Things Fall Apart

A detailed Summary of Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe's, Things Fall Apart is a poignant novel about the Igbo of Southern Nigeria. An unfamiliar audience is transported to the "exotic" world of traditional African society. Achebe does not intend to write an ethnographic account of Igbo life. Although, many cultural and social aspects of the Ibo are revealed, the final message is much stronger. Achebe is attempting to remind his people as well as all people about the Igbo past and its cultural value which posses much cultural value. The breakdown of Igbo society is that message. Colonialism can be seen as the floodgate that opened this loss of culture and inferiority that "other" peoples are subjected to. There are a few initial hints towards the beginning of the novel that play an allegorical role in depicting the advent of colonialism. Colonialism is introduced towards the end of the novel but holds the last impression and gives one a wake-up call to the degradation of non-western cultures by Western culture. The very last sentence epitomizes this degradation. "He [District Commissioner] had already chosen the title of the book, after much thought: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger". The District Co

Okonkwo is an extreme case of trying to prove himself. He was respected in the community despite the adversities he felt his father had put in his way. Okonkwo was a hard working and determined man. Despite the fact that he had no inheritance he soared to become one of the prominent members of society. Okonkwo rose to his position because of his fear for failure and his need to prove his masculinity. He was quite harsh and he equated this harsh and stoic persona with masculinity. "His [Okonkwo's] wives, especially the youngest lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children. 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." These aspects were not masculine for the rest of the tribe. Okonkwo feared weakness more than he feared anything else. He did everything in his power to prove to others that he was capable. His rise in the community is an obvious example for his inner need to rise above. Okonkwo toiled at his fields and made a proper name for himself. He had gained the respect of higher men in his community. Okonkwo went to ask Nwakibie, a prosperous man for yam seeds and Okonkwo would sharecrop them. Nwakibie gave Okonkwo double the seeds he was expecting. When the harvest failed for everybody Okonkwo felt he had failed despite the fact that this failure was not in his control. Achebe alludes to the end of the novel when he mentions that the crop was so bad that, "One man tied his cloth to a

shoes, but in a larger sense it signifies the difference that white men that the people of Umofia are about to encounter. Afterwards, Achebe again mentions the locusts. This time it is in a more blatant fashion. "...the Oracle said. It said that other white men were on their way. They were locusts, it said..." The Oracle pre-warned the people of Umofia that the white men would act as locusts do. The community had to be prepared for the worst.

that the only reason he is so full of turmoil is because he is lacking work in the fields. He quickly forgets as he becomes busy in Obierika's daughter's proposal. At this point Okonkwo has lost much of his humanistic qualities and Achebe seems to dehumanize him. Okonkwo's downward spiral is only inevitable.

When the Oracle of the Hills and Caves summons that Ikemefuna must be killed, a great loss is felt. Okonkwo is asked not to participate in the killing of Ikemefuna because he calls him father. Regardless Okonkwo again feels this drive to prove his masculinity and involves himself in the process. On the way to the designated "murder spot" Achebe chooses not to translate the song sung by Ikemefuna. This seems quite perplexing to why Achebe chooses not to translate it. An assumption would be the suspense and the symbolism that is associated with the unknown. Achebe gets the reader extremely involved when Ikemefuna cries, " 'My father, they have killed me!'" The fact that Okonkwo cut him down again after Ikemefuna was killed is the point where the reader really begins to abhor Okonkwo. Achebe reinstates Okonkwo's insecurities, "He was afraid of being weak." Okonkwo does face a great moral dilemma after the death of Ikemefuna. He rationalizes his pain (which is another sign of being a woman) by saying

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3603
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English