Things Fall Apart — Chapter-by-Chapter Notes
Use this as you read - important points and questions for each section
🌾 Part I: The World of Umuofia (Chapters 1-13)
Chapters 1-4: The Character of Okonkwo
What Happens
- Okonkwo is introduced as a famous wrestler and wealthy farmer.
- We learn about his father, Unoka, who was poor, lazy, and “effeminate”—the anti-model for Okonkwo’s life.
- Umuofia receives a boy named Ikemefuna as a peace offering from another village. He lives in Okonkwo’s house.
- Okonkwo beats his wife during the Week of Peace, a grave religious offense.
Important Points
- The Fear of Failure: Everything Okonkwo does is driven by his fear of being like his father. This makes him hardworking but also cruel.
- The Social Ladder: In Umuofia, status is earned through “manly” achievements (war, wrestling, yams).
Questions to Consider
- Is Okonkwo’s anger a sign of strength or a sign of inner weakness?
- How does the village’s justice system handle Okonkwo’s violation of the Week of Peace?
Chapters 5-8: The Death of Ikemefuna
What Happens
- Ikemefuna becomes a brother to Okonkwo’s son, Nwoye, and a favorite of Okonkwo (who hides his affection).
- The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves decrees that Ikemefuna must be killed.
- Despite being told not to participate, Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna himself to avoid looking “weak.”
- Nwoye feels something “snap” inside him when he realizes Ikemefuna is dead.
Important Points
- The Betrayal: Okonkwo kills the boy who called him “Father.” This is the moral turning point of the book.
- Nwoye’s Alienation: Nwoye begins to question the “logic” of his culture’s traditions (like killing innocent boys or twins).
Questions to Consider
- Why did Okonkwo feel the need to strike the blow himself?
- Compare Obierika’s reaction to Ikemefuna’s death with Okonkwo’s.
Chapters 9-13: The Laws of the Land
What Happens
- We see the deep love Okonkwo has for his daughter, Ezinma, whom he wishes was a boy.
- A public trial is held involving the egwugwu (ancestral spirits), showing the sophisticated legal system of the village.
- During a funeral for the elder Ezeudu, Okonkwo’s gun accidentally explodes, killing the dead man’s son.
- Because it was an “accidental” (female) crime, Okonkwo is exiled for seven years. His house is burned as a religious cleansing.
Important Points
- The Accidental Fall: After many “manly” crimes (beating wives, killing boys), he is brought down by a “female” accident. There is deep irony here.
- The Solidarity of the Clan: The burning of the house isn’t malicious; it’s a necessary ritual to appease the gods.
Questions to Consider
- What does the egwugwu scene tell us about the status of women in Igbo society?
- Why must Okonkwo be punished even if the killing was an accident?
🕊️ Part II: The Exile in Mbanta (Chapters 14-19)
Chapters 14-16: The Arrival of the White Man
What Happens
- Okonkwo moves to his mother’s village, Mbanta. He is bitter and feels his chi (god) has failed him.
- News arrives of the village of Abame, which was wiped out by white men after the villagers killed a white scout on a “bicycle” (an “iron horse”).
- Missionaries arrive in Mbanta. They are led by Mr. Brown. They build a church in the “Evil Forest” and, to the surprise of the villagers, they do not die.
Important Points
- The Motherland: Uchendu (Okonkwo’s uncle) teaches him that while a father is for the good times, a mother is for the refuge of the bad times (“Mother is Supreme”).
- The Appeal of Christianity: The outcasts and the “questioners” (like Nwoye) are the first to join the church because it offers them a status the clan has denied them.
Questions to Consider
- Why does Nwoye find the hymns of the missionaries so beautiful?
- What was the mistake the people of Abame made?
Chapters 17-19: The Great Rift
What Happens
- Nwoye officially joins the Christians. Okonkwo nearly kills him in a rage; Nwoye leaves for good.
- The tensions between the converts and the traditionalists grow. A convert kills a sacred python.
- Okonkwo finishes his seven years and prepares to return to Umuofia, hoping to rebuild his status.
Important Points
- The Generational Divide: The “falling apart” starts within the family. Okonkwo loses his son to the new religion.
- The Python: The death of the python shows that the “old gods” are being challenged by people who no longer fear them.
Questions to Consider
- Is Nwoye’s conversion an act of betrayal or an act of self-preservation?
- How has Okonkwo’s character changed (or not changed) during his seven years of exile?
🔥 Part III: The Fall of Umuofia (Chapters 20-25)
Chapters 20-22: The Changed World
What Happens
- Okonkwo returns to find Umuofia unrecognizable. The white man has brought not just a church, but a court, a prison, and a trading post.
- Many respected men of the clan have joined the church for economic or social reasons.
- Mr. Brown is replaced by the rigid Reverend James Smith, who has no interest in understanding Igbo culture.
- A convert named Enoch unmasks an egwugwu, effectively killing the spirit. In response, the clan burns down the church.
Important Points
- Money and Power: The British didn’t just bring God; they brought “trade” and “law.” This is what truly binds the people to them.
- The End of Conversation: Mr. Brown tried to learn; Mr. Smith only wants to conquer.
Questions to Consider
- Why do the villagers say the white man is “clever” rather than just “strong”?
- What is the symbolic significance of unmasking an egwugwu?
Chapters 23-25: The Final Silence
What Happens
- The District Commissioner tricks the leaders of Umuofia (including Okonkwo) into a meeting and arrests them. They are beaten and humiliated in prison.
- After their release, a great meeting is held. A messenger from the DC arrives to stop the meeting.
- Okonkwo kills the messenger with his machete. The crowd does not follow him into battle; they let the other messengers escape.
- Realizing his world is dead, Okonkwo hangs himself.
- The District Commissioner finds his body and thinks it will make for an interesting “paragraph” in his book.
Important Points
- The Ultimate Sin: Suicide is an abomination in Igbo culture. Okonkwo dies a “worthless” death, cursed by his own people.
- The Paragraph: The final irony is that Okonkwo’s epic life is reduced to a tiny note in a colonial textbook about “civilizing” the “primitives.”
Questions to Consider
- Why didn’t the people follow Okonkwo after he killed the messenger?
- What does the final paragraph of the book tell us about the “history” of Africa?
📝 Your Notes
Write your reflections on Okonkwo’s tragic end and the “knife” that cut the clan apart here:
Chapter-by-Chapter Notes created: 2025-12-25
For Great Literature 101 - Book 8 of 10