Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

With these first eight Chapters the Ibo author Chinua Achebe plunges us until the world of the village around 1900. He's leading up to big changes, but for the moment it's worthwhile to immerse ourselves in the sights, sounds and culture of this world.

As you read, pay attention to why folks make decisions: this is a crucial element in any study of culture or literature. We'll find that Okonkwo and his family are immersed in a religious world in which the Oracle and the Earth are nearly all-powerful.

Note WHY the earth is sacred: it is the site of fertility in the fields, source of the yams that keep the village alive. Like much else in this novel (Honor for instance), this is a concept that ancient Greeks and probably other agricultural people would have no trouble understanding.

Just as important are local Ibo traditions of Honor and Manhood. Achebe portrays Okonkwo as driven by notions of manhood, what a man would do, what a woman would do, and so on. honor is at work in the characterization and personal interrelationships. Achebe's people have particular attitudes toward:

Okonkwo is a disturbed person. Whether it is appropriate to use FReudian language in describing him is a question I cannot answer but what IS interesting is that he may not fully comprehend the forces that are driving him.

Finally, it is worth noticing that the work is held together by a lattice-work of proverbs. Proverbs are neat things: in the Bible or here, they are timeless, involving not particular reference to historical events and communicating the notion that the truths they convey are good for eternity.

Kwame Anthony Appiah, who comes from neighboring Ghana, remarks on the dust jacket that this novel has "universal significance." Do you share this opinion?

Achebe, chapters 9-end

One obvious way to follow this story is through the eyes of the protagonist, Okonkwo. It is his world that is gradually "falling apart."

Chapter 9

Ezinma’s illness, and the story of Ekwefi’s children.

Notice the continued importance of names, many of which are symbolic (68)


Chapter Ten

Here the men of the village become its deities. You ought to be able to describe the sort of social order that the egwugwu maintain. Here is a line from an online description of Nigeria:
When the British ruled Nigeria, for example, they were setting up a system of tribal chiefs through the different regions of the country when they found that most of the Ibo areas had no chiefs. Undaunted, the British appointed their own chiefs - and found that most of the Ibo people ignored them or resisted them. http://www.megastories.com/nigeria/map/ibo.htm
 
  Does this village need a chief?

Note that the egwugwu peform important social functions.

Can you explain the bride price mentioned on 80?

Note the role of laughter in this novel. When do people laugh? What is the experience of the person being laughed at?

 Chapter Eleven
Here the priestess takes Ezinma. Does Achebe tell us why this happens? What is the result of the seizure?
Chapter Twelve
Okonkwo’s anxiety is portrayed here. What leads him to feel anxious?

Note also the references to "manhood" and "behaving like men": is the notion of manhood a positive force?

Chapter Thirteen
We move from the engagement to a funeral. Note how Achebe brings social information into the story incidentally: here (108) as on page 5 and elsewhere we hear about titles and by the end of the book have a good sense of their significance.

Here as in chapter 9 we hear of reincarnation (109).

Now, all of a sudden, we get the event that leads to Okonkwo’s departure from Umuofia. Does it tell us anything about Okonkwo’s understanding of modern tools?

The earth goddess, remarkably like the Greek goddess Ge or Gaia, is offended. Her land is polluted by a bad act and must be purified.

And here, Obierika begins to reflect on the "justice" of his culture. Is this "justice" just? Will the English bring anything better?

Chapter Fourteen
In exile, Okonkwo meets his relative Uchendo who wins him over with stories about the importance of the "mother." (116). Why is motherhood important in this culture?
Chapter Fifteen
Cowries appear again in this chapter. What are they?

The British appear. What features of their reign does this brief narrative reveal?

Chapter Sixteen
Does Christianity appear more or less "rational" than traditional Ibo religion in this chapter? Nwoye is very impressed with this new faith. (Compare the thoughts of Obierika in 13)
Chapter Seventeen
The death of the royal Python. What is its significance for the village?
Chapter Eighteen
Toward the end of this book we see the soft underbelly of Ibo society: outcastes and slaves.
Chapter Nineteen
Here Okwonko deliberates (149) about his children’s marriage. Who would benefit from this event? Is Okonkwo happy out of personal greed , or does he see another positive outcome?
Chapter Twenty
The British of course bring a government as well as a religion (150). This is typical of the "national religion" of imperial powers. The word "kotma" on 150 is a shortening in Ibo of Court Messenger. And of course native religion is disparaged
Chapters Twenty-One and Twenty-Two
Religion, government and business ­ the trading store is the third element in the British trinity. Have we learned positive features of African traditional religion that make it superior to the British view of it?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Is the "court of law" of the British superior to the court we saw in Chapter Ten?
Chapter Twenty-Four and Twenty-Five
You should be able to discuss the motivation of Okonkwo’s important and disastrous last acts.
Topics worth focusing on as you study:
Proverbs and their importance

Decision-making: what are the motives for important decisions by major characters?