Achebe's "Things Fall Apart"

Discussion:

Why did Okonkwo wish that Ezinma was a boy instead of a girl: I think this illustrates an important aspect of the Igbo culture. Men and women did not have an equal status and therefor could not accomplish themselves in the same way. Men could gain titles and a good reputation. Okonkwo and Ezinima have a very good relationship. Okonkwo feels like she is the only one who truly undersatnds him. He also say at several occasions that she is smart. He thinks that if she were a boy she could have accomplished great things.


Okonkwo's death signifies the end of the tribe, its inability to resist to the new arrivers. The fact that Achebe does not go into explaining what happens to Okonkwo's family after his death clearly illustrates this. Okonkwo was very representative of his tribe and when he died, it died with him. Moreover, the fact that the commissionaire decided that Okonkwo's life would be an interesting story and would probably just be worthy of a single paragraph in his book, illustrates the mentality with which the white men came to invade Africa. The saw each clan, with their elaborate and complex culture and beliefs, as small paragraphs in their overall mission. I think Achebe is highlighting how unconsiderate they were and how little they tried to understand what they were actually destroying.



Main Characters:

• Okonkwo: hates his father because he was a lazy and unmanly person, and does everything to be the opposite. As  result he is very masculine, driven by success and the image he has amongst the clan. He has a violent streak. He s also very proud and values strength and power
• Unoka is Okonkwo's father
• Naoye is Okonkwo's eldest son, the son of his first wife
• Ikenefuna is Okonkwo's adopted son
• Ekwefi is Okonkwo's second and probably favorite wife. He has three wives. She was married before him but she always loved Okonkwo. She married someone else because Okonkwo didn't have enough money, but she ended up running back to him.
• Ezinma is Okonkwo's daughter, the daughter of Ekwefi. She is very precious to her mother because she had a lot of trouble having children and always gave birth to still borns or babies who didnt survive the first couple months. 
• Nwakibie is an elder who gives Okonkwo his first seed yams to start his life.
• Obierka is Okonkwo's best friend and his polar opposite.
• Ezeudu is an elder who tell Okonkwo not to partiipate in Ikemefuna's death
• Uchendu is Okonkwo's uncle that lives in his mother land. He halps him and gives him advice when Okonkwo is exiled to his mother land.
• Mr. Brown is a british missionary who builds a church in Umofia. He is described as harmless.
• Reverand Mr. Smith is also a British missionary, he continues what Mr. Brown started except he is much harsher in his ways.

Achebe tells his story in three parts:

1. Umofia: Things are in place, with Okonkwo as a representative of his culture
2. Mbanta: Things are out of place, Okonkwo is in exile for seven years, he has to rebuild his life and he starts hearing about the missionaries
3. Umofia: Okonkwo is back in his hometown and he has to start his life yet again... But the missionaries are here and the clan has been divided into those that still believe in their own gods and those that chose to follow the christian missionaries. Things fall apart....