Understanding Okonkwo: A Study Guide for Things Fall Apart
Literary Terms
Direct Characterization
The author directly tells the reader about a character’s personality and attitude.
Indirect Characterization
The reader has to figure out the character based on their actions, physical appearance, words, and what others say about them.
Motivation
The reasons that compel a character to act as they do.
Myth
An anonymous, traditional story that explains a belief, custom, or mysterious natural phenomenon.
Tragic Hero
A person who is neither completely good nor bad, who commits an act that results in suffering and utter defeat. (Okonkwo is considered a tragic hero.)
Hubris
The defect of character, often pride or arrogance, that causes a tragic hero to ignore warnings of disaster; like a personality flaw.
Vocabulary
- Wily (3): clever, knowing
- Amiss (9): wrong, incorrect
- Discerned (9): to see or recognize
- Imperious (12): arrogant, domineering, or overbearing
- Malevolent (13): evil or harmful
- Brusqueness (26): abrupt in manner, rough
- Benevolent (26): wanting to help, kind, generous
- Repentant (31): remorseful, to feel sorry
- Leper/Leprosy (74): a chronic disease that causes ulcers on the skin
- Audacity (76): boldness or daring, very confident and arrogant
- Defiant (77): boldly resistant or challenging
- Esoteric (88): private, understood by only a few
- Tumult (122): violent or noisy commotion of a crowd
Chapter Summaries and Questions
Chapter 1
1) Describe Okonkwo.
He is famous for defeating the best wrestler, “the Cat.” Okonkwo is intimidating, successful, and full of pride.
2) Describe Okonkwo’s father, Unoka. How is he different from Okonkwo?
Unoka is lazy, borrowing money and enjoying music and drinking instead of working. He is the opposite of Okonkwo.
3) Why does Okoye go to visit Unoka? What does Okoye need?
Okoye needs to collect a debt from Unoka to fund a celebration for his new title. Unoka advises him to pay his larger debts first.
4) How are people judged in this society?
People are judged by their achievements and success, not by their family’s actions.
Chapter 2
5) Why are all the men called into the marketplace for a meeting?
They are called to discuss the murder of a woman from their village and decide on a course of action.
6) How does Okonkwo threaten his wives and children?
He uses yelling, nagging, and beatings, which is acceptable in his society if he has a justifiable reason.
7) Why must Ikemefuna live with Okonkwo? How does Ikemefuna feel?
Ikemefuna is given to Okonkwo’s clan as compensation and is temporarily placed in his care. Ikemefuna is afraid and confused.
Chapter 3
8) According to Agbala, why do Unoka’s harvests fail? How do his failures affect Okonkwo?
Unoka’s harvests fail due to his laziness and lack of effort in cultivating the land. This leaves Okonkwo with no inheritance.
9) Why does Nwakibie agree to give Okonkwo yams to plant?
Nwakibie recognizes Okonkwo’s hard work and trustworthiness, unlike his father.
10) How does the yam crop turn out this year? How does that affect Okonkwo?
Okonkwo loses most of his crop due to a bad harvest, but this experience strengthens his resolve.
Chapter 4
11) How does Ikemefuna fit into Okonkwo’s household?
Ikemefuna is treated like a son by Okonkwo and his family.
12) Why did Okonkwo break the week of sacred peace? What are his consequences?
He beats his wife for neglecting her duties. He must pay a fine to the shrine of Ani.
13) At the end of the chapter, which two characters have become close? Why might this be a problem?
Ikemefuna and Nwoye become close. This is problematic because it highlights Nwoye’s perceived weakness and foreshadows potential conflict due to Ikemefuna’s uncertain future.
Chapter 5
14) Describe Okonkwo’s second wife, Ekwefi. Why did she want to be his wife? What does this suggest about Okonkwo?
Ekwefi, a former village beauty, left her husband to be with Okonkwo, attracted by his strength and wrestling prowess. This suggests Okonkwo’s dominance and appeal.
Chapter 6
15) During the wrestling meet, who does Ekwefi talk to? Explain their relationship.
Ekwefi talks to Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, who is also her close friend and considered a spiritual guide.
Chapter 7
16) What does Okonkwo want for his son Nwoye?
Okonkwo desires for Nwoye to become a strong and successful man, capable of providing for him in his old age.
17) Why are the villagers excited to see the locusts?
Locusts are considered a delicacy and their arrival is a rare and welcome event.
18) What happens to Ikemefuna? How does Nwoye react?
Ikemefuna is killed by Okonkwo, leaving Nwoye devastated and depressed.
Chapter 8
19) How does Okonkwo behave after Ikemefuna’s death?
Okonkwo becomes withdrawn and depressed, consumed by guilt and regret.
20) What does Obierika remind Okonkwo of when they discuss Ikemefuna’s death?
Obierika warns Okonkwo that his participation in Ikemefuna’s death was unnecessary and may bring consequences.
21) How do the villagers view the customs of other tribes?
They view them with suspicion and often consider them strange or wrong.
Chapter 9
22) Describe Ekwefi and Ezinma’s relationship.
They have a close, almost equal relationship, more like best friends than mother and daughter.
23) How many children has Ekwefi borne? What happened to nearly all of them?
Ekwefi has borne ten children, but only Ezinma has survived.
24) What is Ezinma called? How is her death prevented?
Ezinma is called an ogbanje, a child who repeatedly dies and is reborn. Her death is prevented by finding and destroying her iyi-uwa, a stone linking her to the spirit world.
Chapter 10
25) Who is one of the egwugwu?
Okonkwo is one of the egwugwu, masked spirits representing ancestral justice.
26) What is the point of the ceremony?
The ceremony serves as a trial to resolve disputes and maintain social order.
27) How do the egwugwu decide the case?
They rule in favor of the wife, requiring the husband to show remorse and seek forgiveness.
Chapter 11
28) Why does Chielo come to Okonkwo’s compound one night?
Chielo, possessed by the spirit of Agbala, takes Ezinma on a spiritual journey.
29) Who follows Chielo and Ezinma? Who joins her later?
Ekwefi follows them initially, and Okonkwo joins later, driven by his love for Ezinma.
Chapter 12
30) Why is Okonkwo tired?
Okonkwo is tired from the previous night’s events, following Chielo and Ezinma.
31) Describe the wedding ceremony.
The wedding ceremony is a vibrant celebration with music, dancing, and feasting.
Chapter 13
32) What happens to Ezeuda’s 16-year-old son?
Ezeuda’s son is chosen as a sacrifice to appease the Oracle.
33) Where do Okonkwo and his family go? What happens to their compound?
Okonkwo and his family are exiled to his motherland for seven years. His compound is destroyed.
34) At the end of the chapter, what does Obierika think about?
Obierika reflects on the injustice of Okonkwo’s exile and the changing dynamics of their society under colonial influence.