Things Fall Apart

Quotations
Edit log
 11/29/2024 – Moses, completed up to page 13, half of 14
 12/29/2024 – Moses, completed up to end of page 19
 01/12/2024 – Johnny S-S, Moses, completed up to page 32.
Completed all needed for Trials (did not trawl through whole text)

Current page in book: - ignore until after

trials
32
IMPORTANT – MUST READ FIRST – ignore
until after trials
Hello all!
If you would like to make any changes to this document, please follow
these instructions, otherwise it may compromise the structure.
For each character/theme,
1. Go through the book from the beginning
2. Literally trawl through the entire text and include anything
analysable.
3. Please don’t add anything of low value, e.g. “Unoka (…) was
lazy”. This is a statement that can be embedded in your essay to
provide short evidence, but is very limited because of the direct
and literal nature, and can hardly be analysed
4. This is the format – “quote” – any notes or analysis
5. Make sure your analysis for each quote is relevant to the
character/theme
6. On quotes about relationships between characters, there will be
overlaps. It’s fine if there are duplicates, but make sure they are
relevant. If duplicated, please write this at the end; (duplicated
quote: character, paragraph name). This is just for ease in
preparation for an essay so we can discuss alternate readings of
a quote or for use with another character.
7. I haven’t added paragraph points for all the characters, but please
add them – it would be helpful
 8. Once we have finished all the quotes, we can decide which ones
are worth remembering
If you have any further concerns or questions, please message me through
teams or comment to highlight anything specific.
Thanks very much, and I hope this is helpful.

Yours truly,
Moses

Contents
Edit log........................................................................................................ 1
Current page in book: - ignore until after trials..........................................1
IMPORTANT – MUST READ FIRST – ignore until after trials...........................1
Top 10 “flexi” quotations in Things Fall Apart – stolen from DAG................3
OKONKWO – A DELUSIONAL CONSERVATIVE................................................5
Strength and Power.................................................................................. 5
Aggression and Violence..........................................................................6
Wealth, Fame and Respect.......................................................................6
Insecurity and Fear................................................................................... 6
Industrious and Hard-Working..................................................................7
NWOYE – THE CHANGE OF CULTURE............................................................7
Relationship with Okonkwo......................................................................7
Views on Christianity................................................................................ 7
Relationship with Ikemefuna....................................................................8
Sensitivity, Art, and Imagination..............................................................8
EZINMA – DEFIANCE OF TRADITION.............................................................9
Cursed, Ogbanje....................................................................................... 9
Bold and Strong........................................................................................ 9
Relationship with Okonkwo......................................................................9
Relationship with Ekwefi.........................................................................10
EKWEFI – RESILIENT, DEFIANT AND DETERMINED MOTHER.......................10
Strength, independence, and defiance (especially to gender norms of
culture)................................................................................................... 10
Faith and resilience................................................................................ 10
Relationship with Ezinma.......................................................................10
UNOKA – A FAILURE WITHIN SOCIETY........................................................10
Failure..................................................................................................... 10
 Artistic and joyful................................................................................... 11
Influence on Okonkwo’s life....................................................................11
IKEMEFUNA – A VICTIM OF TRADITIONAL CULTURE....................................11
Strong and Influential............................................................................. 11
Relationship with Nwoye........................................................................12
Relationship with Okonkwo....................................................................12
Effect of his Death.................................................................................. 12
OBIERIKA – A MAN OF REASON AND RATIONALE.......................................12
Man of Reason, unlike Okonkwo.............................................................12
Accepting new culture, progressivist......................................................12
CHIELO – predator/kidnapper idk ay caramba...........................................13
UCHENDU – WISE ELDER...........................................................................13
Wisdom.................................................................................................. 13
Seniority/Responsibility..........................................................................13
Suffering/Difficulty.................................................................................. 13
Relationship with Okonkwo....................................................................14
MR BROWN................................................................................................ 14
REVEREND SMITH...................................................................................... 14
COLONIALISM............................................................................................ 14
FAMILY / COMMUNITY................................................................................. 14
MASCULINITY............................................................................................. 14
TRADITION AND RELIGION.........................................................................14
POWER AND HONOUR............................................................................... 14
FATE AND TRAGEDY................................................................................... 15

(HIGHLIGHTED GREEN = For DMich24 Trial

Eng Lit)
(“Highlighted blue” =
essential/recommended)
(“Highlighted red” = best)
Top 10 “flexi” quotations in Things Fall
Apart – stolen from DAG
1. Living fire begets cold impotent ash
a. Useful for: Okonkwo, Nwoye, Unoka, any question that
bring up relations, the idea connections.
b. Thematics: unintended consequences, the limits of
agency, fathers and sons, fire/life has a limited time
span – it becomes ash (Okonkwo’s “spread like a bush
fire”
2. The world has no end and what is good among one
people is an abomination with others (Uchendu when
Okonkwo is in exile, after the tale of Abame)
a. Useful for: cultural relativism; any Christian character,
Okonkwo, conclusion - can you use this quotation as a
metal one, a guide for how Achebe wants us to read
Things fall apart
b. Thematics: cultural relativism; Uchendu’s open-minded,
philosophical nature maybe an expression of a strand of
Igbo culture.
3. A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi
(Chi=personal god)
a. Useful: Okonkwo, but probably all characters
b. Thematic: fate, the tragic mode of TFA, where the novel
becomes dramatic/tragic, limitation, agency
4. He saw things as black and white and black was evil
(Rev Smith)
a. Useful: Christian characters, Okonkwo who see the world
in binaries (male/female), simplicity, the way not to read
the novel i.e. through binaries
b. Thematic: meta line about how to read the novel. If
black is evil, then the ink of the page is evil. Achebe is
about nuance.
5. But he left hold of Nwoye who walked away and never
returned (after Okonkwo chokes him)
a. Useful for: Okonkwo, Nwoye
b. Thematics: care, nurture, conversion, cruelty
6. There is no story that is not true (Uchendu after the
Abame story)
a. Useful for: conclusions, intros – a claim about Achebe’s
story – it is fiction yet true, a dismissal of Okonkwo’s
view on certain types of story, can be used with the
black and white quotation
7. “Looking at a king's mouth,” said an old man, “one
would think he never sucked at his mother's breast.”
a. Useful for: Okonkwo castigated, Okonkwo not learning
b. Thematic: reminder of origins, pride, humility, wisdom of
the old
8. He was possessed by the fear of his father’s
contemptible life and shameful death.
a. Useful for: Unoka, Okonkwo,
b. Thematics: the influence of fathers, a type of
“possession” i.e. haunted, sources of motivation
9. As the elders said if one finger brought oil it soiled the
others (free indirect discourse from Obierika’s perspective)
a. Useful for: Okonkwo wishes to avoid pollution – many of
his act revolve around avoid being polluted
b. Thematics: why twins are killed, a fear of pollution,
superstition, why Igbo society could be converted, it’s
ethical weak point surrounding contamination
10. He had already chosen the title of the book after
much thoughts The pacification of the primitive tribes
of the Lower Niger
a. Useful for: questions on the coloniser, Achebe
b. Thematics: alternative perspectives, the colonial
perspective, rather than the Ibo perspective, non-fiction
versus fiction, post colonial history, being written by the
victors, and now being addressed by the colonised i.e.
Yeats, Achebe
11. He has put a knife on the things that held us
together and we have fallen apart (Obierika to Okonkwo
of the “white man”)
a. Useful for: white man, Okonkwo, Obierika
b. Thematics: echoes the title, post-colonial, prophetic
quality to the novel though we read it in retrospect
12. You do not understand how strong is the bond of
kinship you do not know what it is to speak with one
voice (Unnamed elder. Context: Okonkwo’s last harvest in
exile, in Mbanta)
a. Useful for: all characters
b. Thematics: kin, what it is, blood or shared beliefs,
history, stories; what is breakable and what is not
OKONKWO – A DELUSIONAL
CONSERVATIVE
Strength and Power
 “Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water” - manipulative,
deceptive. Simile, difficult to grasp, rejects tactility, sibilance =
slipperiness. Just like his anger
 “ruled his household with a heavy hand” – overbearing, total
control and power, heavy suggests unrelenting and unbearable
pressure experienced by family
 “constant nagging and beating” – psychological and physical
control over Nwoye
 “It pleases me to see a man like you these days when our
youth has gone so soft” – Okonkwo’s corrupted views of the
values of Umuofia may have stemmed from his childhood,
especially during this conversation with Nwakibie.
 “beat her very heavily” – uses violence to control his family
 “challenged his chi” – as we know, a person behaves like his/her
chi, but here this shows his defiance and power

Aggression and Violence

 “his bushy eyebrows and wide nose gave him a very severe
look” – physiognomy, as if he were innately aggressive and violent
 “seemed to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce on
somebody” – simile, always looking for violence, at attention
(duplicated quote: see Okonkwo, insecurity and fear)
 “man of action, a man of war” – assumes that an emergency is
always war. Hasty, rash
 “drank palm wine from his first human head” – no mention of
being traditional behaviour  bloodthirsty, disrespectful of enemies
(duplicated quote: see Okonkwo, wealth and respect)
 “proud and imperious emissary of war” – Okonkwo is an
instigator  bloodthirsty, and proudly so
 “not the man to stop beating somebody half-way through,
not even for fear of a goddess” – shows that he feels above
deities and religion. Show of power and aggression
 “He would stamp out the disquieting signs of laziness which
he thought he already saw in him” – “thought” suggests
hastiness and impulsiveness, but also shows impatience and
intolerance
 “Okonkwo you have become a woman” – as if male and female
qualities oppose each other

Wealth, Fame and Respect

 “Okonkwo’s fame had grown like a fire in the harmattan” –
simile, fire menacing, fame is bright and visible like a fire, warlike,
destructive, unstoppable
  “two barns full of yams” – Okonkwo is a hard working farmer 
food brings wealth
 “age was respected among his people, but achievement was
revered” – Okonkwo is successful even at a young age. The use of
a proverb shows Okonkwo’s excellence and outstanding example
within Igbo culture (duplicated quote: see power and honour)
 “ate with kings and elders” – top of the pyramid
 “long stacks of yam stood out prosperously” – “stood out
prosperously” - wants to boast his wealth  finds wealth for the
sake of power
 “if one finger brought oil it soiled the others” – reference to
murder of Ikemefuna  guilt and shame  “soiled” shows
unwantedness. Okonkwo ultimately fears losing his power and
influence in society
 “drank palm wine from his first human head” – in context, he
was at a wedding  trying to make this about him, not the wedding
 selfish pride (duplicated quote: see Okonkwo, aggression and
violence)

Insecurity and Fear

 “seemed to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce on
somebody” – insecure, always on guard, defensiveness, caution
(duplicated quote: see Okonkwo, aggression and violence)
 “had a slight stammer” – façade of strength undermined by
inside fear and insecurity
 “fear of failure and of weakness” – ironic  his weakness is
failure  existential fear and the root of his violent behaviour
 “more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods” –
he doesn’t wholeheartedly believe or have faith in the religion of the
clan
 “lest he should be found to resemble his father” – doesn’t
want to be weak or failure like his father – “found” suggests that he
is afraid of what other people think of him (duplicated quote: see
Unoka, influence on Okonkwo’s life)
 “ruled by one passion – to hate everything that his father
Unoka had loved” – “ruled by” suggests he is not as powerful or
in control as he thinks he is. Dominated by fear, and does not want
to be associated with Unoka
 “possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life and
shameful death” – sinister connotation of word “possessed”  as
if he were not the one in control
 “to show affection was a sign of weakness” – showing
emotions
 “Living fire begets cold impotent ash” – here Okonkwo is
referring to himself as the fire, and Nwoye as the ash  ironically,
fire is something that can go out of control, like his temper, and
producing ash suggests that Okonkwo brings destruction and ruin –
that of his family, and ultimately of himself
Industrious and Hard-Working
 “no patience with unsuccessful men” – “unsuccessful” shows
arrogance, suggesting he places himself above others.
 “rarely felt fatigue” – constantly and tirelessly working
 “threw himself into it like one possessed” – simile with a
sinister connotation  mindlessly working away
 “I shall survive anything” – reference to poor harvest season 
blunt, naïve and hasty confidence, a quality that Okonkwo carries
on to his later life
 “much happier working on his farm” – enjoys work more than
feasting or other pleasures

NWOYE – THE CHANGE OF CULTURE

Relationship with Okonkwo
 “causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness” –
incipient  used to describe his growing laziness as he grows up as
well. Perhaps a growing fear for Okonkwo. Causes anxiety even in a
great man like Okonkwo, who doesn’t feel emotion.
 “sad-faced youth” – just like Unoka? Foreshadowing?
 “if you split another yam of this size, I shall break your jaw”
– violent language not suitable for a child – Okonkwo wants him to
grow up and take on responsibilities early in his life
 “I will not have a son who cannot hold up his head in the
gathering of the clan” – shows Okonkwo’s fear of Nwoye possibly
becoming like Unoka, a useless person who has no influence in the
clan
 “Nwoye was not worth fighting for” – sees Nwoye as
expendable  values power and masculinity over his own son.
Rejection contrasts to acceptance of Christ

Views on Christianity
 “did not fully understand” – shows Nwoye’s naivety and blind
trust in the new religion, even though he lacks knowledge about it.
Shows that Nwoye does not care so much about the beliefs as much
as he enjoys the freedom to self-expression through artistic means
 “captivated” – further reinforces how drawn Nwoye is to the new
religion, and his desire to put his faith in something new and
unique.
 “callow mind was deeply puzzled” – highlights how confusing
the religion is for Nwoye, due to his lack of experience because of
his age.
 “the poetry of the new religion” – Nwoye is attracted to the
ways in which the religion presents itself, rather than the religion
itself. This shows that Nwoye is able to look past the foreignness of
the new religion, and is immediately absorbed
 “felt a relief within as the hymn poured into his parched
soul” – “parched” suggests that he has been deprived of the
 freedom to express himself through the arts, and finds an inner
peace that he was unable to find living in Okonkwo’s household
 “who was now called Isaac” – turning to Christianity and away
from Igbo  Isaac represents sacrifice (bible reference), and a new
beginning (isaac’s birth)

Relationship with Ikemefuna

 “quite inseparable from him because he seemed to know
everything” – strong bond with Ikemefuna  share similar
interests like the pursuit of knowledge, unlike Okonkwo (duplicated
quote: see Ikemefuna, relationship with Nwoye)
 “remembered this period very vividly ‘till the end of his life”
– emphasises the effect that Ikemefuna had on him that helped him
grow into a man. Ikemefuna was essential to Nwoye’s growth as a
character. (Page 26)
 “kindled a new fire in the younger boy” – strengthens the
relationship between Ikemefuna and Nwoye as brothers, Ikemefuna
being the older one and also an inspiration.
 “Like the snapping of a tightened bow” – suggests build up of
tension being released  use of masculine imagery  fragility of
Nwoye, as if the masculine aspect of him because of Ikemefuna was
now gone because of his death
 “knew that Ikemefuna had been killed” – implies a sense of the
supernatural in the brotherly bond between Ikemefuna and Nwoye.
Reinforces the importance of Ikemefuna to Nwoye. (duplicated
quote: see Ikemefuna, relationship with Nwoye)
 “inwardly pleased at his son’s development” – Ikemefuna has
a strong influence over Nwoye, and changes his character

Sensitivity, Art, and Imagination

 “resembled his grandfather, Unoka” – Unoka was seen to be
more engaged in creative efforts, like with his flute. Shows how to
Okonkwo, anything to do with art and creativity is to do with failure,
through the example of Unoka – Nwoye resists his father’s attempts
to make him “masculine” and warlike.
 “carried away to a distant scene” – illustrates the image of
Nwoye’s strong imagination, painting him as a creative, artistic
character. Metaphor shows how Nwoye is trying to escape reality
through imagination
 “endless stock of folk tales” – admires how knowledgeable
Ikemefuna is  similar interest in stories (duplicated quote: see
Ikemefuna, relationship with Nwoye)
EZINMA – DEFIANCE OF TRADITION
Cursed, Ogbanje
 “sudden bouts of sickness and health were typical of her
kind” – links Ezinma to the spiritual culture of Umuofia and explains
the reasoning of her symptoms via stereotypes.
 “perhaps she has come to stay” – emphasises Ezinma’s
importance to her mother, despite the almost unavoidable fate that
she’s supposed to possess. “stay” shows the ephemeral nature of
all the other children who died
 “Everybody knew she was an ogbanje” – she is cursed,
perhaps not in reality, but by her culture  shunned by society

Bold and Strong

 “strong chi” – flips the spiritual culture on its head to show that
Ezinma has survived against all odds, proving her to be a strong
character.
 “seemed determined to live” – Achebe illustrates the idea that
Ezinma and her chi are motivated and determined to survive,
highlighting her strong mindset. It is as if she were actively trying to
survive, and also shows her resilience.
 “shook every tree violently” – Achebe uses masculine imagery
here to portray Ezimna as a strong, man-like character. He uses the
masculine stereotypes of the Ibo people to highlight how unique
Ezinma is as a female character
 “snap at everybody like an angry dog” – defies patriarchy by
showing aggression  angry dog simile shows sudden betrayal or
insubordination, since dogs are supposed to be loyal companions
 “strong influence over her half sister” – she is bold and
influential within her family, just like Okonkwo. Perhaps she was the
child Okonkwo was hoping for, had she have been a boy
 “refused every offer of marriage” – shows defiance against the
patriarchy  autonomy and freedom to resist

Relationship with Okonkwo

 “was especially fond of Ezinma” – Okonkwo is fond of Ezinma,
which is very unusual as Okonkwo never shows any emotion other
than anger. This signifies how unique Ezinma is in her family, being
of such a character that even Okonkwo likes her.
 “she should have been a boy” – a phrase repeated by Okonkwo
throughout the book. Continues idea of Ezinma’s masculinity, to the
point that her father
 would’ve preferred her to be a boy. Also continues idea of
Okonkwo’s fondness for her.
 “If Ezinma had been a boy, I would have been happier” –
note the use of the comparative  as if he is already somewhat
happy
  “she has the right spirit” – still would have preferred if she were
a boy
 “bond of sympathy” – prefix “sym” suggests the mutuality 
they understand each other
 “sit like a woman” – this phrase further reinforces Ezinma’s
tomboyish nature, implying that she does things in a masculine
fashion almost without thinking, and has to be reminded by her
father. She is willing to defy gender norms, unlike her father.
 “he only ate to please her” – Okonkwo lets his guard down and
lets Ezinma take control  inwardly loves Ezinma
 “had broken her twenty-eight day visit to the family of her
future husband, and returned home when she heard that
her father had been imprisoned” (long quotation but can be
broken up) – shows Ezinma’s respect for and fondness of her father
and willingness to break tradition in order to be there for him.
Again, reinforces the image that Ezinma is unafraid to go against
tradition and break stereotypes to do what she wants.

Relationship with Ekwefi

 “called her mother by name” – as if equals, close relationship
 “companionship of equals” – relationship between Ezinma and
Ekwefi is so close that they are best friends as well as mother and
daughter.
 “Ezigbo, which means ‘the good one’” – loving and caring
 “it was that faith alone that gave her life any meaning” –
shows the importance of Ezinma to Ekwefi, referencing the fact that
the latter’s only reason to live is her daughter. This sense of
desperation deepens the relationship between the two of them.
Maybe even stronger than that – Ezinma is all that is worth living for
to Ekwefi.
 “She [Ekwefi] would die for her” – total sacrifice, because
Ezinma was the only child who survived

EKWEFI – RESILIENT, DEFIANT AND

DETERMINED MOTHER
Strength, independence, and defiance (especially
to gender norms of culture)


Faith and resilience



Relationship with Ezinma


UNOKA – A FAILURE WITHIN SOCIETY
Failure
 “succeeded in borrowing more, and piling up debts” –
sarcastic, ironic, since his failure is being described as if he were
accumulating wealth (“succeeded”, “piling up”)
 “lazy and improvident” – improvident means not caring or
considering one’s future
 “shall pay but not today” – always delaying, unreliable
 “a coward and could not bear the sight of blood” – polar
opposite to Okonkwo, a bloodthirsty warrior
 “voice rang out clear as the ogene” – still thinking about music
even when he is crying about debt. Distracted from reality
 “taken no title at all” – suggests irrelevance, as if lost to time,
and someone who is forgotten
 “known in all the clan for the weakness of your matchet and
your hoe” – idle and lazy  note how laziness is compared to
weakness
 “Evil fortune followed him to the grave” – as if doomed.
Presents the question of whether it is his fault or not
 “He took with him his flute” – when he is left to die  holding on
to his only source of joy, a reminder of his happier childhood

Artistic and joyful (and parallels with Nwoye)

 “face beaming with blessedness and peace” – innocence,
perhaps even naivety. Face beaming – pride and happiness
 “sing with his whole being” – fully immersed into poetry and
music  foreshadowing of how that is as far as his life goes
 “he could hear in his mind’s ear the blood-stirring and
intricate rhythms” – blood before refers to killing, but now used
to represent passion and excitement. Perhaps drowning out reality
with music?
 “our elders say…” – emphasis on imagination, focus on stories
and proverbs

Influence on Okonkwo’s life

 “lest he should be found to resemble his father” – Unoka is a
cautionary tale to Okonkwo, who doesn’t want to be weak or failure
like his father – “found” suggests that he is afraid of what other
people think of him (duplicated quote: see Okonkwo, insecurity and
fear)
 “ruled by one passion – to hate everything that his father
Unoka had loved” – overarching fear or distaste  cautionary
tale, Okonkwo wants to shut him out from his life (duplicated quote:
see Okonkwo, insecurity and fear)
 “It was like pouring grains into a bag full of holes” – Okonkwo
feeding Unoka’s reckless lifestyle. Holes not only suggests wastage,
but also perhaps emptiness, that of Unoka’s life
  “It is more difficult and bitter when a man fails alone” –
shows self pity  although talking to Okonkwo, he is secretly
referring to himself. Also shows his lack of care and respect towards
Okonkwo
 “no patience with his father” – no willingness to understand or
sympathy from Okonkwo. Deepens self pity.

Parallels with Nwoye

 “Nwoye resembled his grandfather Unoka” – in Okonkwo’s
point of view, as if Unoka were synonymous with failure, or that
Nwoye is following the same path
 “Incipient laziness” – Nwoye is a constant reminder of Unoka,
sharing his tendencies of laziness.
 “Poetry of the new religion” – Nwoye is attracted to the poetry
of things, just like his grandfather Unoka.

IKEMEFUNA – A VICTIM OF TRADITIONAL

CULTURE
Strong and Influential
 “looked at them sternly and they held their peace” –
overbearing, just like Okonkwo  now has a powerful role within the
family
 “gradually became popular in Okonkwo’s household” –
popular, and leaderlike
 “endless stock of folk tales” – influence over Nwoye (duplicated
quote: see Nwoye, sensitivity, art and imagination)

Relationship with Nwoye

 “quite inseparable from him because he seemed to know
everything” – strong bond with Nwoye  knowledgeable, like an
elder
 “he knew that Ikemefuna had been killed” – very close, almost
supernatural connection
 “like an elder brother to Nwoye” – the simile shows their close
bond, yet has a sense of separation and distance

Relationship with Okonkwo

 “taken out and handed over to a stranger” – not really
relevant on its own, but relate it to how quickly he turns to calling
Okonkwo “father”
 “like a son” – the son that Nwoye isn’t to Okonkwo
 “called him father” - compare to before  strong bond, Okonkwo
is his new father and role model
 “Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy – inwardly,
of course” – Okonkwo rarely shows compassion towards anyone 
 “inwardly” shows that he does not present this to Ikemefuna. It is
because he is not weak and lazy like Nwoye
 “Do you not grow yams where you come from?” – Okonkwo
being hard on Ikemefuna  sense of alienation in “where you come
from”, and also is patronising, and spiteful of Ikemefuna’s lack of
experience even as a child

Effect of his Death

 “ill-fated lad” – even called this on first account of Ikemefuna  is
he cursed by nature, predestined to die a gruesome death?
 “whose sad story is still told in Umuofia unto this day” –
compelling tragedy
 “Okonkwo did not taste any food for two days” – first show of
sadness by Okonkwo  strong grief. Use of the word “taste”
emphasises not touching any food at all
 “My father, they have killed me!” – sense of betrayal  final
call to Okonkwo, the father figure he is closest to. Victim of tradition
– execution  allusion to the sacrifice of Isaac, testing Abraham’s
faith, but tragically Okonkwo does deal the final blow, showing the
dangers of zealotic behaviour within a culture.
 “Limbs of a mosquito” – as if Okonkwo were cursed by killing
Ikemefuna  “mosquito” represents disease  weakness and
illness, cursed

OBIERIKA – A MAN OF REASON AND

RATIONALE
Wise and Reasonable, unlike Okonkwo
 “You worry yourself for nothing” – calm or perhaps apathy
 “What you have done will not please the earth” – knows the
culture well
 “Was a man who thought about things” – simple but strong
statement highlights Obierika’s thoughtfulness about things, and
how he ponders before rushing to action. Perspicacity!
 “Why should a man suffer so grievously for an offence he
had committed inadvertently” – questioning Umuofian law 
reason over tradition, unlike Okonkwo
 “If one finger brought oil it soiled the others” – wise, using
proverbs to base reason for thought. Knows the culture well.


Kind and good

 “If I were you I would have stayed at home” – understands
Okonkwo, and considers his situation as if it were his own
 “I do not know how to thank you” – shows that even Okonkwo
is in debt of Obierika’s kindness. This is significant because
Okonkwo is not usually in debt to anyone.
  “You are a big man now” – shows his fondness for Nwoye and his
continuing care as the boy has grown. Appreciates Nwoye’s semi-
maturity, perhaps unlike Okonkwo.

Relationship with Okonkwo

 “You drove him to kill himself” -> “now he will be buried
like a dog” – care for Okonkwo’s memory, subtly mournful of his
death.
 “That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia” – shows
his respect for and fondness of Okonkwo, appreciating his status
and achievements, what Okonkwo had dedicated his life to.
 “My great friend” – Okonkwo does not have many great friends.
This highlights Obierika’s importance to Okonkwo, and how close
they are.
 “Mourned his friend’s calamity” – like a death, Obierika mourns
the excommunication of Okonkwo. Calamity is also very strong
vocabulary, signifying how serious it is for Obierika.
 “Then kill one of your sons for me” -> “that will not be
enough” – Okonkwo prioritizes the gratitude for his friend over one
of his own son’s lives. Reinforces deep connection between them.


Views on the Missionaries

 “put a knife on the things that held us together and we are
falling apart” – title of the novel, and shows the threat of the
white men and missionaries to the culture
 “Our own men and our sons have joined the ranks of the
stranger” – repeated use of ‘our’ implies a sense of the foreign in
the missionaries, and how that the Ibo people are not supposed to
interact with them. Shows that Obierika is slightly xenophobic about
the missionaries, because he is afraid that they will disrupt the
atmosphere of the clan (“stranger”). “Ranks” suggests an army,
showing that the missionaries are a threat, and that they are
fighting their own people.

CHIELO – predator/kidnapper idk ay

caramba


UCHENDU – WISE ELDER

Wisdom
 “But when there is sorrow and bitterness, he finds refuge in
his motherland” – fair minded about gender  “refuge” shows the
caring nature of mothers
  “what is good among one people is an abomination with
others” – Uchendu perceives cultural relativism  note the strong
word “abomination”, which in this context shows nonchalance and
indifference towards things one would find terrible and wrong
 “He that has health and children will also have wealth” –
shows that it is useless to seek wealth for the sake of it, and instead
suggests the importance that wealth will come if one strives for
health and caring for children
 “he guessed what had happened and asked no questions” –
empathy and sensitivity (this is on the arrival of Okonkwo at
Mbanta)
 “I know more about the world than any of you” – would sound
pretentious, but shows how society sees wisdom coming with age
and experience

Seniority/Responsibility/Importance of family
 “your duty is to comfort your wives and children” – directed
to Okonkwo’s lack thereof  responsibility is one of Uchendu’s key
values
 “we are better than animals because we have kinsmen” –
emphasis of family values and community  not like the savages
that the colonists would have viewed them as
 “holding the ancestral staff of the family” – importance of
family and ancestors in Igbo culture, and also shows his power and
seniority.


Suffering/Difficulty
 “I did not hang myself” – short statement emphasises how
Uchendu has continued to stay alive even while suffering a lot.
Morbid imagery to show his relentlessness and willingness to push
through the suffering
 “Do you know how many children I have buried? Twenty-
two” – rhetorical question and matter-of-fact tone further reinforces
the depression caused by this.
 “You think you are the greatest sufferer in the world” –
Uchendu gives Okonkwo a reality check by using his experience as
an example. Also reminds Okonkwo of how his father Unoka once
said that his suffering was greater, painting Uchendu as indirectly
sympathetic to Unoka’s feelings.
 “There is no one for whom it is well” – tragic recurring theme
throughout the novel  the novel is a tragedy in itself.

Relationship with Okonkwo

 “saw clearly that Okonkwo yielded to despair and he was
greatly troubled” – sees through Okonkwo’s façade of strength
and superiority
  “I am an old man and I like to talk” – contrast with Okonkwo,
who prefers to use his fists and power rather than to talk things out.
Reminds of Unoka.
 “mother is supreme” – Uchendu is more appreciative of the
maternal aspects of culture, unlike Okonkwo who ridicules the
femininity of women, even of those in his family.


MR BROWN
 Brown

REVEREND SMITH


COLONIALISM


FAMILY / COMMUNITY
 “daughter of Umuofia” – murder in market at Mbaino in chapter
2  village is family, everyone is close to each other

MASCULINITY


TRADITION AND RELIGION

 “children were warned not to whistle at night for fear of evil
spirits” – fear of the unknown

POWER AND HONOUR

 “a man was judged according to his worth and not according
to the worth of his father”
 “age was respected among his people, but achievement was
revered” – (duplicated quote: see Okonkwo, wealth, fame and
respect)

FATE AND TRAGEDY

 “a man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi” –
emphasises the importance of fate  tragic, limitations of what one
can do in life