things fall apart

How does Ikemefuna become Okonkwo’s adopted son?

Ikemefuna becomes Okonkwo’s adopted son through a dispute between the village of Umuofia and a neighboring village, Mbaino. After a woman from Umuofia is murdered in the Mbaino market, Okonkwo travels to Mbaino and demands that the village surrender a virgin and a young man in order to avoid war with Umuofia. Mbaino complies, and upon return to Umuofia, Okonkwo turns the young man, Ikemefuna, over to his first wife for safekeeping

Why is Ezinma so special to Okonkwo?

Ezinma is the only child of Okonkwo’s second wife, Ekwefi, and she is also Okonkwo’s favorite daughter. Okonkwo feels drawn to Ezinma for her precocious intelligence and her strong will. More than any of Okonkwo’s other children, Ezinma possesses all of the personality traits required to grow into a distinguished member of society. In other words, she is the most masculine of Okonkwo’s children, and Okonkwo frequently laments that she was not born a boy

Why does Nwoye convert to Christianity?

Nwoye converts to Christianity largely to reject the excessive standard of masculinity his father wants him up to uphold. Nwoye is not at all like his father, and Okonkwo constantly punishes him for being different. Stifled by his father’s expectations, Nwoye runs away and joins the European church. Nwoye’s conversion also provides him an opportunity to learn reading and writing, which, along with the poetry of the Bible, feeds his love of storytelling.

What causes Okonkwo’s exile from Umuofia?

Okonkwo’s gun goes off unexpectedly during Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s funeral, accidentally killing the dead man’s son. Killing a clansman, even unintentionally, constitutes a crime against the earth goddess. To compensate for the crime and protect the rest of the villagers from the earth goddess’s wrath, Ezeudu’s descendants burn Okonkwo’s compound, slaughter his livestock, and banish him from the village for a period of seven years.

Why are the villagers shocked when Okonkwo beats his wife during the Week of Peace?

The villagers are shocked when Okonkwo beats his wife during the Week of Peace because these days mark a sacred time during which the villagers of Umuofia honor the earth goddess and secure her protection and blessings for the year. As the narrator explains, “It was unheard of to beat somebody during the sacred week.” Any violation of peace during the week puts the community at risk for a bad harvest—or worse. For his crime, Okonkwo is fined one length of cloth and one hundred cowries, and he is asked to sacrifice one of his goats and one of his hens

Why are the villagers excited whenever the locusts come?

The villagers are excited whenever the locusts come because the locusts are a delicious, plentiful source of food. For this reason, the villagers view the locusts as a blessing rather than a nuisance. According to the elders, the locusts are guarded in a cave by a race of “stunted men” who release the locusts once a year for seven years, one time per generation.

Why does Nwoye admire Ikemefuna?

Nwoye admires Ikemefuna because Ikemefuna possesses many skills Nwoye lacks and Ikemefuna is an engaging presence to be around. Nwoye looks up to Ikemefuna as an older brother. Ikemefuna knows how to set traps to capture rodents and make flutes out of bamboo sticks. Even though Nwoye knows most of the folk tales Ikemefuna tells, Ikemefuna’s versions have a fresh spin to them since he comes from a different clan, and this fascinates Nwoye.

What warning does Ogbuefi Ezeudu give Okonkwo about killing Ikemefuna?

Ogbuefi Ezeudu, a village elder, warns Okonkwo that he should not kill Ikemefuna because Ikemefuna regards Okonkwo as his father and to kill him would be a sin. Ogbuefi Ezeudu clarifies the warning by adding that even though the Oracle sanctioned Ikemefuna’s death and Ikemefuna is not Okonkwo’s biological son, Okonkwo should not bear a hand in the boy’s death since the “boy calls [him] father.” Okonkwo would essentially be committing an act of filicide by killing the boy.

Why does Okonkwo kill Ikemefuna?

Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna because he doesn’t want to appear weak in front of his fellow clansmen. Ogbuefi Ezeudu, a village elder, informs Okonkwo that the Oracle has decreed that Ikemefuna must be killed but that Okonkwo should not be the one to kill him, since Ikemefuna regards Okonkwo as a father. When Okonkwo and a group of clansmen take Ikemefuna to the woods to be killed, a clansman’s blow fails to do the job, and the clansman yells to Okonkwo for help. Afraid of appearing weak, Okonkwo deals the fatal blow to Ikemefuna despite Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s warning.

Why do the villagers burn Okonkwo’s buildings and kill his animals?

The villagers burn Okonkwo’s buildings and kill his animals to purge the village of his sin, which was the accidental killing of a village elder’s son, an act the villagers view as a crime against the earth goddess. In order to cleanse the earth of Okonkwo’s wrongdoing, his belongings must be burned and his animals destroyed. Even though the villagers’ actions seem to be a form of revenge or punishment, there is no malicious intent in their actions; they are merely “taking care of business.”

What is an egwugwu, and why are the villagers horrified when Enoch unmasks one?

According to tradition, any village ancestor who has been buried in the earth returns during an annual ceremony as an egwugwu. In reality, an egwugwu is a clansman wearing a mask representing an ancestor who has come back from the dead. As such, unmasking an egwugwu is viewed as the equivalent to killing the returned ancestral spirit and “reduc[ing] its immortal prestige in the eyes of the uninitiated.” For this reason, the villagers are shocked and horrified when Enoch unmasks one of the egwugwu.

Who is the Cat?

• _{A great wrestler whom Okonkwo beat as a young man}

Why did people laugh at Okonkwo’s father, Unoka?

• _{Because he was poor, a “loafer,” and borrowed money without paying it back}

What does Okonkwo think about his son, Nwoye?

• _{That he may be lazy and lacking ambition}

Why is Ikemefuna sent from another village to live with Okonkwo?

• _{As part of the price for a woman being murdered}

What did Okonkwo borrow to start his first farm?

• _{Yam seeds}

How does Okonkwo break the peace during the Week of Peace?

• _{He beats one of his wives.}

How does Okonkwo feel about his transgression?

• _{He feels sorry but pretends he doesn’t.}

Why does Ekwefi like to watch wrestling?

• _{Because she fell in love with Okwonko when he beat the Cat at wrestling}

With whom does Ikemefuna become particularly close?

• _Nwoye

What does it mean that it seems Ezinma “has come to stay”?

• _{She is unlikely to die in childhood.}

How do the villagers react to the locusts?

They are excited because locusts are tasty

What does Obeirika warn Okonkwo about Ikemefuna’s death?

• _{That he should have no part in it}

How does Ikemefuna die?

One of the clansmen attacks Ikemefuna and Okonkwo deals the final blow

What is Nwoye’s reaction to Ikemefuna’s death?

He feels like something has broken inside him

What strange rumor do Obeirika and Okonkwo discuss?

• _{That there are men with skin as white as chalk}

Why is Ekwefi so distraught by Ezinma’s illness?

• _{Because all of her children died early in childhood}

Who cures Ezinma?

• _Okonkwo

On what condition can Uzowulu have Mgbafo back?

He must beg her to come back, and if he beats her again they will cut off his genitals

Where does Chielo take Ezinma?

• _{Around all nine villages and then into the cave of the Oracle}

What surprises Ekwefi when she waits outside the cave?

Okonkwo appears

What did Okonkwo do when Ezinma was taken by Chielo?

• _{He went back and forth to the cave looking for Chielo, Ezinma, and Ekwefi.}

How is Ezinma returned?

• _{Chielo puts her on her bed the next morning without saying anything.}

What ceremony does Okonkwo’s family help prepare for?

• _{A betrothal ceremony for the daughter of Okonkwo’s friend}

What happens at Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s funeral?

Okonkwo accidentally shoots and kills Ezeudu’s young son

What is Okonkwo’s punishment?

• _{The entire family must live in exile for seven years.}