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Things Fall Apart SUMMARY
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These notes cover all the important parts of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe with detailed summaries on characters and each chapter.
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THINGS FALL APARTCHINUA ACHEBA
Things fall apart was set 100 years ago in Nigeria in a region called Ibo, during the
colonial state. During the time Europe was colonising small countries. The book
focuses on the life of one character and his experiences through this time.
The title of the book is an illusion
The title of the book comes from a line in the poem “The Second Coming” by the
famous English poet, William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
Modernity vs. Tradition
Europe vs. Africa
Things fall apart aims to possess or show the richness and complexity of the
traditional culture in Africa, Nigeria.
CHARACTERS
Okonkwo
- Lives in Umuofia
- Good wrestler
- Most successful + well-known
- 18 years old
- Slippery fish in water (someone whom it is very difficult to catch, or from whom it is very difficult to
get the information that you want)
- Tall and huge
- Bushy eyebrows
- Wide nose
- Severe look (serious in appearance or manner)
- Violent, aggressive
- Has a temper (not necessarily cruel)
- Very persevering
- Temperamental
- Speaks roughly
Unoka
- Okonkwos father
- Died ten years ago
- Lazy and improvident
- “Incapable of thinking about tomorrow”
- Drunked
, - Tall but very thin
- Loves to play the flute (musical and perhaps creative)
- A failure – poor
Ogbuefi Ezeudu
- Leader
- Elderly
- Mister / lord
Nwoye
- Okonkwos son
- 12 years old
- Incipient laziness
- Depression
- Converts to Christanity
- Loves stories and poetry
- Similar to his grandfather, Unoka
- Gentle
- Resembles/Symbolises Unoka
Ikemefuna
- Tall
- Strongly built
- Middle-aged
- Okonkwo’s ‘adopted’ son
- Depression
- Highly admired by Okonkwo and becomes a real son to him
- Killed by Okonkwo
Ekwefi
- Ran away from her husband to come live with Okonkwo
- In her 40s
- Suffered a lot in her time
Enzinma
- About ten years old
- Very liked by Okonkwo, his favourite as he wishes she was a MAN
- Kind and helpful
- Only child, confident
Chielo
- Widow
- Priestess of Umuofia
, - Cares for Ezinma
Obrieka
- Realist
- Okonkwo’s best friend
Mr Brown
- Well respected by the clan
- Amicable
- Gracious
Reverend James Smith
- Dogmatic
- Antagonistic
SYMBOLS
Yam
Wealth and success
Manliness and masculinity
THEMES
Exploring humanity
Contrasting ideas/philosophy
Understand relationships
1. Tradition VS Modernity
African traditional life
English changes bring (culture, life, religion)
2. Language & Culture
Chinua A’s message about novel, reflect?
Why English? Not igbo?
Conveys richness of Language
- Proverbs
- Folktales
Complexity of culture
Language Barrier – misunderstanding and culture clash
3. Gender Identity
MASCULINITY
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