Things Fall Apart | Study Guide

Chinua Achebe

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Course Hero. "Things Fall Apart Study Guide." July 28, 2016. Accessed January 20, 2019. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Things-Fall-Apart/.

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Course Hero, "Things Fall Apart Study Guide," July 28, 2016, accessed January 20, 2019, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Things-Fall-Apart/.

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Check out this Infographic to learn more about Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

Artboard 1Set in 1800s Nigeria, Things Fall Apart tells the story of Okonkwo, his family, and his clan. Focusing on Okonkwo’s rise and fall, it is both a tale of human relations and a commentary about foreign influence on local cultures. Okonkwo returns from exile to find missionaries have brought radical changes—changes he may not survive.The Challengeof Cultural ChangeTHEMESChinua Achebe1958EnglishNovel AuthorYear PublishedOriginal LanguageThings Fall ApartHistoricalBetrayalOkonkwo feels betrayed by his son’s femininity and his clan’s passivity towards foreigners.Fate vs. Free WillBorn poor, Okonkwo exercises free will and works to become wealthy and raise his status.Culture & ChangeWhile many Ibo resist change, those who are outcasts welcome the Europeans and change.AuthorThe Nigerian-born author is widely seen as the father of modern African literature. His first novel, the insightful social commentary Things Fall Apart, has been translated into more than 50 languages. Nelson Mandela said Achebe “brought Africa to the rest of the world.”CHINUA ACHEBE1930–2013Main CharactersOkonkwoStrong Ibo leader who falls from graceUnokaOkonkwo's lazy, flute-plaa-ing fatherMr. Brown& Mr. SmithWhite Christian missionaries NwoyeOkonkwo's easy-going sonEzinmaOkonkwo's bright,capable daughterIkemefunaBecomes like a sonto OkonkwoDistrict CommissionerRegional head of British governmentObierika, Chapter 20Additional novels Achebe wrote about Okonkwo’s family and other clans of the Ibo society2Years Okonkwo spends in exile with his family after he accidentally kills a member of his clan7Amount Achebe paid to have his manuscript typed up from his only handwritten copy£32Languages into which Things Fall Apart has been translated>50e has put a knife on the things that heldus together and we have fallen apart.Things Fall Apartby the NumbersFireOkonkwo is known as the Roaring Flame and his blazing anger eventually destroys him.YamsGrown by Ibo men, yams symbolize masculinity, wealth, and respect.LocustsLocusts represent the arrival of British colonists—seemingly benign at first, then destructive.SymbolsSources: BBC News, Christian Science Monitor, The Guardian, The Independent, The New Yorker, Washington PostCopyright © 2016 Course Hero, Inc.
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