Things Fall Apart

Ani is the Earth Goddess and the owner of all land. She is the ultimate judge of morality and conduct. She is the source of all fertility. She was in close communion with the departed fathers of the clan.

Mbaino is the village which Ikemefuna lives in before he is forced to live with Okonkwo in Umuofia in order to repent his father's crime.

It is significant because in essence, things begin to "fall apart" for Okonkwo after Ikemefuna is killed by Umuofia. Okonkwo becomes haunted by his choice to kill Ikemefuna. In fact, Ikemefuna's death begins Okonkwo's downfall.

Unoka was afflicted with swelling of the stomach and limbs, before he was left to die in the Evil Forest by the villagers.

Okonkwo breaks the sacred Peace of Ani, also known as the Week of Peace, by beating Ojiugo, his third wife. He is forced to sacrifice to the goddess and repent.

His neighbours look down upon Okonkwo for the sacrilege, and also for not being outwardly repentant, as they think he is not genuinely repenting.

Okonkwo takes great pride in her daughter and believes that he is the child that best knows his own thoughts. She is the first surviving daughter with his wife Ekwefi.

Okonkwo often wishes Ezinma were a boy.

He is inwardly fond of her; her beauty is like her mother's was when she was the Village Beauty.

The locusts can be a symbol of initially good things, which then turn bad. They are seen as mostly good in this book, so the analogy must be made using external means.

Fire represents Okonkwo and his strength. Although he burns brightly, he can only raise weaker impotent sons, who are like ash.

Not too much is significant about the gun Okonkwo owns. As Okonkwo is not a good hunter, it has rarely been fired. When Ekwefi is mad at Okonkwo she remarks the gun 'has never been fired.' Unfortunately Okonkwo hears this, and flies into a rage, discharging the gun next to Ekwefi.

Okonkwo's wineglass, that of a human skull, symbolizes Okonkwo's prowess as a warrior, and his warlike demeanour. It also shows how caught up in being a warrior Okonkwo is, as his life is not as balanced as others in his village.

Okonkwo wanted his sons to grow up to be great warriors. So he told his sons about his wars stories, hoping to excite them and give them knowledge of wars.

His Ibo translator was translating a word similar to "myself" as "my buttocks". Further, the missionary told the villagers that their gods were not alive and could not do them any harm. He called them pieces of wood and stone. The villagers thought the missionary was mad.

Language

Some people were angry that Chinua Achebe chose to write the book in English as opposed to Igbo. Others were pleased that it was written in English as they would have been otherwise unable to read it.

Publisher

The publishers originally did not want such a book as there was deemed to be no market for African literature written by African authors. However, the book was deemed to be of such high quality, that it was picked up by a London publishing company.

Worldwide

The book has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide, and has recently had a 50th anniversary mass reprinting.

His witnessing of the grief of a woman who was forced throw her twins away in the Evil Forest, and Ikemefuna's death made Nwoye feel limp inside, without strength.

Although Ikemefuna is from a different family, Nwoye treats Ikemefuna as an older brother to look up to and mimic. Ikemefuna is the older brother that Nwoye never had.

All sorts of clan members join Christianity. At first it is the lower class of people, efulefu, men without title and disdained by the clan. Nweke, a woman who repeatedly bears twins is one of the first women to join. Men, women and children of no title join the church in Mbanta. Eventually osu join the church and are accepted. Eventually, even men of title join the church in other villages, casting away their titles and the Gods of their fathers.

The missionary claims that their gods are false gods and harmless. Further, the missionary goes on about a man who has a mother but no father. The missionaries odd dialect makes it sound like he is frequently saying 'my buttocks', which makes them appear comical.

Okonkwo has committed an offense against the earth by hanging himself, and thus cannot be touched by the villagers.
It is an abomination against the Earth for a man to take his own life, and so his body becomes evil. It is against Umuofian customs to touch a man who commited suicide, and so only strangers can bury Okonkwo.

Ekwefi was a woman who loved wrestling, and fell in love with Okonkwo when she saw him throw Amalinze the Cat. She wanted to marry Okonkwo, but at the time, Okonkwo was too poor to marry. She ended up marrying another man, Anene, but after a couple years she ran away from him during the night to Okonkwo. Okonkwo took her and made love to her in his obi.

Ekwefi became Okonkwo's second wife. Her love of wrestling remained. She bore child after child, but they all died during their early years until she had Ezinma. She treated her daughter Ezinma like a sister, as an equal. She continued to have children with Okonkwo, and fathered at least 10 children with him.

Ekwefi often drew Okonkwo's rage, and was beaten by him occasionally. After one particular beating near the Festival of Yams, she made fun of Okonkwo's lack of prowess with a gun. This remark earned her a near-death experience, as Okonkwo discharged the gun at her, but did not end up hitting her.

During one day, her daughter Ezinma was taken by the oracle Agbala's representative Chielo late at night. Worried for her daughter, she risked the wrath of the Gods by secretly following Chielo around the nine villages and back to her cave home where she communed with Agbala, all in very low light.

Her daughter Ezinma also came down with the Iba or fever one day. She feared for Ezinma's death, but Ezinma managed to be healed by her father, Okonkwo. After Ezinma's iwi-uya was found, she felt much more relieved.

Ekwefi continued to stay with Okonkwo, following him in exile to Mbanta, and then back home to Umuofia.

Obierika and Okonkwo are best friends. Each is the man of their house with at least one wife and many children.

Land in the evil forest is given to the men of the church, so that the 'spirits' may drive them out. This idea does not work and instead the church flourishes in the evil forest, the churchmen even rescuing abandoned twins when they are dumped in the forest by the native tribe.

Locusts are a delicacy, and have protein. They are free food to one who collects them. Basically, they taste good.

Okonkwo loses his temper and strikes his wife.

Okonkwo kills his adopted son.

Okonkwo threatens his wife with a gun.

Okonkwo's gun explodes.

or

Okonkwo violates the Week of Peace.

Despite being warned not to do so, Okonkwo takes part in a ceremonial murder.

Okonkwo points a gun at one of his wives.

Okonkwo accidentally kills a clansman.

or

Okonkwo beats his wife

Okonkwo draws a gun on his wife.

Okonkwo murders a boy he has adopted.

Okonkwo's gun explodes accidentally and kills a boy.

He tells Okonkwo that he would have refused to take part based on the fact that Ikemefuna call him father.... and he reminds Okonkow that the Oracle did NOT ask him to take part.

Nneka is the first woman to join the Christians in Mbanta in Things Fall Apart.

Nneka had 4 previous childbirths, all of which were twins and thrown away immediately. During her 5th pregnancy, she runs away to join the Christians.

because you have been chewing the gum to long