Things Fall Apart - Honors English Study Guide Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms, characters, symbolic objects, cultural concepts, locations, and supplementary source materials for the 10th Grade Honors English study guide on Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.

Okonkwo

The protagonist of Things Fall Apart; a proud, influential leader of Umuofia driven by a deep-seated fear of failure and weakness inherited from his father.

Unoka

Okonkwo's father; a gentle, debt-ridden musician and tale-teller who disliked war and physical labor, viewed as weak by Igbo standards.

Nwoye

Okonkwo’s eldest son; sensitive and questioning, he converts to Christianity under the name Isaac, causing a permanent rift with his father.

Ikemefuna

A young boy taken from Mbaino as a peace settlement; he becomes a foster brother to Nwoye and a surrogate son to Okonkwo before his sacrifice.

Ekwefi

Okonkwo’s second wife who left her first husband for him; she is devoted to her only surviving child, Ezinma.

Ezinma

Ekwefi's confident, sharp-witted daughter who is deeply loved by Okonkwo and believed to be an ogbanje.

Obierika

Okonkwo’s loyal and thoughtful friend who questions traditional practices, serves as a voice of reason, and looks after Okonkwo's property during exile.

Chielo

The priestess of Agbala (Oracle of the Hills and Caves) who carries Ezinma into the dark forest during a nocturnal ritual.

Mr. Kiaga

The native interpreter and leader of the missionary church in Mbanta who accepts outcasts (osu) into the Christian fold.

Enoch

A fanatical Christian convert who unmasks an egwugwu, sparking violent conflict between the clan and the church.

Mr. Brown

A white missionary who adopts a respectful, non-confrontational policy of dialogue with the Igbo clan.

Reverend Smith

A rigid, zealous, and uncompromising white missionary who replaces Mr. Brown.

Umuofia

Okonkwo’s homeland and principal clan setting consisting of nine villages in Nigeria, known for its powerful warriors and strong customs.

Mbanta

Okonkwo’s motherland, where he and his family spend seven years in exile following an accidental manslaughter.

The Evil Forest

The land given to white missionaries in Mbanta, where traditional clan members expected them to die from evil spirits.

Nigeria

The West African nation where the novel takes place, reflecting late 19th-century British colonial expansion.

Yams

The primary crop in Igbo society, symbolizing wealth, masculinity, physical strength, and high status.

Sacred Python

A revered animal associated with the god of water; its alleged killing by a Christian convert causes severe religious conflict.

Egwugwu

Masked ancestral spirits representing the clan's spiritual and judicial authority during public trials and ceremonies.

Cowries

Shells used as currency for trade and bride price transactions in Igbo society.

Locusts

Insects that symbolically represent the arrival of white settlers—initially sparse, then overwhelming the community.

Chi

A personal god or spirit in Igbo culture that determines an individual’s fate while interacting with their determination and work ethic.

Ogbanje

A wicked spirit child who repeatedly dies and is reborn to torment its mother.

Osu

Outcasts in Igbo society who are accepted into the Christian church by Mr. Kiaga in Mbanta.

Mbaino

The neighboring village from which Ikemefuna is taken as a peace settlement.

"The Second Coming"

A poem by W.B. Yeats from which the title of Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart is derived.