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Find a comprehensive overview, analysis, and quizzes for Chinua Achebe's classic novel Things Fall Apart. Learn about the Igbo culture, colonialism, and Okonkwo's life in pre-colonial Nigeria.
- Full Book Summary
Things Fall Apart Full Book Summary. Okonkwo is a wealthy...
- Chapters 20 & 21
A summary of Chapters 20 & 21 in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall...
- Nwoye
A detailed description and in-depth analysis of Nwoye in...
- Full Book Analysis
Full Book Analysis. The narrative structure of Things Fall...
- Themes
A summary of Themes in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart....
- Character List
Things Fall Apart characters include: Okonkwo, Nwoye,...
- Ezinma
A detailed description and in-depth analysis of Ezinma in...
- Pride
Quotes related to Pride within Things Fall Apart. Search all...
- Setting
Things Fall Apart takes place sometime in the final decade...
- Okonkwo
A detailed description and in-depth analysis of Okonkwo in...
- Full Book Summary
Learn about the Igbo culture, customs, and values through Okonkwo, a wealthy and respected warrior of Umuofia clan. See how Okonkwo contrasts with his father, Unoka, and how he faces challenges and conflicts in his community.
- Chapters 1–3
- Chapters 4–6
- Chapters 7 & 8
- Chapters 9–11
- Chapters 12 & 13
- Chapters 14–16
- Chapters 17–19
- Chapters 20 & 21
- Chapters 22 & 23
- Chapters 24 & 25
Okonkwo, a respected warrior of the Umuofia clan, travels to the village of Mbaino to deliver the message that they must hand over a virgin and a young man as retribution for the murder of an Umuofia tribesman’s wife. Mbaino agrees, and the elders of Umuofia give the virgin to Ogbuefi Udo as his wife and give the young boy, Ikemefuna, to Okonkwo fo...
During the Week of Peace, Okonkwo beats his youngest wife, Ojiugo, and after breaking the Peace of Ani, is forced to sacrifice animals and pay a fine. Before the harvest, the village holds the Feast of the New Yam, which Okonkwo does not care for as it is a period of idleness. Okonkwo, with nothing to do, comes up with an excuse to beat his second ...
The relationship between Ikemefuna and Nwoye, Okonkwo’s son, begins to grow, much to Okonkwo’s pleasure, but after locusts descend upon the village, the Oracle decrees Ikemefuna’s death, with Okonkwo instructed not to take part in the killing. However, Okonkwo does kill him as a show of strength after Ikemefuna is attacked by another man. Okonkwo, ...
Ezinma falls ill, worrying Okonkwo and Ekwefi, whose nine other children died in infancy, reaffirming Ekwefi’s fear that they are being tormented by an ogbanje. Later, the village holds a ceremonial gathering to administer justice, where they listen to village disputes. Ekwefi imparts a story to Ezinma about a greedy, cunning tortoise, but when Chi...
Okonkwo continues to worry about Ezinma throughout Obierika’s daughter’s betrothal ceremony. During Ezeudu’s funeral, Okonkwo’s gun accidentally goes off, killing Ezeudu’s sixteen-year-old son. As punishment, Okonkwo and his family must go into exile for seven years, have their house burned down, and have their animals killed. Read a full Summary &...
Okonkwo and his family relocate to Mbanta with the help of Okonkwo’s uncle Uchendu, who addresses Okonkwo’s disappointment with wise advice. During the second year of Okonkwo’s exile, Obierika brings Okonkwo money that he has made selling Okonkwo’s yams, and tells them about Abame, a village that was destroyed by white men. Obierika returns to Mban...
The missionaries succeed in building a church in the Evil Forest and garnering converts, much to the elders’ surprise as they believed that the spirts of the forest would kill them off. Mr. Kiaga, the translator for the missionaries, persuades the converts not to reject their new faith. When one Christian dies after boasting of killing a sacred roy...
Okonkwo returns to Umuofia hoping to rebuild his compound and marry off his daughters, but he is disillusioned when he realizes that Umuofia has changed drastically due to the church’s influence upon the villagers. Mr. Brown, the white missionary, holds a discussion about religion with Akunna, and while they do not agree with one another, they reli...
After Mr. Brown is replaced with the strict Reverend James Smith, the converts become even more zealous, in particular Enoch who commits a crime by attempting to unmask an egwugwu during the annual ceremony to honor the earth deity. The egwugwu defy Smith’s orders by burning down the church, and are thus called upon by the District Commissioner, wh...
Okonkwo returns to the village after being released, adamant about the best course of action he should take. He carries this action out when he kills a messenger during a meeting with the nine villages. Eventually, after the District Commissioner is told by Obierika that Okonkwo is not home, Obierika leads the Commissioner to Okonkwo’s whereabouts,...
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LitCharts offers a comprehensive guide to Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart, covering plot summary, analysis, themes, quotes, characters, and symbols. Learn about the historical and literary context, the postcolonial perspective, and the author's biography.
