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Characters · 10
Ekwefi
Ekwefi is Okonkwo's second wife and the mother of Ezinma in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
character
Ezinma
Ezinma is the only surviving child of Okonkwo and Ekwefi in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, and her character sheds light on themes of gender, identity, and the disruption of colonialism in Igbo society.
character
Ikemefuna
Ikemefuna is a boy from Mbaino who is sent to Umuofia as compensation for the murder of a clansman's wife.
character
Mr. Brown
Mr. Brown is the first Christian missionary to make a notable impact in Umuofia, arriving just before the novel's main conflict escalates.
character
Nwoye
Nwoye is Okonkwo's eldest son in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, and his journey reflects a quiet yet profound rebellion against his father's harsh vision of masculinity.
character
Obierika
Obierika is Okonkwo's closest friend and serves as the novel's key voice of thoughtful reflection.
character
Okonkwo
Okonkwo is the tragic hero of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
character
Reverend James Smith
Reverend James Smith is the rigid, uncompromising Christian missionary who takes over from the more tolerant Mr. Brown as head of the Umuofia church.
character
The District Commissioner
The District Commissioner symbolizes British colonial authority in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
character
Unoka
Unoka is Okonkwo's late father, serving as a cautionary figure who looms over the novel rather than taking an active role.
character
Symbols · 6
Fire
In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, fire represents Okonkwo's intense masculinity and the dangerous impact of unchecked ambition.
Palm-Wine
In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, palm-wine represents the energy, community ties, and cultural identity of Igbo society.
The Drums
In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the drums symbolize the heartbeat of Igbo community identity, tradition, and social structure.
The Egwugwu Masks
In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the egwugwu masks embody the sacred authority, shared identity, and ancestral strength of Igbo culture.
The Locusts
In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, locusts represent the onset of European colonialism and the tempting yet destructive forces that ultimately lead to the collapse of Igbo society.
Yams
In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, yams serve as a strong symbol of masculinity, status, and the traditional Igbo social structure.
Literary devices · 10
Allegory
The arc of Okonkwo's life serves as a powerful reflection of Igbo civilization's struggle during colonialism.
Narrative Poem
Achebe uses a third-person omniscient narrator who seamlessly shifts between Okonkwo's thoughts and the collective voice of Umuofia.
Motif
Fire and flame are recurring motifs that reflect Okonkwo's character and its inherent dangers.
Irony
Achebe uses both dramatic and structural irony throughout the novel.
Simile
Achebe's similes are rooted in the natural and agricultural world of Umuofia, anchoring the novel in its environment while adding depth through comparison.
Symbolism
The yam serves as the novel's most significant symbol.
Juxtaposition
Achebe structures the novel by continually contrasting Igbo and colonial worldviews, refusing to portray either as simply right or wrong.
Personification
Achebe gives the chi — a person's individual spirit or personal god — a lively personality, making it an active force with its own desires.
Extended Metaphor
The clan is compared to a living organism—one that can be healthy, sick, or even die—throughout all three parts of the story.
Allusion
The title of the novel references W. B. Yeats's poem 'The Second Coming,' particularly the line 'Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.'
Vocabulary · 25
stammer
A speech difficulty in which a person involuntarily repeats or gets stuck on sounds or words, making it hard to speak smoothly.
noun · Chapter 1
capricious
Unpredictable and likely to change suddenly without reason; here describing gods whose favor or anger cannot be anticipated or relied upon.
adjective · Chapter 4
machete
A broad, heavy knife used as a tool for cutting through vegetation or, in this novel, as a weapon.
noun · Chapter 7
ogene
A metal gong used in Igbo communities as a signaling instrument, beaten by the town crier to summon villagers to a meeting.
noun · Chapter 2
obi
The main living quarters or reception hut of the head of an Igbo household, where he sleeps and receives guests.
noun · Chapter 11
Oracle
A sacred source of divine prophecy or commands, consulted for guidance on important decisions; in this novel it is the spirit Agbala, whose pronouncements the community treats as absolute law.
noun · Chapter 3
egwugwu
Masked figures who represent the ancestral spirits of the clan and serve as the highest court of justice in Umuofia, settling disputes with binding authority.
noun · Chapter 10
ogbanje
In Igbo belief, a child who is part of a cycle of spirits that repeatedly die young and are reborn to the same mother, causing her repeated grief.
noun · Chapter 9
cowries
Small shells that were used as currency in West Africa; in this novel they represent wealth and are given as gifts or used in trade.
noun · Chapter 15
uri
A betrothal feast in Igbo custom that formally seals the agreement between two families when a marriage is arranged.
noun · Chapter 12
osu
A person dedicated to a deity as a kind of living sacrifice, regarded as an outcast by Igbo society and forbidden from mixing with free-born people.
noun · Chapter 18
bride-price
Goods, money, or livestock paid by a groom's family to the bride's family as part of the formal marriage agreement in Igbo custom.
noun · Chapter 8
ilo
The open communal ground at the center of the village where public gatherings, wrestling matches, and ceremonies take place.
noun · Chapter 6
Week of Peace
A sacred period before the planting season during which the earth goddess Ani forbids all violence or quarreling in the community.
noun · Chapter 4
increase
The yield or produce that the earth brings forth; here used in the sense of crops and harvests granted by the earth goddess.
noun · Chapter 4
garbs
Clothing or costume worn for a specific purpose; here the war dress put on by men to carry out a ritual punishment.
noun · Chapter 13
clansman
A man who belongs to the same clan or community as another, bound by shared ancestry, customs, and mutual obligations.
noun · Chapter 13
fatherland
The land of one's father and patrilineal ancestors, which in Igbo custom is the place where a man truly belongs and holds social standing.
noun · Chapter 14
motherland
The land of one's mother and her relatives, which in Igbo custom serves as a place of refuge and comfort when a man is in trouble or exile.
noun · Chapter 14
unaccountably
In a way that cannot be explained or understood; here expressing Okonkwo's bewilderment that warriors he once respected have inexplicably lost their fighting spirit.
adverb · Chapter 13
pacification
The colonial process of using force or pressure to make a people stop resisting foreign rule and accept it as normal; used here as the District Commissioner's self-serving term for conquest.
noun · Chapter 25
abomination
An act so deeply offensive to the gods or the moral order of the community that it is treated as a serious religious and social violation requiring special ritual response.
noun · Chapter 25
infancy
The earliest period of a child's life, from birth up to about two or three years of age.
noun · Chapter 9
visibly
In a way that can clearly be seen by others; here meaning the medicine man's surprise showed plainly on his face and in his manner.
adverb · Chapter 9
dominated
Controlled or had the most powerful influence over something; here meaning that fear was the single greatest force shaping every decision Okonkwo made.
verb · Chapter 2