Analysis of Things Fall Apart

"Things Fall Apart" is a story which takes place in Africa. The story primarily focuses around the journey of one man as he goes from childhood to adulthood and his striving for personal perfection throughout his life. The story follows his rise to success and his eventual downfall.

The main character of the story is a man named Okonkwo. The story begins with Okonkwo reflecting on his father and the dislike he holds for him. Okonkwo's father Unoka was a lazy man who was forever indebted to his neighbors. Unoka was known to borrow money from his neighbors as opposed to seeking work. Even as a boy Okonkwo thought of his father as a failure. In his youth he was often teased by the other children from the village. The other children called his father agbala, meaning a man without title or specifically in this case meaning a woman. This is when Okonkwo became focused on his own status as a man. He became fixated on that image and looked down upon any man that did not strive to be manly and to obtain a title of his own.

In Igbo society a man was measure by his own worth and not that of his fathers. As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings (Christ et al. 2627). The Igbo, being a male lead society, saw anything strong as that of man and anything that was weak and frail to be considered womanly. Throughout Unoka's life he was constantly avoiding work and his duties as the leader of his family. Unoka was never happy when it came to wars (Christ et al. 2625). He had no love for talk of battle and blood. Unoka would change the subject whenever the topic came into conversation. Most men of the Igbo were either warriors, hunters, or other manly jobs, but most had a hand in farming. Unoka was none of these things; he had some talent as a musician playing the flute. When he had any coin to his name he would buy palm wine and have party with the other members of the village in hopes that the wine would wipe away the memory of his debt to them. When Okonkwo's father died he had no title in the tribe or wealth to leave behind. As a man of the Igbo to have no title was equal to failure. This enforced the importance of status on Okonkwo and this became the dominant drive in his life.

Often a man's wealth was described by the number of yam barns he own. In Umuofia yams were the primary source of food and income. The yam was an important food and so it was considered manly. The work involved with growing yams was hard and required continuous attention. The men were responsible for the growing and harvesting of the yams as it was too important of a job to leave to the women. A man's success could be measure by the amount of yams he produced.

The Igbo people had many superstitions and beliefs. When the moon did not shine the people stayed indoors believing that the creatures in the forest were more evil at that time. A snake was never called by its name at night, because it would hear. It was called string (Christ et al. 2627). "Is that me?" was the method in which people answered when their names were called. They never answered yes for fear it might be an evil spirit calling (Christ et al. 2641). The Igbo would pray to their gods and their ancestors for prosperity. Ceremonies were held in which the elders would dress as spirits and ancestors in order to decide a dispute or celebrate a special event. The way in which a person died would decide in where they were buried. If the body was thought to be disease it would be tossed into the evil forest, for fear that it was an abomination to bury the diseased and result in displeasing the ground.

Okonkwo did not have fear for the gods or spirits, but he did respect them. When Okonkwo first went into battle with another village he was very young, but he returned with a human head. As a young man Okonkwo showed the experience of an expert warrior and leader. Okonkwo's name was known through the nine villages. His name spread through the land from his feats as a wrestler. He was the first to throw the man known as Cat. He was called Cat because his back never touched the ground. Okonkwo rose from poverty and misfortune to be one of the lords of the clan (Christ et al. 2634). Okonkwo had become a successful man; having three wives who had all born him children and owning two yam barns. He was looked upon as a man's man, a leader of leaders.

Okonkwo was a strict leader when it came to his family. He would quickly beat his wives if they displeased him. He was also very demanding with his children, barking orders at his daughters if they failed to sit like a woman with their legs stretched out. Okonkwo was even harsher when it came to his sons. He feared that he saw the laziness of his own father within them. His oldest son Nwoye portrayed the traits of Okonkwo's father, the lack of interest in hard labor and faming. Nwoye would not voice his complaints for fear that he would be beaten by his father. Nwoye's youth was plagued with unhappiness due to his constant fear of displeasing his father.

Okonkwo was placed in charge of a young man by the name of Ikemefuna from the village Mbaino. Ikemefuna was given to the Umuofia to avoid a war due to a killing of one their own tribe members. Ikemefuna along with a young woman were exchanged as in replacement for the death. As time went on Okonkwo began to think of him as a son and his son Nwoye began to gain good traits from him. Ikemefuna grew to think of Okonkwo as his father and the thought of his own family slowly faded. After three years the elders finally decided that the boy was to be killed. Okonkwo had grown to love the boy as his own, but could not argue with the clan elders as it would be perceived as a weakness. Okonkwo was told by the elder Ezeudu, that because of his attachment to the boy he should not participate in the killing. All the men walked into the forest with the boy and the events played out to where the boy ran and Okonkwo himself landed the killing blow. Upon returning Okonkwo did not eat or sleep for several days and was unable to get the sadness out of his mind. It is at this point that Okonkwo's fortune began to take a different direction.

Okonkwo's daughter Ezinma was the only one that was able speak to him during this time. Ezinma was dear to his heart and he often thought that she would have made a good son because of her strong spirit. Ezinma was her mother's only surviving child, her mother Ekwefi had had several births all leading to death. Ezinma was able to tell what her father was thinking. Ezinma was the one who had gotten Okonkwo to eat again after Ikemefuna's death. Ezinma became deathly ill with the disease known as iba or malaria. Her mother was almost driven mad by this, her only child after all her other children's deaths was about to die as well. Okonkwo was also fearful and