonial presence on the continent .
What is Okonkwo’s tragic flaw?
Okonkwo is a tragic hero in the classical sense: although he is a superior character, his tragic flaw— the equation of manliness with rashness, anger, and violence —brings about his own destruction.
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.
Who is Okonkwo’s favorite child?
Ezinma is also Okonkwo’s favorite child, for she understands him better than any of his other children and reminds him of Ekwefi when Ekwefi was the village beauty. Okonkwo rarely demonstrates his affection, however, because he fears that doing so would make him look weak.
Why is Okonkwo exiled?
Because killing a clansman is a crime against the earth goddess , Okonkwo must take his family into exile for seven years in order to atone. He gathers his most valuable belongings and takes his family to his mother’s natal village, Mbanta.
