View source for Things Fall Apart (Achebe)

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{{Summary
| Title = Things Fall Apart
| Subtitle = 
| Original Title = 
| Author = Chinua Achebe
| Literary form = novel
| Year of publication = 1958
| Microsummary = A powerful Nigerian warrior faced seven years of exile. When he returned, missionaries had converted many villagers, including his son. After failing to resist colonial rule, he died by suicide.
| Emoji = 🌍
}}

{{Start of text}}

== Short Summary ==

Nigeria, late 19th century. In the Igbo village of Umuofia, a powerful warrior and farmer rose to prominence through his strength and determination.

{{Character
| Name = Okonkwo
| Description = powerful warrior and leader in his 30s-40s, wealthy farmer with three wives, physically imposing and tall, famous wrestler, quick to anger, driven by fear of weakness
| Emoji = 👨🏿
}}

After accidentally killing a clansman, Okonkwo was exiled for seven years. During his exile, Christian missionaries arrived in the region and began converting villagers, including his eldest son.

{{Character
| Name = Nwoye
| Description = okonkwo's eldest son, gentle boy around 12-14 years old, thoughtful and sensitive, later converts to Christianity, disappointing his father
| Emoji = 👦🏿
}}

When Okonkwo returned from exile, he found his village transformed by colonial influence. The missionaries had built a church and a government court, while many villagers, including some respected elders, had converted to Christianity. As one elder observed:

{{Quote|
The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion... Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.
}}

Tensions escalated when converts desecrated traditional customs. After the destruction of a local shrine, Okonkwo led a group of villagers to burn down the Christian church. The colonial authorities arrested the leaders and humiliated them in prison. Upon their release, Okonkwo killed a court messenger during a village meeting. Realizing his people would not fight against the colonizers, he hanged himself - an act considered an abomination in his culture. The District Commissioner, planning to write about the incident, decided to dedicate only a paragraph to Okonkwo's story in his book about pacifying primitive tribes.

== Detailed Summary ==

''Summary sections do not match original text structure.''

=== Rise of Okonkwo in Umuofia ===

In the Igbo village of Umuofia, Okonkwo rose to a position of high status despite his father's shameful legacy. As a young man, he gained fame by defeating Amalinze the Cat in a wrestling match. Through hard work and determination, he became a wealthy farmer with three wives and several children, earning respect in his clan.

Okonkwo's success was driven by his intense desire to be different from his father, Unoka, who died in debt and was considered lazy and improvident. This determination shaped Okonkwo's character, making him harsh and quick to anger, especially toward any sign of weakness.

{{Character
| Name = Unoka
| Description = okonkwo's late father, lazy and improvident man who died in debt, skilled flute player, gentle nature contrasting with his son
| Emoji = 👨🏿‍🦳
}}

{{Quote|
Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness... It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods.
}}

=== The Tragedy of Ikemefuna ===

The clan entrusted Okonkwo with the care of Ikemefuna, a boy given to Umuofia as compensation for a murder. The boy lived with Okonkwo's family for three years, becoming like a son to him and a brother to Nwoye, Okonkwo's eldest son. Ikemefuna brought positive changes to Nwoye, who began showing more masculine traits that pleased his father.

{{Character
| Name = Ikemefuna
| Description = boy of 15 given to Umuofia as peace settlement, lives with Okonkwo's family for three years, becomes like a son before meeting tragic end
| Emoji = 👦🏿
}}

However, the Oracle decreed that Ikemefuna must die. Despite being warned by an elder to take no part in the boy's death, Okonkwo participated in the killing to avoid appearing weak. When Ikemefuna ran to him for protection, calling him 'father,' Okonkwo struck him down with his machete. This act deeply affected Nwoye, who began to question his father and the clan's ways.

=== Exile and Cultural Change ===

During a funeral ceremony, Okonkwo's gun accidentally exploded, killing a young man. As this was a female crime against the earth goddess, he was forced to flee Umuofia with his family for seven years. They found refuge in Mbanta, his mother's homeland, where his uncle Uchendu welcomed them.

{{Quote|
The clan was like a lizard; if it lost its tail it soon grew another... Okonkwo knew these things. He knew that he had lost his place among the nine masked spirits who administered justice in the clan.
}}

During Okonkwo's exile, Christian missionaries arrived in Umuofia and began converting people to their faith. Among the converts was Nwoye, who found in Christianity answers to his questions about the clan's harsh practices. When Okonkwo discovered his son's conversion, he disowned him. Meanwhile, his daughter Ezinma grew into a beautiful young woman, and Okonkwo wished she had been born a boy instead.

{{Character
| Name = Ezinma
| Description = okonkwo's favorite daughter, around 10 years old, intelligent and perceptive, called Crystal of Beauty, considered an ogbanje (changeling)
| Emoji = 👧🏿
}}

=== The Missionaries' Impact ===

The first missionary, Mr. Brown, took a patient and understanding approach to converting the Igbo people. He built a school and a small hospital, gradually gaining converts through education and healthcare. He engaged in discussions with clan elders about religious beliefs and avoided direct confrontation with traditional practices.

{{Character
| Name = Mr. Brown
| Description = white missionary, middle-aged, patient and understanding, respects local customs while spreading Christianity
| Emoji = 👨🏻
}}

When Mr. Brown fell ill and left, he was replaced by Reverend James Smith, who took a more aggressive approach. The new missionary was strict and uncompromising, condemning the clan's traditions and encouraging his converts to provoke the clan. Under his leadership, tensions between Christians and traditionalists increased significantly.

{{Character
| Name = Reverend James Smith
| Description = white missionary who replaces Mr. Brown, strict and uncompromising, sees things in black and white, intolerant of local customs
| Emoji = 👨🏻
}}

=== Return and Resistance ===

After seven years, Okonkwo returned to Umuofia to find his clan dramatically changed. The white men had established a government and a court, and many of his clansmen had converted to Christianity. His friend Obierika explained how the white men had gradually established their power, using their religion to divide the clan and their government to rule it.

{{Character
| Name = Obierika
| Description = okonkwo's close friend, middle-aged man, thoughtful and wise, questions clan's customs while respecting traditions
| Emoji = 🧔🏿
}}

{{Quote|
Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered. As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings. Okonkwo had clearly washed his hands and so he ate with kings and elders.
}}

Tensions reached a breaking point when a Christian convert unmasked an egwugwu (ancestral spirit) during a ceremony. In response, the egwugwu destroyed the Christian church. The District Commissioner then tricked Umuofia's leaders, including Okonkwo, into a meeting where they were arrested and humiliated in prison.

{{Character
| Name = District Commissioner
| Description = british colonial administrator, middle-aged white man, represents imperial power, condescending attitude toward native customs
| Emoji = 👨🏻
}}

=== The Fall of Okonkwo and His Culture ===

After their release, Okonkwo and the other leaders called a meeting of the clan. During the gathering, court messengers arrived to stop the meeting. In a final act of resistance, Okonkwo killed their leader with his machete. When he saw that his clansmen were not going to fight, he realized that they had been broken. Unable to live in a world where his clan had lost its will to fight, Okonkwo hanged himself.

{{Quote|
That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now he will be buried like a dog... He could not say any more. His voice trembled and choked his words.
}}

The District Commissioner arrived to find Okonkwo's body and was informed that, according to custom, strangers must cut him down and bury him, as suicide was an abomination to the earth goddess. The Commissioner, more interested in the incident as material for his book about Africa than in understanding the tragedy, planned to give Okonkwo's story a brief paragraph in his book about pacifying primitive tribes.

{{End of text}}