Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe
Provided
for AP Literature students
Theme: The Search for Meaning / World Literature
AP English Literature will also read:
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (provided for the students)
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (available in local libraries
and bookstores)
Things Fall Apart portrays Africa, particularly the Ibo society, right before the arrival of Europeans, and analyzes the destruction of African culture in terms of the destruction of the bonds between individuals and their society. Specifically, it is about the effects of British colonialism on a small Nigerian village at the turn of the century. A simple story of a "strong man" whose life is dominated by fear and anger, it is uniquely and richly African. Things Fall Apart reveals Achebe's keen awareness of the human qualities common to men of all times and places.
Okonkwo (Oh--kawn--kwoh)--The central character of Things Fall Apart a leader
of the African Igbo community of Umuofia (Oo--moo--oh--fee--ah), known as
a fierce warrior as well as a successful farmer, although he is a man still
in his thirties. He has three wives and several children who live in their
homes in his village compound. He is determined to overcome the stigma left
by his father's laziness and wastefulness.
Unoka (Ooh--no--kah)--Okonkwo's father, known for his weakness and lack of
responsibility.
Nwoye (Nuh--woh--yeh)--Okonkwo's oldest son, age twelve at the book's beginning.
By nature, he is a sensitive young man.
Ikemefuna (Ee--keh--meh--foo.nah)--A boy of fourteen when he is given to
Umuofia by a neighboring village to avoid war, he is a clever, resourceful
young man.
Ekweft (Eh--kweh--fee)--Okonkwo's second wife, mother of Ezinma, her only
living child.
Ezinma (Eh--zeen--mah)--Daughter of. Ekwefi and Okonkwo; Ekwefi's only surviving.
child.
Ojiubo (o h--jee--ooh-- boh)--Okonkwo's third wife and Mother of several
of Okonkwo's children.
Obierika (Oh--bee--air--ee--kah)--Okonkwo's best friend in Umuofia. He often
represents the voice of reason. He is the father of Maduka (son) and Ekuwke
(daughter).
Chielo (Chee--eh--loh)--A village widow who is also the priestess of Agbala.
Agbala (Ahg--bah--lah)-- The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves, she influences
all aspects of Umuofian life (based on the real Oracle at Awka who controlled
Igbo life for centuries).
Mr. Brown-- The first white Christian missionary in Umuofla arid Mbanta,
an understanding and accommodating man, he is inclined to listen to the Igbos.
Mr. Kiaga (Kee--ah--gah)-- The native interpreter for the missionaries, he
is a teacher and a leader of the new church in Mbanta.
The Reverend James Smith-- A strict, stereotypical white Christian missionary,
he takes over the church after Mr. Brown's departure
The District Commissioner-- A stern, stereotypical, white colonial administrator
of Umuofia, he follows regulations to the letter and has little knowledge
or understanding of the people for whom he tries to administer a new government.
1. The Ibo religious structure consists of chi--the personal
god--and many other gods and goddesses. What advantages and disadvantages
does such a religion provide when compared with your own?
2. There is an issue here of fate versus personal control over destiny.
For example, Okonkwo's father is sometimes held responsible for his
own actions,
while at other times he is referred to as ill-fated and a victim of evil-fortune.
Which do you think Okonkwo believes is true? What do you think Achebe believes
is true? What do you believe?
3. The threads of the story are related in a circular fashion, as opposed
to a conventional linear time pattern. What effect does this impose on
the tale of Ikemefuma? What effect does it have on the story of Ezinma?
4. The villagers believe--or pretend to believe--that the "Supreme Court" of
the nine egwugwu are ancestral spirits. In fact, they are men of the village
in disguise. What does this say about the nature of justice in general,
and in this village in particular?
5. Our own news media pre-programs us to view the kind of culture clash
represented here as being purely racial in basis. Does Achebe's work impress
as being
primarily concerned with black versus white tensions? If not, what else
is going on here?
6. Certain aspects of the clan's religious practice, such as the mutilation
of a dead child to prevent its spirit from returning, might seem barbaric.
Casting an honest eye on our own religious and cultural practices, which
ones might appear barbaric or bizarre to an outsider?
7. Nature plays an integral role in the mythic and real life of the Ibo
villagers, much more so than in our own society. Discuss ways in which
their perception
of animals--such as the cat, the locust, the python--differ from your own,
and how these different beliefs shape our behavior.
8. The sacrifice of Ikemefuma could be seen as being a parallel to the
crucifixion of Jesus. The event also raises a series of questions. Ikemefuma
and the
villagers that are left behind are told that he is "going home" (58).
Does this euphemism for dying contain truth for them? Do they believe they
are doing him a favor? Why do they wait three years to think of him as
a member of the family? Finally, Okonkwo, "the father," allows
the sacrifice to occur as God presumably allowed Christ's sacrifice, with
no
resistance. How can one accept this behavior and maintain love for the
father or God?
9. Of Ezinma, Okonkwo thinks: "She should have been a boy" (64).
Why is it necessary to the story that Okonkwo's most favored child be a
girl?
10. Of one of the goddesses, it is said: "It was not the same Chielo
who sat with her in the market...Chielo was not a woman that night" (106).
What do you make of this culture where people can be both themselves and
also assume other personas? Can you think of any parallels in your own
world?
11. There are many proverbs (common sayings that suggest lessons) related
during the course of the narrative. Recalling specific ones, what function
do you perceive these proverbs as fulfilling in the life of the Ibo? Why
does Achebe include the proverbs?
12. While the traditional figure of Okonkwo can in no doubt be seen as
the central figure in the tale, Achebe chooses to relate his story in the
third
person rather than the first person narrative style. Why does the third
person work better than a first person telling of this story?
13. Okonkwo rejects his father's way and is, in turn, rejected by Nwoye.
Is Achebe making a comment about the nature of father / son relationships,
or is he making some other comment?
14. The lives of Ikemefuma and Okonkwo can be deemed parallel to the extent
that they both have fathers whose behavior is judged unacceptable. What
other factors contribute to the divergent paths their fate takes them on
as a result
of their respective fathers' shadows?
15. The title of the novel is derived from the William Butler Yeats poem
entitled The Second Coming, concerned with the second coming of Christ.
The completed line reads: "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold." How
does this line apply to the story?
16. The District Commissioner is going to title his work The Pacification
of the Primitive Tribes of the Niger (209). What do you interpret from
this to be his perception of Okonkwo and the people of Umuofia?
*Note: Portions of some descriptions, and in some cases,
entire descriptions taken from Amazon.com and / or ReadingGroupGuides.com
and Globalliteracyproject.com
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