Things Fall Apart Quotations Classical High School

"Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten."

This highlights the importance of oral tradition and rhetoric in Igbo culture. Proverbs facilitate social interaction and signify intelligence and wisdom, showing that the Ibo are a sophisticated society with a complex language.

“Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand, before it shines on those who kneel under them.”

This emphasizes the priority of achievement. It suggests that those who take initiative and work hard (stand) will receive rewards and recognition before those who are dependent or lazy (kneel).

"Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered. As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings."

This establishes the Igbo society as a meritocracy. While elders are respected, a man’s status is determined by his own successes (titles, harvests, war prowess) rather than his father’s legacy.

"It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father."

This reveals Okonkwo’s primary motivation. His entire life, including his aggression and success, is a reaction against the perceived femininity and failure of his father, Unoka.

“And when a man is at peace with his gods and his ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm.”

This balances the role of personal fate (chi) and hard work. It suggests that once spiritual obligations are met, a man is responsible for his own destiny through physical labor.

“Nna ayi… I have brought you this little kola. As our people say, a man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness.”

This illustrates the protocol of hospitality and networking. Respecting the social hierarchy is seen as a necessary step for an ambitious man to climb the social ladder.

"Anyone seeing Chielo in ordinary life would hardly believe she was the same person who prophesied when the spirit of Agbala was upon her."

This shows the duality of the spiritual and the mundane. It highlights the immense power held by women in spiritual roles, contrasting with their generally subordinate social roles.

"Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell…"

This foreshadows Nwoye’s eventual conversion. It highlights the internal conflict between the masculine expectations of the clan and Nwoye’s more feminine, sensitive nature.

“Yes, Umuofia has decided to kill him. The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves has pronounced it. They will take him outside Umuofia as is the custom, and kill him there. But I want you to have nothing to do with it. He calls you father.”

Ezeudu’s warning highlights the moral complexity of the law. While the killing of Ikemefuna is a divine decree, participating in it is a violation of the father son bond, which leads to Okonkwo's spiritual decline.

"How could she know that Ekwefi’s bitterness did not flow outwards to others but inwards into her own soul; that she did not blame others for their good fortune but her own evil chi who denied her?"

This explores the personal tragedy of ogbanje (spirit children). It shows the psychological toll of the culture's beliefs on women and the concept of chi as a personal destiny that can be cruel.

"The priestess screamed, “Beware, Okonkwo!” she warned. “Beware of exchanging words with Agbala. Does a man speak when a god speaks? Beware!”"

Chielo’s warning marks a moment where Okonkwo’s hubris is challenged. It reminds him that the power of the gods and the Oracle supersedes any individual’s physical strength or titles.

"The land of the living was not far removed from the domain of the ancestors. There was coming and going between them, especially at festivals and also when an old man died, because an old man was very close to the ancestors."

This explains the Igbo worldview of the afterlife. The ancestors are active participants in the community, and death is seen as a transition rather than a finality.

"And if the clan did not exact punishment for an offense against the great goddess, her wrath was loosed on all the land and not just on the offender. As the elders said, if one finger brought oil it soiled the others."

This explains the communal nature of sin and justice. Individual crimes have collective consequences, which is why the clan must exile Okonkwo to protect the community from divine anger.

"But it was like beginning life anew without the vigor and enthusiasm of youth, like learning to become left handed in old age."

This captures Okonkwo’s despair during exile. For a man defined by his status and power in Umuofia, being forced to start over in Mbanta is a fundamental loss of identity.

“It’s true that a child belongs to its father, but when a father beats his child, it seeks sympathy in its mother’s hut. A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you. She is buried there. And that is why we say that mother is supreme.”

Uchendu explains the balance of the masculine and feminine principles. While the fatherland represents strength and pride, the motherland represents healing and sanctuary.

“Those were good days when a man had friends in distant clans. Your generation does not know that. You stay at home, afraid of your next door neighbor. Even a man’s motherland is strange to him nowadays.”

This reflects the breakdown of inter clan unity and the beginning of the falling apart as internal distrust and external colonial influences begin to isolate communities.

“The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others.”

This quote expresses cultural relativism. It suggests that morality is not universal, which becomes a tragic irony as the British attempt to impose their own standards on Igbo traditions.

“We have been sent by this great God to ask you to leave your wicked ways and false gods and turn to him so that you may be saved when you die,” he said.

This represents the clash of religions. The missionary’s total dismissal of Igbo culture as wicked highlights the lack of mutual understanding that fuels the conflict.

“We do not ask for wealth because he that has health and children will also have wealth. We do not pray to have more money but to have more kinsmen. We are better than animals because we have kinsmen.”

This emphasizes the Igbo value of kinship and community. It serves as a warning that the greatest threat to their society is the division of the family unit.

“You do not know what it is to speak with one voice. And what is the result? An abominable religion has settled among you. A man can now leave his father and his brothers. He can curse the gods of his fathers and his ancestors, like a hunter’s dog that suddenly turns on his master. I fear for you; I fear for the clan.”

This uses a metaphor to describe the betrayal of tradition. The elder fears that the loss of religious unity will lead to the total collapse of the social order.

"The clan was like a lizard; if it lost its tail it soon grew another."

This describes the resilience of the clan. Initially, Okonkwo thinks the clan will replace those who leave or die, but he fails to realize the new tail being grown is fundamentally changed by colonial influence.

“How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”

This is the thematic core of the novel. It explains that the British used religion and law to break the string of cultural unity, making the clan unable to resist as a single body.

“Worthy men are no more,” Okonkwo sighed as he remembered those days. “Isike will never forget how we slaughtered them in that war. We killed twelve of their men and they killed only two of ours. Before the end of the fourth market week they were suing for peace. Those were the days when men were men.”

This shows Okonkwo’s tragic nostalgia. He cannot adapt to a world that requires diplomacy instead of war, leading to his isolation and downfall.

“All our gods are weeping, Idemili is weeping, Ogwuguw is weeping, Agbala is weeping, and all the others. Our dead fathers are weeping because of the shameful sacrilege they are suffering and the abomination we have all seen with our eyes.”

This signifies the spiritual death of the clan. The weeping of the gods suggests that the very foundations of Igbo life have been desecrated beyond repair.

“We must root out this evil. And if our brothers take the side of evil we must root them out, too. And we must do it now. We must bail this water now that it is only ankle deep….”

This represents the desperation of the traditionalists. However, it is a too little, too late sentiment, as the colonial influence has already risen far above ankle deep.

“That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now he will be buried like a dog.”

Obierika’s accusation highlights the tragedy of Okonkwo’s life. A man who lived for honor is forced into an unclean death by a system he no longer recognizes.

"He had already chosen the title of the book, after much thought: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger."

The final quote illustrates the colonial distortion of history. The District Commissioner reduces Okonkwo’s complex tragedy to a mere paragraph, showing how the colonial narrative silences the voices of the colonized.