Things Fall Apart

It means that Things Fall Apart.

This implies first, that there are things, and then states that they fall apart.

In terms of it's relation to the content of the book, it highlights many things, the reasons they fall apart, and how they fall apart, in many intricate details.

Replace Unoka a nd Okonkwo in place of the Ear and mosquito. you'll notice that the Ear (Okonkwo) is offended just by the sight of Mosquito (Unoka) and didn't want anything to do with him. Ear also called mosquito weak by saying he would die within the week having accomplished nothing. In the end, Mosquito survives and lingers around Ear reminding him that he is still alive. Now you may be wondering, how can Unoka still linger around when he is dead? Well that is what Nwoye is for. He has feminine quality so faint (like a buzz of a mosquito) but strong enough for only Okonkwo to notice. This story shows the relationship between Okonkwo, Unoka, and Nwyoe in only 4 sentences *Don't use this as an answer if you are using this for homework and by any crazy random happenstance you have Mrs. Fritz as your English teacher*

Things Fall Apart was originally published in London.

Hes afraid of women (his actually gay)

Okonkwo believes that direct action is needed to get rid of the Christians. He believes they should be removed from Mbanta by force if necessary. The other tribesman are content to let their gods fight their own battles, and believe they are doing so when the clansmember who killed (or bragged of killing) a sacred python suddenly dies of illness.

Abuse, humble, and others

Okonkwo was respected because he embodied the ideals of manliness among the Igbo. He was strong, and a fierce fighter who had killed other warriors. He threw Amalinze the Cat during a wrestling match. He was a hard worker and farmer, and was financially successful. He had three wives and many children, along with a fairly large compound. He had taken several titles.

His father Unoka was a lazy debtor, a poor farmer, a coward in war, and an agbala, a man who has taken no titles. Children make fun of him for being an agbala. He is a huge debtor because of his drinking debts, and will never pay back the money. He can barely afford to support his family, and yet when he borrows money he almost immediately spends it on wine. Instead of working hard to succeed, he wastes his time playing the flute. People from the village looked down upon him, and Okonkwo felt ashamed by proxy.

Okonkwo tries to rise from this inferiority complex by becoming everything his father is not.

Finally, at the end of his days, Unoka is afflicted with swelling of the limbs and is carried to the Evil Forest to die instead of being given a burial.

The mood is at first uneasy from last chapter's exposition of the growing white man's power, but then moves into a reminiscent flashback of how the power of the church grew in Umuofia. The church seems like a good thing bringing development and progress, but it's growth hampers Okonkwo's plans in his own culture. It is a mixed-mood chapter, with gladness at overall progress but frustration being hampered individually.

The one-handed egwgwu danced a few steps to the funeral drums, while holding his basket full of water in his hand. He then went to see the corpse of Ezeudu, and made a speech. The egwgwu notes that Ezeudu's life had been a good one, and asks him to come again the way he did before, and to avenge his death if it was caused by a man.

They believe the white man has a spiritual power through their gods, that prevents the other gods from killing them.

Achebe seems to question whether some of the traditions really make sense. For example, there is the tradition in one area that they are not able to climb trees to tap for palm wine, but must tap small trees, more than likely killing them.

Other examples include the killing of twins and the forced exile of Okonkwo even though the death of Ekeudu's son was an accident.

The book does not say this explicitly until Nwoye joins the Christians, when Okonkwo calls him an abomination. However, Okonkwo often wishes that Nwoye was stronger, saying that at his age, he should already have impregnated a wife and taken a farm. Okonkwo also wishes that Nwoye were as strong a wrestler as Obierika's child, Okafo.

The 2 villages are never almost at war. Umuofia's sending of a emissary in order to deal with the killing of a Umuofian clanswoman in the marketplace of Mbaino helps settle the issue, as Mbaino acknowledges that they were at fault, agreeing to compensate Umuofia.

It is not a single quote, but a combination of ideas that give this feeling of mentorship. Not only is Uchendu Okonkwo's uncle, but he is a successful man in his own right. He is older, wiser, and has had more wives than Okonkwo. Moreover, he has the power to call together his sons, daughters and Okonkwo. He has the first right to speak during this meeting. He challenges anyone to say that they know more than he does, but they do not. He asks Okonkwo a question, but Okonkwo does not know the answer, at which point he calls Okonkwo still "a child." Uchendu eventually answers his own questions, and ends the conversation unilaterally.

Nwoye's main character trait is his gentleness which is like his grandfather Unoka. This causes him to have difficulty dealing with his father. He enjoys his mother's stories more than his father's stories. His gentleness causes him to eventually convert to Christianity.

They also brought schools, and a system of courts, police, bribery and jails.

After Okonkwo's gun accidentally explodes, killing Ekeudu's son at Ekeudu's funeral, he is exiled from the village for seven years. His land and property are destroyed, with the exception of yams saved from his farm, and the property that Okonkwo and his family take with them.

Macbeth decides to do the wrong thing to gain power, murdering the king.

Okonkwo is trying to do the right things to gain respect, but ends up doing some morally ambiguous things, such as killing his adopted son Ikemefuna, and killing the messenger for the Europeans.

Uchendu calls Okonkwo in for a meeting with him, and uses his authority to subtlely shame Okonkwo for his behaviour. Firstly, he explains the meaning of the motherland, and makes it seem as if going back to the Motherland is not a punishment as much as it is a respite from the evils that plague man. He tells Okonkwo that other men have had greater suffering and that his is not as bad as he makes it out to be. Further, he tells Okonkwo that he must survive to go home so that he does not trap his family in the mother land. He plays on Okonkwo's manly pride to ensure that Okonkwo will behave properly and with spirit.

The Igbo believe and have faith in many gods. They had one primary god, but would not deign to ask the main god for anything directly, instead choosing to rely on god's helpers, other gods and spirits.