About this Book
Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe's first novel, was published in
1958. Worldwide, there are 8 million copies in print in 50 different languages.
This stunning work, which John Updike calls "a great book, that bespeaks
a great, brave, kind human spirit," is often compared to the great Greek
tragedies. It concerns itself with the classic struggle between rigid traditionalism
and the winds of change. Specifically, it is about the effects of British
colonialism on a small Nigerian village at the turn of the century. A simple
story of a "strong man" whose life is dominated by fear and anger, it is
written with remarkable economy and subtle irony. Uniquely and richly African,
at the same time it reveals Achebe's keen awareness of the human qualities
common to men of all times and places.
It is the express purpose of this guide to aid your group in reading,
discussing, and more fully enjoying this illuminating work. It provides
you with new perspectives on the work and hopefully provides you with
new avenues for your conversations.
Questions for Discussion
- The Ibo religious structure consists of chi--the personal god--and
many other gods and goddesses. What advantages and disadvantages does
such a religion provide when compared with your own?
- The text includes many original African terms and there is a glossary
provided. Do you find that this lends atmospheric authenticity, thus
bringing you closer to the work? Do you find it helpful?
- There is an issue here of fate versus personal control over destiny.
For example, Okonkwo's father is sometimes held responsible for his
own actions, while at other times he is referred to as ill-fated and
a victim of evil fortune. Which do you think Okonkwo believes is true?
What do you think Achebe believes is true? What do you believe?
- The threads of the story are related in a circular fashion, as opposed
to a conventional linear time pattern. What effect does this impose
on the tale of Ikemefuma? What effect does it have on the story of Ezinma?
- The villagers believe--or pretend to believe--that the "Supreme Court"
of the nine egwugwu are ancestral spirits. In fact, they are
men of the village in disguise. What does this say about the nature
of justice in general, and in this village in particular?
- Our own news media pre-programs us to view the kind of culture clash
represented here as being purely racial in basis. Does Achebe's work
impress as being primarily concerned with black versus white tensions?
If not, what else is going on here?
- Certain aspects of the clan's religious practice, such as the mutilation
of a dead child to prevent its spirit from returning, might impress
us as being barbaric. Casting an honest eye on our own religious practices,
which ones might appear barbaric or bizarre to an outsider?
- In an essay titled "The Novelist as Teacher," Achebe states: "Here
then is an adequate revolution for me to espouse--to help my society
regain belief in itself and put away the complexes of the years of denigration
and self-abasement" (Hopes and Impediments, p. 44). In what ways
do you feel that this novel places Achebe closer to the fulfillment
of this noble aspiration?
- Nature plays an integral role in the mythic and real life of the Ibo
villagers, much more so than in our own society. Discuss ways in which
their perception of animals--such as the cat, the locust, and the python--differ
from your own, and how these different beliefs shape our behavior.
- The sacrifice of Ikemefuma could be seen as being a parallel to the
crucifixion of Jesus. The event also raises a series of questions. Ikemefuma
and the villagers that are left behind are told that he is "going home"
(p. 58). Does this euphemism for dying contain truth for them? Do they
believe they are doing him a favor? Why do they wait three years, him
and Okonkwo's family to think of him as a member of the family? Finally,
Okonkwo, "the father," allows the sacrifice to occur as God presumably
allowed Christ's sacrifice, with no resistance. How can one accept this
behavior and maintain love for the father or God?
- Of Ezinma, Okonkwo thinks: "She should have been a boy" (p. 64). Why
is it necessary to the story that Okonkwo's most favored child be a
girl?
- Of one of the goddesses, it is said: "It was not the same Chielo who
sat with her in the market...Chielo was not a woman that night" (p.
106). What do you make of this culture where people can be both themselves
and also assume other personas? Can you think of any parallels in your
own world?
- There are many proverbs related during the course of the narrative.
Recalling specific ones, what function do you perceive these proverbs
as fulfilling in the life of the Ibo? What do you surmise Achebe's purpose
to be in the inclusion of them here?
- While the traditional figure of Okonkwo can in no doubt be seen as
the central figure in the tale, Achebe chooses to relate his story in
the third person rather than the first person narrative style. What
benefits does he reap by adopting this approach?
- Okonkwo rejects his father's way and is, in turn, rejected by Nwoye.
Do you feel this pattern evolves inevitably through the nature of the
father/son relationship? Or is there something more being here than
mere generational conflict?
- The lives of Ikemefuma and Okonkwo can be deemed parallel to the extent
that they both have fathers whose behavior is judged unacceptable. What
do you think the contributing factors are to the divergent paths their
fate takes them on as a result of their respective fathers' shadows?
- The title of the novel is derived from the William Butler Yeats poem
titled The Second Coming, concerned with the second coming of
Christ. The completed line reads: "Things fall apart; the centre cannot
hold." What layers of meaning are discernible when this completed line
is applied to the story?
- The District Commissioner is going to title his work The Pacification
of the Primitive Tribes of the Niger (p. 209). What do you interpret
from this to be his perception of Okonkwo and the people of Umuofia?
And what do you imagine this augurs in the ensuing volumes in Achebe's
trilogy of Nigerian life?
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