Things Fall Apart

Novel | Chinua Achebe

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Things Fall Apart Key Info

Key Facts Full Title: Things Fall Apart Author: Chinua Achebe Time Setting: 1957 Publication Date: 1958 Genre: Novel / Social and Cultural Tragedy Setting: Igbo villages of pre-colonial Nigeria during the 1890s Climax: Okonkwo kills a British court messenger in rebellion Antagonists: Christian missionaries and British colonial officials, especially Reverend James Smith and the Di...

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Things Fall Apart Summary

Okonkwo is a wealthy and respected warrior of the Umuofia clan, a lower Nigerian tribe that is part of a consortium of nine connected villages. He is haunted by the actions of Unoka, his cowardly and spendthrift father, who died in disrepute, leaving many village debts unsettled. In response, Okonkwo became a clansman, warrior, farmer, and family provider extraordinaire. He has a twelve-year-old s...

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Things Fall Apart Character

Characters Okonkwo: The central character of the novel. He is a proud, ambitious, and hardworking man of Umuofia. He fears weakness and failure like his father and becomes a tragic hero destroyed by change. Unoka: Okonkwo’s father. He is a lazy but gentle musician who loves music and wine. He dies in debt and disgrace, leaving Okonkwo determined never to be like him. Nwoye: Okonkwo’s eldest son....

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Things Fall Apart Theme

Themes Culture and Change: The novel shows how traditional Igbo culture collapses under the pressure of colonial rule and Christianity. The white missionaries destroy the clan’s unity, replacing its customs, beliefs, and justice with foreign control. Fate versus Free Will: Achebe explores the tension between destiny and human choice. Though Igbo belief holds that a man’s chi shapes his fate...

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Things Fall Apart Quotations

Quotes “Okonkwo had clearly washed his hands and so he ate with the kings and elders.” “Okonkwo was ruled by one passion—to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved.” “He was not afraid of war. He was ... a man of war.” “That boy calls you father. ... Bear no hand in his death.” “It was like beginning life anew without the vigor and enthusiasm of youth.” “Never kill a man w...

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