Things Fall Apart Essay & Notes

1.) There are several topics in the additional notes that I did not discuss in my notes. One idea is that the whole novel “deals with how the prospect and reality of change affect various characters.” Some people, for example Okonkwo, didn’t react well to the idea of change. All throughout the novel, Okonkwo struggled to keep traditional Igbo culture alive, and only at the very end, when he realized that his people had lost those traditions, did he give up on them, and commit suicide. Nwoye, however, reacted well to the reality of change. In the additional notes, it discusses how, when Nwoye first heard a Christian hymn, it relieved Nwoye’s “parched soul”. In my notes I did not include this specific quote from the book, but I did discuss how hearing the new missionaries talk caused a change in Nwoye, and eventually led him to convert to Christianity. One topic that I discussed in my notes that I did not see in the additional notes was how the theme of change fits so perfectly into the title of this book. “Things Fall Apart.” When something this dramatic is said, it is due to the fact that major changes have taken place, changes that the person who said “things have fallen apart” obviously didn’t think were good. It was Obierika who was the first one to say that “things have fallen apart”, and he said this because the arrival of the white missionaries and the changes in the clan had separated the clansmen and their “brothers” who had begun converting to Christianity, not allowing Umuofia to function as a whole anymore.

2.) The additional notes did help me to understand some things. For example, one section discusses how the arrival of the white colonists and the introduction of their religion weakened the kinship bonds so central to Igbo culture. It helped me realize that another big deal of converting to Christianity was the partial rejection of these kinship bonds, because Christianity was about realizing that all people were brothers and sons of God. This was a big change from the Igbo religion in which ancestral worship played an important role. This was helpful in making me understand, because I was aware that some kind of difference like that existed between the two very different cultures, but I never fully grasped that concept, and never fully understood it until it was explained in the additional notes.

3.) There were some ways in which my notes were different from the additional ones. I think that the additional ones were much more detailed than mine, although I did try to make mine as detailed as possible as well, and I did put a lot of thought into my notes. My notes had more specific examples from the book (specific quotes) of how the theme of change ties into Things Fall Apart, while the additional notes summarized the big ideas of change in the novel, as well as giving specific details. However, I think that both the additional notes and my notes covered each major turning point in the story, or any change in the plot that drove the story forward.

4.) I think that I probably could have improved my note taking. If I had had more time on my hands, I should have read the book twice. It’s hard to pick up on certain aspects of a book while at the same time trying to make sense of the plot when you’re reading it for the first time. I feel like I was only able to skim the surface of the huge theme of change because I only read Things Fall Apart once, and not really go into much depth. If I had read it a second time, I might have been able to discover more details than the ones I picked up by just reading it once.

5.) 1. After a daughter of Umuofia was killed in Mbaino, Umuofia was given a young man and a virgin. The virgin was given to Ogbuefi Udo, and the boy was given to Okonkwo. “And that was how he came to look after the doomed lad who was sacrificed to the village of Umuofia by their neighbors to avoid bloodshed. The ill-fated lad was called Ikemefuna.” (8). This is a major change in the story, because Okonkwo and his family’s whole lives were changed. Okonkwo’s wives and children came to love Ikemefuna, and Ikemefuna’s maturity made him sort of like a role model to Nwoye. Okonkwo was happy about this because his son finally seemed to be interested in “manly” things, which he knew was due to Ikemefuna. This also caused Okonkwo to actually love Ikemefuna, which was very rare, for Okonkwo thought that compassion and gentleness were womanly weaknesses. (Of course, Okonkwo never openly displayed his affection for Ikemefuna.)

2. “Yes, Umuofia had decided to kill him.” (49). This refers to the clan’s decision to kill Ikemefuna after him living in Umuofia for three years. His death brought changes to both Okonkwo and Nwoye. Okonkwo had come to love Ikemefuna, and after Okonkwo killed him, he couldn’t stop thinking about him. Also, killing a boy who had become a brother to Nwoye caused something to snap inside him, and led him to begin questioning and doubting his clan’s traditions. What had Ikemefuna done to deserve to die?

3. “All was silent. In the center of the crowd a boy lay in a pool of blood.” (105). This boy was the son of Ezeudu, and “Okonkwo’s gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy’s heart.” This incident was actually pretty ironic, because the young boy was killed at the funeral of his father, who had been the one who told Okonkwo not to take part in Ikemefuna’s death. Now, Okonkwo was also responsible for the death of Ezeudu’s son. This incident causes a big change, because Okonkwo and his family were forced to flee Umuofia, and go to Okonkwo’s motherland.

4. “The arrival of the missionaries had causes a considerable stir in the village of Mbanta.” (119-120). After hearing about the men of Abame being killed by white men, the people of Mbanta knew that white men would soon come to Mbanta. White men did come, and brought a lot of change. They spoke of a new religion, in which there was one God, and that all men are sons of God. Many men of Mbanta thought it was ridiculous, but one “callow mind was greatly puzzled”, and that mind was Nwoye. The hymn that he had heard the men singing seemed to answer one of the questions about his Igbo culture that “haunted his young soul.” (122). This, and the doubts about his culture that had set him apart from the rest of his clan, eventually led him to convert to Christianity. Nwoye’s converting was a change not only in his life, but in his family’s, too. Okonkwo was ashamed of Nwoye, and didn’t acknowledge him as his son anymore. Also, his wives and children had to act as though he was not a part of the family, too, and so it was almost as if they’d lost him.

5. Finally, Okonkwo’s seven years of exile were over, and he could return to Umuofia. “Umuofia had indeed changed during the seven years Okonkwo had been in exile. The church had come and led many astray. Not only the low-born and the outcast but sometimes a worthy man joined it.” (142). These changes show how much power the church had gained. And, the fact that ‘worthy’ people were now converting to Christianity possibly means that it might have influenced more people to convert. “But apart from the church, the white men had also brought a government.” (142). Now, the white men were forcing their laws and judicial system onto the Umuofians. It was no longer acceptable for twins to be thrown into the evil forest and left to die; people who tried to do so, along with other men who had molested the Christians, or any other “men who had offended against the white man’s law” (143) were locked up and guarded by court messengers. A District Commissioner judged other cases in a new court built in Umuofia. However, the reason that all of these things were such big changes is the fact that now people were being locked up for what they had always believed.

6. “The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act as one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together, and we have fallen apart.” (144-145). This is an important quote that supports the theme of change. Here, Obierika said that divisions in the tribe over religion had weakened the ties of their kinship, and they were no longer able to act as a whole. The profound changes that led to these divisions made him
believe that things had fallen apart.

7. “The clan had undergone such profound change during his exile that it was barely recognizable.” (150). These changes in Umuofia also caused changes in Okonkwo. Because “the new religion and government and the trading stores were very much in the people’s eyes and minds”, Okonkwo grieved for his clan, feeling like things had changed forever, that the men had become “soft like women” and wouldn’t fight against the changes, and felt as if things were “breaking up and falling apart”.

8. “Mr. Brown’s successor was the Reverend James Smith, and he was a different kind of man.” (151). Mr. Brown was a kind white missionary who didn’t force the converts to completely reject their old beliefs. When Mr. Brown had to leave and was succeeded by Mr. Smith, things changed a lot in the church. Mr. Smith saw things as “black and white”, and didn’t want the converts to hold onto any of their old beliefs. Unlike Mr. Brown, he didn’t care as much about the number of converts he received, but wanted his converts to really understand Christianity, and reject their old ways to truly embrace Christianity.

9. “One of the greatest crimes a man could commit was to unmask an egwugwu in public, or to say or do anything which might reduce its immortal prestige in the eyes of the uninitiated. And this was what Enoch did.” (153). Enoch was an “over-zealous” convert who killed an ancestral spirit, which threw Umuofia “into confusion”, and caused some changes. The Umuofians were extremely sad and angry, and finally, to Okonkwo’s pleasure, wanted to fight back for the first time. So, in reaction to this event, the egwugwu confronted Mr. Smith at the church, and then burnt it down. Of course, this was a violation of the white men’s law, and the men were locked up, only allowed to be released when a fine was paid. Once they were released, the Umuofians realized that they had to make a decision how to act: either finally fight the white men, or not fight the white men. This decision would be a turning point in their entire lives and change everything.

10. “In a flash, Okonkwo drew his machete. The messenger crouched to avoid the bow. It was useless. Okonkwo’s machete descended twice and the man’s head lay beside his uniformed body.” (168). While the Umuofians were meeting to discuss what actions they should take, court messengers arrived telling them that they had been ordered to stop the meeting. Okonkwo killed the head messenger, but knew that things had change permanently in Umuofia, because the other men let the messengers get away. Because Okonkwo saw that they had not chosen to fight with him, he gave up on his people and himself. He walked away, and then committed suicide.

6.) One movie I have seen that has the theme of change is “Roots”. In the movie, the main character, Kunta Kinte, is living in a small African village, when, as a young man, his life changes forever when he is captured and shipped to America and sold into slavery. Kunta Kinte probably believed that he would live in his village for his whole life, but, like my theme says: the only thing certain in the world is change. So, Kunta’s world changed forever when he was separated from his family, and sold into slavery. The way that this theme is introduced in “Roots” is similar to how it was introduced in Things Fall Apart. At first, both Kunta and Okonkwo’s lives are pretty normal, and their villages stick to their traditions. But, in both stories, their lives are soon changed forever. However, in Things Fall Apart, change was introduced more slowly than it was into “Roots”. In Things Fall Apart, change starts with rumors of white men, then kind white missionaries entering their society. In “Roots”, Kunta’s life is suddenly changed almost out of nowhere. He is captured by misfortune, and changes in his life begin immediately, whereas in Things Fall Apart, change is more gradual.

C.) I absolutely agree with this theme, and it connects perfectly with my personal ideas and philosophies about life. I believe that this theme applies to everything in the universe and is the universal theme of life. Think about it: anything that has ever happened was a change. You can find examples either on a small scale or a large scale. On a small scale it would be changes that have happened in my lifetime, or even this generation. People dying, disasters, wars, etc., have been changes and in turn caused more changes. On a bigger scale, it would be changes that have happened millions of years ago, for example when humans evolved from who knows what type of species. Change is why people have expanded to all corners of the world, and why we have the technology and knowledge that we do today. It applies to the changing of seasons, the earth revolving around the sun—changes are everything and everywhere!


7.) Summary and Thinking Response

Summary: Okonkwo, the main character of Things Fall Apart, is a man who holds true to all of his beliefs up until the very end of his life, even though it is not the same for all of the others around him. As changes happen that cause his fellow people to let go of their culture, he sticks to his belief that confrontation will solve their problems and get rid of the white men’s influence. When Okonkwo first heard of the white men in Obierika’s story about how Abame was wiped out, he voiced his opinion and said that the men were fools for not arming themselves with guns and machetes after the Oracle had warned them that danger was ahead, “even when they went to the market.” (pg. 117). Then, after he returned to Umuofia, he and Obierika were discussing Abame again, and Okonkwo said “we must fight these men and drive them from the land”, to which Obierika replied “it is already too late.” (pg. 144). Later, after Enoch killed one of the egwugwu, Okonkwo was very happy when his clan had decided to finally confront the white men from the church, and then burn it down. Then, after he and the other men were imprisoned and later released, all the men of Umuofia were called to meet. Before the meeting started, Okonkwo talked with Obierika about a man named Egonwanne, whom he criticized because he thought that he would try to speak against war. (Okonkwo called him a coward.) Okonkwo believed that war was necessary, and said “I shall fight alone if I choose.” (pg. 166). Then, when the messengers arrived to order them to end their meeting, Okonkwo was filled with such hatred that he killed the head messenger.

Thinking: I believe that the quote from the prompt is true. From all of the instances I discussed in the Summary section of this response, Okonkwo acts on his belief that confrontation and fighting will solve his problems. He criticizes those who think otherwise, believing that not wanting to fight is a “womanly” weakness, a weakness of cowards. This is part of his tragic flaw. Okonkwo’s fear of failing and fear of appearing weak lead him to believe that confrontation and fighting are the only ways to handle situations. What he doesn’t realize is that still he is “tragically helpless before the modern power and persuasion of the missionaries”. No matter how hard he believes in it, it isn’t enough. In the end, Okonkwo fails to make other people believe the same, which he notices after he kills the lead messenger and the Umuofian men let the other messengers get away. After realizing this, he gives up on his people, and commits suicide, knowing that his clan’s traditions and cultures are gone forever. I think that reacting in a violent way is not a very smart thing to do. In his situation, Okonkwo could have reasoned and tried to have been just as clever and persuasive as the missionaries. I think that by doing that he could have been more successful. He thought that not fighting was foolish, but I believe that fighting in their situation would actually have been foolish. If Umuofia had gone to war, which was what Okonkwo wanted, then they would have been outnumbered, and not even have been a match for the much more advanced and powerful Europeans. So therefore I do believe that this quote is true. Okonkwo represents a culture that is struggling to not fade away and struggling to keep its traditions, but his beliefs cause him to be tragically helpless in front of the European powers that brought so much change to Umuofia.