Things Fall Apart

Character
1. Okonkwo
  1. wealthy/respected farmer/warrior; despises his father due to his past; feels he has to prove he isn't like his father
2. Unoka
  1. Okonkwo's father: always in debt, skilled flute player and had a love of language
3. Ikemefuna
  1. "adopted" son of Okonkwo
  2. illustrated that manliness doesn't preclude gentleness and affection
4. Nwoye
  1. Okonkwo's son; strained relationship -> finds comfort in Christianity; answers his long-held doubts about his own religion
5. Ojiugo
  1. Okonkwo's youngest wife
6. Ekwefi
  1. Okonkwo's second wife - very protective over there daughter
7. Ezinma
  1. Ekwefi's only daughter, thought to be an 'Ogbanje' to the family
  2. Okonkwo frequently desires she were a boy, suggests he secretly desires affectionate attachment with his actual sons, but avoids admitting it because of fear that affection = weakness
8. Obiageli, Nkechi
  1. Okonkwo's other two daughters
9. Chielo
  1. priestess of Agbala
10. Obierika
  1. Friend of Okonkwo; foil for Okonkwo
  2. Illustrates manhood, doesn't require denigration of women
11. Uchendu
  1. Okonkwo's foil, openly expresses affection/emotion for wives; values intelligence in women
12. Mr. Brown
  1. missionary and foil for Reverend Smith
13. Enoch
  1. Serves as double for Okonkwo; unmasks father in 'egwugwu' ceremony in inappropriate display of rebellion and bad temper
Characterization
1. Okonkwo
  1. Beat the cat in a wrestling context in youth; taken five human heads in battle. Associates weakness with his father and women: extremely demanding of his family made his own fortune, does not show any affection (thinks its a sign of weakness aswell)
    1. beats his wife Ojiugo for negligence - breaks week of peace
    2. Okonkwo also sinks into depression - although he didn't show it, appreciated and was affectionate for Ikemefuna
  2. Accidentally kills a clansman; crime - 7 years of exile. Takes family to his mothers natal village of Mbanta. Okonkwo questions why a man should suffer so much for an accidental killing.
2. Ikemefuna
  1. Becomes like a son to Okonkwo. The oracle declares he must be killed -> Okonkwo kills him so as to not look weak
3. Nwoye
  1. Becomes more masculine with Ikemefuna's Influence. Nwoye is devastated.
Symbolism
1. Okonkwo = 'Africa' (every-man figure)
2. Sharing kola nuts/palm wine = peacefullness of Igbo
3. Locusts = colonialism descending upon Umuofia
  1. branches breaking underneath their weight = traditions and Igbo culture destroyed
  2. the fact that the Igbo eat them symbolizes how innocent their race can be
4. Igbo folklore: Tortoise story has same function (convinces the birds to allow him to come even though he doesn't belong; he then eats all their food)
5. Igbo customs = wisdom of seeking peaceful solution to conflict before violence
6. Interpreter vulnerability of a language (i.e. understanding) gap
7. Smith sees things as "black and white" - refers to both his inability to grasp gradations of a situation, and also race relations and colonial power
  1. Stereotypical European Colonist
Context
1. When it was written: -1958
  1. Negation of image of Africa presented by colonial writers - Chinua Achebe
2. Present-day relevance
  1. reflection of the effects of/faults in colonialism
Setting
1. Late 19th Century
2. Lower Nigerian Tribe, part of a community of nine connected villages
3. Patriarchal society; Masculinity = Strength, Femininity = Weakness
Themes
1. Tradition
  1. Culture
    1. Masculinity, strength valued above other traits
  2. Education
    1. Oral tradition; "discussion through proverbs"
  3. Family
    1. Importance of kinship morals
  4. Success/Power
    1. man's worth determined by his own actions
  5. Religion
    1. ancestral spirits revered; belief in the oracle to make decisions
  6. Commitment to harmonious relations; avoiding violence whenever possible
2. Gender (masculinity)
  1. Okonkwo sees his father as weak. Resents him, tries to be the complete opposite
3. Language
  1. Complex; full of proverbs, literary/rhetorical devices. Achebe's translation of Igbo language into English retains cadences, rhythm, and speech patterns of language without making it sound 'primitive'
4. Change vs Tradition: involves question of personal status, i.e. Okonkwo resists change because it shows his manliness and self-worth into question since these are defined by traditional values; clan's contrasts embrace Christianity because they can enjoy a more elevated status that they were previously deprived of
5. Okonkwos definition of masculinity does not reflect the clans - associates with aggression
Writers Purpose
1. Independent, functional society; sophisticated
2. Gradual Encroachment
  1. Intrusion on a persons territory
3. Things fall apart
4. Response to Heart of Darkness
5. Through emphasis of harmony and complexity of the igbo - contradicts stereotypical European view of Africans as savages
6. Africa as a foil of Western culture, not equal to reality
7. Existence of subcultures within a given African population (i.e. each clan has its own stories); combatting European tendency to see all Africans as the same
8. Mr. Brown illustrates more 'positive' colonialism through mutual understanding and respect; tries to help clan maintain their autonomy
9. Not only remind the West that Africa has language and culture but also to provide understanding of Igbo culture through language. Achebe show the extent to which cultural and linguistic structures and practices are intertwined. By the time things start to 'fall apart', it is clear that what the colonialists have unravelled is the complex Igbo culture
Plot
1. Ikemefuna -> Umuofia/Okonkwo
2. Oracle declares Ikemefuna must be killed (Okonkwo)
3. Chielo takes Ezinma to the hills
4. Okonkwo accidentally kills clansmen - 7 years exile
5. Nwoye becomes a convert
6. Okonkwo returns to Umuofia
7. Unmasking of egwugwu
8. Okonkwos death
Genre
1. Novel (Narrated)
  1. Omniscient third-person
Diction
1. Irony: ex. egwugwu ceremony, the villagers know they are not real; verging on mockery
2. Irony: Mbanta clan leaders decide to tolerate the church, although Okonkwo thinks they should react violently - he believes that the village should act against its peaceful cultural values in order to preserve them. Foreshadowing = symbolic locusts
3. Irony: for all of Christianity's protestations of love and harmony, brandishes a fierce resolve to convert the Igbo at any cost
Foreshadowing Imagery Metaphor Simile Personification Oxymoron Antithesis Juxtaposition Irony

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Things Fall Apart

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	Created by Sebastian Preststulen over 5 years ago