I believe that the title Things Fall Apart refers to the fact that without proper balance, things do fall apart. The notion of balance in the novel is an important theme throughout the book. Beginning with the excerpt from Yeats' poem, The Second Coming, the concept of balance is stressed as important; for without balance, order is lost. In the novel, there is a system of balance, which the Ibo culture seems to depend upon. It is when this system is upset that "things fall apart." Okonkwo, the Ibo religion, and ultimately, the Ibos' autonomy were brought to their demise by an extreme imbalance between their male and female aspects. These male and female aspects can be generally described as the external, physical strength of the male, and the internal, passive and nurturing strength of the female. It was an imbalance toward the male side that led to the destruction of the people and their culture.

Okonkwo, the main character in the book, was the son of Unoka, who was a loafer. Unoka was too lazy to go out and plant crops on new, fertile land, preferring to stay at home playing his flute, drinking palm wine, and making merry with the neighbors. He had to borrow money in order to ma

The Ibo religion falls in much the same way. This religion is centered on the worship of male gods and ancestors. The female deity among these is the Earth goddess, but Okonkwo even offends her several times in the story to save his masculine image: once when he beats his wife during the week of peace, another time (possibly) when he strikes down his adopted son, and again when he accidentally causes the death of a young kinsman. The gods' functions are mainly to help in war, and to aid the yearly yam crop, which is considered a man's crop. The primary influence women have in this religion is in the role of the priestess of Agbala, who is a woman, although she embodies a male god. It is the women, also, who practice magic, which is greatly feared in the tribes, but is still a passive force with only intangible connections to any physical effects.

It might even be argued that the night belongs to the female, and the day belongs to the male. In the book, it is during the day that the males conduct their business. In the evening, they return home to the comfort of their wives' cooking and their beds. In contrast, it is at night that the priestess of Agbala is most active. The men fear the night and all of the unknown things that dwell there, but in the night the priestess fearlessly walks the woods, practicing her profession.

Some of the wise elders said that Umuofia was getting weaker because the tribes were ceasing to intermingle the way they once had, and were actually competing with one another instead. Very few people understood the importance of the saying 'mother is supreme', and would therefore lose connection with their motherland. When Okonkwo's daughter came of age to marry, Okonkwo t

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Approximate Word count = 1152
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)