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Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart is the novel by Chinua Achebe. The novel, the protagonist Okonkwo, and the various plot lines are discussed in this category.
1,374 Questions
What was Okonkwo's response to killing Ikemefuna?
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.
What was the difference between the tragic heroes in 'Macbeth' and 'Things Fall Apart'?
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.
What kind of action happened in chapter 5 of things fall apart?
Many actions happen in Chapter 5 of Things Fall Apart.
- Approaching of the Feast
- Giving thanks to Ani
- Playing a part in people's lives
- Judging of morality and conduct
- Communion with departed fathers of the clan
- Feast of the New Yam
- Eating of yams
- Looking forward to the New Yam festival
- Disposal of old yams
- Beginning of new year with tasty fresh yams
- Washing of pots, calabashes, wooden bowls, wooden mortar
- Pounding of yam in mortar.
- Cooking of Yam foo-foo and vegetable soup
- Eating of yam foo-foo and vegetable soup
- Inviting of friends and relatives from neighbouring villages
- Telling of a story of a wealthy man
- Setting of large mound of foo-foo
- Sitting on one side of a mound of foo-foo
- Arriving of in-law to a meal
- Exchange of greetings
- Shaking of hands
- Inviting of large number of guest from far and wide
- Okonkwo asking his wives' relations to a feast
- Making a fairly big crowd
- Other people besides Okonkwo becoming enthusiastic over the feast
- Drinking of gourds of palm-wine
- Getting uncomfortable while sitting and waiting
- Scrubbing of walls of huts with red earth
- Drawing of patterns on the huts in white, yellow, and dark green
- Painting of selves with cam wood
- Drawing black patterns on stomachs and backs
- Decoration of children
- Shaving of children's hair in beautiful patterns
- Talking excitedly about relations who had been invited
- Reveling in thoughts of being spoiled
- Observing of New Yam Festival by Ikemefuna in Umuofia
- Mbaino becoming remote and vague in Ikemefuna's imagination
- Burst of storm (metaphorically)
- Okonkwo walking around
- Okonkwo finding an outlet for his suppressed anger
- Asking of "Who killed this banana tree?"
- Hush falling on the compound
- Cutting of leaves from banana tree
- Ekwefi answering Okonkwo
- Okonkwo giving Ekwefi a sound beating
- Ekwefi weeping
- Ezinma weeping
- Other wives pleading with Okonkwo
- Okonkwo satisfied
- Okonkwo deciding to go hunting
- Okonkwo calling Ikemefuna to get his gun
- Ekwefi murmuring about guns that neve shot
- Okonkwo hearing Ekwefi
- Okonkwo running into his room
- Okonkwo running out of his room
- Okonkwo aiming gun aat Ekwefi
- Ekwefi clambering over dwarf wall of barn
- Okonkwo shooting the gun
- Children and wives wailing
- Okonkwo throwing down the gun
- Okonkwo jumping into barn
- Ekwefi lying in barn
- Okonkwo heaving a heavy sigh
- Okonkwo going away with the gun
- Celebration of New Yam Festival
- Offering of new yam and palm-oil to ancestors
- Asking ancestors for protection
- Day wearing on
- In-laws arriving
- Bringing of pots of palm-wine
- Eating and drinking till night
- In-laws leaving for their homes
- Giving of pleasure to Ekwefi
FLASHBACK
- Winning of Ekwefi's heart
- Okonkwo throwing Amalinze the cat
- Ekwefi running away from her husband
- Loving of wrestling contests
- Sitting near the fireplace
- Killing of fowl
- Water boiling
- Lifting pot from fire
- Pouring boiling water
- Putting pot on pad
- Looking at Palms
- Surprising of Ezinma, by the lifting of the pot with bare hands.
- Ezinma referring to her mother Ekwefi by name
- Ezinma asking if fire does not burn people who are grown up
- Ekwefi replying "Yes" to her daughter
- Nwoye's mother dropping pot of hot soup
- Ekwefi turning hen in mortar
- Ekwefi plucking feathers
- Ezinma plucking feathers
- Ezinma's eye twitching
- Ezinma working out that her mother means a wrestling match
- Ekwefi pulling on the horny beak
- Ekwefi turning on a stool
- Putting a beak in a fire
- Ekwefi pulling the horny beak off
- Nwoye's mother calling Ekwefi
- Ekwefi answering Nwoye's mother "Is that me?"
- Nwoye's mother asking for fire from Ezinma.
- Ekwefi putting coals into broken pot
- Ezinma carrying pot to Nwoye's mother
- Nwoye's mother thanking Ezinma for the coals
- Ezinma offering to make a fire for Nwoye's mother
- Nwoye's mother thanking Ezinma again calling her "Ezigbo," or "the good one."
- Ezinma going outside
- Ezinma bringing sticks
- Ezinma breaking sticks with her foot
- Ezinma building a fire
- Ezinma blowing the fire
- Nwoye's mother telling Ezinma to use a fan
- Getting of the fan
- Nannygoat eating yam peelings
- Nannygoat stealing yam
- Nwoye's mother swearing at nannygoat
- Ezinma peeling yams
- Ezinma fanning fire
- Nwoye's mother thanking Ezinma again
- Ezinma returning to Ekwefi's hut
- Beating of drums
- Clearing of Okonkwo's throat
- Okonkwo moving his beat to the drums
- Okonkwo filling with fire, desire to conquer and subdue
- Okonkwo trembling
- Okonkwo bringing out yams for afternoon
- Nwoye's mother cooking
- Ezinma running to barn
- Ezinma bringing back 2 yams
- Ekwefi peeling yams
- Ekwefi cutting yams
- Ekwefi preparing a pottage using chicken
- Hearing of Obiageli weeping
- Obiageli weeping
- Ikemefuna coming with pot
- Nwoye coming with pot
- Nwoye's two younger brothers following Nwoye
- Obiageli following rest of them
- Obiageli's mother asking what happened
- Obiageli saying she broke her pot
- Obiageli's mother consoling her
- Obiageli's mother telling Obiageli she will be bought another pot
- Ikemefuna staring at the two younger brothers
- Obiageli making inyanga
- Obiageli balancing pot on head
- Obiageli folding arms across her chest
- Obiageli swaying waist like a grown-up lady
- Pot falling down
- Obiageli laughing
- Drums throbbing
- Ekwefi ladling pottage into a bowl
- Covering of pottage
- Ezinma presenting food to Okonkwo
- Okonkwo sitting on goatskin
- Okonkwo eating first wife's meal
- Obiageli bringing food to Okonkwo
- Obiageli sitting on floor
- Ezinma placing dish to Okonkwo
- Ezinma sitting with Obiageli
- Okonkwo shouting at Okonkwo
- Ezinma asking Okonkwo about wrestling
- Okonkwo answering, asking Ezinma if she will see wrestling
- Obiageli telling her father not to speak while eating
- Okonkwo acknowledging Obiageli
- Okonkwo praising Obiageli while verbally attacking Ezinma
- Okonkwo eating Ekwefi's meal
- Obiageli taking dish
- Obiageli returning to her mother's hut
- Nkechi coming in
- Nkechi bringing in third dish
- Drums continuing to beat.
What message did ogbuefi bring to okonkwo?
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.
In the book Things Fall Apart do they believe and have faith in god?
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.
What is the nationality of court messengers in things fall apart?
The messengers near the end of the book try to stop the village from having it's meeting, since it seems like the meeting will lead to an uprising.
Okonkwo kills one of them when he persists in trying to stop the meeting.
How did Chielo carry Ezinma to Agbala?
Chielo takes Ezinma to see Agbala. She goes around the 9 villages, into the cave of the shrine of the Oracle of Hills and Caves, and then back to Ezinma's bed to sleep.
Why was Okonkwo punished by Ezeani the priest of the earth goddess?
Okonkwo was exiled because during the funeral, him and other important people fired a gun shot into the air and a piece of iron from his gun flew off, and peiced the sons of the person who died heart. It was an accident so he wasnt killed but was sent away from the tribe for 7 years.
The clan ostracizes the Christians. They prohibit converts from clan activities and public spaces, such as the marketplace.
In the book Things Fall Apart what did Chielo want with Ezinma?
Chielo wanted to take Ezinma to be seen by Agbala.
In honesty, Chielo may have just been lonely, as she was a widow who only had 2 children of her own, not a great family. She had taken a particular fondness with Ezinma, calling her 'my daughter'.
What unprecedented action does okika propose in things fall apart?
Okoli kills one of the sacred pythons of the village.
What has caused obierika to make the visit to okonkwo at this particular time?
Obierika is friends with Okonwko.
Obierika came to give Okonkwo the news and funds from selling his yams.
Further Obierika gave Okonwko and the rest of the village news about how the village of Abame was slaughtered by white men.
Why is Ezinma able to convince Obiageli her half-sister to marry in Umofia?
Ezinma wielded great influence over her half-sister Obiageli. Ezinma was older than Obiageli.
Why does okonkwo sit in a ''silent half-sleep''?
Okonkwo sits in a silent-half sleep because there is no work to be done. He is not a social person, and in exile he feels unhappy as he cannot progress his plans. He can only wait for the exile to be over.
He appears to be suffering from long-term depression.
What does okonko do when messengers from the british interrupts a meeting?
In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo kills one of the messengers, but the villagers let the others escape.
What was the purpose of the ceremony described in chapter 10 in things fall apart?
This is the tribal court. Its purpose is to resolve conflicts and cases brought to the court.
What is Ekwefi and Ezinma's relationship like?
Ezinma was an ogbanje child and Ekwefi is her mother. Since an ogbanje child is on whom dies but comes back to cause the mother pain, this shows that this was what Ezinma was supposed to do. Ezinma is the only child Ekwefi had and this was why. Because she is the only child, Ezinma and Ekwefi are very close.
What did Chinua Achebe try to show in Things Fall Apart?
Chinua Achebe hoped to show the culture of the people in Nigeria, as well as the impact of European influence to the indigenous tribes.
Achebe wished to show that the culture of Nigeria was deep and meaningful and parallels with European culture; it should not be simply dismissed as a backwards African culture, but seen as one rich with stories and teachings.
What is the narrator's point of view in things fall apart?
The point of view makes it seem like a neutral narrator is explaining the conflicts between the cultures without being emotionally involved.
Why does Agbala want to see Eznima?
This is not explicitly mentioned, but Chielo and Ezinma do go around all 9 villages of the Igbo and then back to Chielo's cave.
Why did Ikemefuna end up living with Okonkwo and his family?
The village elders told Okonkwo to take care of Ikemefuna until his fate was decided.
When Ikemefuna is sentenced to die, Okonkwo is afraid of being seen as weak. When Ikemefuna cries to him, Okonkwo takes care of Ikemefuna, (kills him).
Why did Nwoye decide to leave his family in Things Fall Apart?
This could be for multiple reasons, depending on the situation.
- Okonkwo is wrestling for the village.
- Okonkwo is fighting in war for the village
- Okonkwo is at a village meeting.
- Okonkwo is away on business for the village.
- Okonkwo is visiting his friend Obierika.
- Okonkwo is going to see the oracle.
- Okonkwo is watching the wrestling matches.
- Okonkwo is at a wedding.
- Okonkwo is gathering herbs to help cure Ezinma.
- Okonkwo is at the egwugwu court.
- Okonkwo is checking to see if Chielo has returned to her cave with Ezinma.
- Okonkwo must help sacrifice Ikemefuna.
- Okonkwo is at Ekeudu's funeral.
- Okonkwo has been exiled.
- Okonkwo is meeting the Christians.
- Okonkwo is helping burn down Enoch's compound.
- Okonkwo is helping burn down the church.
- Okonkwo is at court.
- Okonkwo has been jailed.
- Okonkwo is at the village meeting.
What was the significance in the amount of wine the family brought in Things Fall Apart?
It is in tribute to the bride. The amount of wine given represents several things including the desirability of the bride as well as the respect given to the family.
Who is the first missionary who comes to Umuofia in Things Fall Apart?
Mr. Brown is the first missionary who comes to Umuofia to build his church. He is later replaced by Reverend James Smith.
Another answer could be Nwoye or Isaac, who comes back to Umuofia after Mr. Brown.
