Things Fall Apart

THINGS FALL APART:

Based in Nigeria - first contacts w/ europe were based w/ slavery

Current population - 130 million, life expectancy: 37 years,

50% islamic, 40% christian, 10% african religion

Generational story; son does not want to be like father, overcomes enormous odds

Success story gone wrong! exiled for 7 years to motherland

Essay about TFA: anchor in Part 1, concentrating on one of his children

-Nwoye, Ezinma (wishes she were a boy), or Ikemefuna - children mirror Okonk.

-Ezinma's major event: Okonkwo follows Chielo into the woods - follows heart

-Nwoye is a boy, O sees him as a girl- has his own strength; will be what he is

-Keep your analytical eye on Okonkwo, by what Ikemefuna reveals about him

-explain why Okonkwo kills the boy, even though he loves him (motivation)

-not to prove his manhood to society (even though its true) but to himself

-desire not to show any love, any feminine feelings

-aftermath: cannot eat, cannot sleep. refuses to acknowledge his feelings

-Okonkwo is a partial man, living unnaturally as man only

-Okonkwo is the ideal of his society, but it is unrealistic; no respect for women

-reveal his dualism: at war between ideal & reality

Part 1 Analysis:

-first few chapters emphasize peacefulness in Umuofia w/ kola nut, etc.

-village allows for movement between classes based on achievement

(differing from European ways/assumptions)

-very patriarchal- beating women is common, men provide for women, etc.

-Okonkwo is the 'ideal'; very stereotypical as a man, very chauvinistic

(acts without thinking, motivated by fear & hatred of Unoka- father)

-Daughter Ezinma, son Nwoye, wife Ekwefi - evil child spirit - Obanje

-Okonkwo is charged with taking care of Ikemufuna, ends up killing him

(didn't have to, acted based on fear of being thought womanly)

(damages his relationship with Nwoye, causes that rift)

This is the KEY EVENT in Part 1! Okonkwo killing Ikemufuna

(represents futility of Okonkwo's efforts to reject feminine side)

(struggle! between masculine & feminine; overdoes it always)

(aftermath: we see both sides of Okonkwo)

-Focus on female characters; Okonkwo relates femininity w/ weakness

(Achebe writes about strength of women & their wise feelings)

-Stories about Ezinma reveal feminine side of Okonkwo

-Locusts foreshadow the arrival of white European colonists & missionaries

-Okonkwo's tragic flaw: over-manliness prevents his self-understanding

-Kills Ezeudu's son @ father's funeral; manifestation of Okonkwo's problems

-Village's punishment on Okonkwo represents solidarity and justice

-Chapter 11 story: trickster tortoise convinces birds to let him come with them

to a feast in the sky- tortoise makes wings and dupes them; fake names.

calls himself "all of you"; host says "eat, all of you" so tortoise eats first

and birds are angry. they leave him in the sky, stranded. tortoise sends a

message to his wife via parrot to set out soft things for him to land on;

parrot tells her hard things, tortoise falls, breaks shell

-Story represents Okonkwo's struggle, trying to be what he is not.

(Masculine: chauvinistic, powerful,