Theme 2

Things Fall Apart

Masculinity
Okonkwo associates masculinity with anger and feels
that anger is the only emotion that he should display.
For this reason, he frequently beats his wives (Ojiugo
plaited her hair and didnt cook the lunch for
Okonkwo), even threatening to kill them from time
to time. (Ekwefi cuts few banana leaves and
Okonkwo almost shoot her)
Obierika, unlike Okonkwo, was a man who
thought about things.
Obierika refuses to accompany the men on the
trip to kill Ikemefuna, but Okonkwo volunteers to
join the party that will execute his surrogate son
but also violently stabs him with his machete
simply because he is afraid of appearing weak.

Okonkwos seven-year exile from his village only
reinforces his belief that men are stronger than women.
The exile is his opportunity to get in touch with his
feminine side and to acknowledge his maternal
ancestors, but he keeps reminding himself that his
maternal kinsmen are not as warlike and fierce as the
villagers of Umuofia.
He faults them for their preference of negotiation,
compliance, and avoidance over anger and bloodshed.

Fate and free will
There is an Igbo saying that when a man
says yes, his chi, or spirit, says yes also.
The belief that he controls his own
destiny is important to Okonkwo.

Later, several events occured to undermine (make
someone or something less strong or effective) this
belief, and Okonkwo is embittered (to make someone
feel hate and anger for a long time because they think
they have been treated unfairly) by the experience.
As often happens with tragedy, the catastrophe (terrible
event) comes through a complex mix of external forces
and the character's choices.

Fear
For all of his desire to be strong, Okonkwo is
haunted by fear.
He is afraid of failure, and he is afraid of
being considered weak.
This fear drives him to carelessness, and in
the end contributes to his death.

Tribal Belief
Particularly since one of the threats to Igbo life is
the coming of the new religion, tribal belief is a
theme of some importance.
Igbo religious beliefs explain and provide
meaning to the world; the religion is also
inextricable (cannot be seperated) from social
and political institutions.
Achebe also shows that Igbo religious
authorities, such as the Oracle, seem to
possess uncanny (very strange and
difficule to explain) power.
He approaches the matter of Igbo
religion with a sense of wonder.

Justice
For the Igbo, justice and fairness are matters
of great importance.
They have complex social institutions that
administer justice in fair and rational ways.
But the coming of the British upsets that
balance.

Although the British claim that local laws are
barbaric, and use this claim as an excuse to
impose their own laws, we soon see that
British law is hypocritical and inhumane.
The final events leading up to Okonkwo's
death concern the miscarriage of Justice
under the British District Commissioner.