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Okonkwo great victory
Okonkwo brought honor to his village by fighting against the unbeaten wrestler called Amalinze the Cat. Amalinze was called a cat because his back would never touch the ground. But at the end, Okonkwo was able to throw him down. Okonkwo also got a title which made him a popular man not only in Umoufia but also in other nine villages. -
Personalities of Unoka who was Okonkwo's father
Unoka was a lazy poor man, had a tough life. He never had a title and a unsuccessful man. He was a debtor who always borrowed lots of money from people but never paid back. He loves music but when people talk about war and blood, he became very nervous. Okonkwo hates his father because he didn't have any manliness and no one ever proud of him. -
Okonkwo went to Mbaino to take revenge
A village called Mbaino killed a woman who was from Umuofia. The people from Umuofia wanted to get revenge, so they sent Okoknwo. When the villagers in Mbaino saw Okonkwo who was a famous wrestler, they became scared. They begged for forgiveness and wished to sacrifice a young boy(Ikemefuna) and a virgin girl to Umoufia. The boy was brought to Okonkwo’s house. Okonkwo told his senior wife to take his responsibilities. The girl was given to a man who lost his wife. -
Okonkwo broke the peace
There is a “week of peace” between the harvest and planting season. During that week, they are not allowed to hit anybody and everyone should live in peace. But, Okonkwo beat his youngest wife Ojiugo because she wasn't in home to cook dinner for him. She came late from her friend house. He beat her very heavily and break the peace. So the villagers decide to punish him and told him to make some sacrifices. They warned him to not to do this again. -
Ikemefuna is died
The village Umuofia decided to kill Ikemefuna. Ezeudu, an old man, advised Okonkwo that Ikemefuna has to be killed and he shouldn’t get involved or he will get hurt. Okonkwo didn't listen because he was fear to be looking weak in front of the villagers. He lied to Ikemefuna that he is being sent back to his village which made him so happy.
When he runs to Okonkwo to save his life, Okonkwo killed him by his machete(big knife).He didn't show any sympathy on the poor boy Ikemefuna. -
Okonkwo Arrives in His Motherland Mbanta
Pg 129
Uchendu, Okonkwo's mother kinsman, came to receive okonkwo in Mbanta. Almost 20 years ago, okonkwo’s mother had brought Mbanta to Umuofia to bury with her people. Uchendu helped Okonkwo and his family to build compounds and farms. -
Final Ceremony of Confession and “ Mother is Supreme”
Pg 131-134
The confession of the bribe is the last ceremony where the woman confesses if she has slept with any other men. If she hasn’t, she can marry.
Uchendu considers Okonkwo as a child, because he has no answer for Uchendu’s questions.
A son is belong to his father, not his mother. But in times of danger, children always go to their mother for comfort and protection.
Uchendu advices Okonkwo to live happily and work hard. He should support and comfort his family. -
“ Second Year of His Exile”
Pg 136-139
From Obierika, Okonkwo gets news about his fatherland, the coming of white men and how Abame which was a village like Umuofia was destroyed and people were killed by the white men, because the people from the village Abame killed a white man without any reason.
A oracle from the village Abame warned the villagers that the white man would destroy the entire clan and he is the first of many white men to come. -
Missionaries had Come to Umuofia to Spread Christianity
Pg 143-
Obierika came to Mbanta to his friend again. He informed Okonkwo that the missionaries and the white man had come to Umuofia and planning to build churches and convinced people to convert. After Umuofia, their mission is to come in Mbanta for more converts. -
Nwoye Converts to Christianity
Nwoye is Okonkwo’s son who is unlike his father and hates him for killing Ikemefuna. He is very impress by the Christian religion and decides to leave his father. He goes back to Umuofia to learn how to read and write in a religious school which is built by missionaries. Okonkwo compares Nwoye with his dead lazy father. -
True God Vs. False Gods
Pg 145
The message from the white man and the missionaries is that there is only one true God and the people of Mbanta are worshiping some false Gods. True God judges everyone after death. Evil men and false God whisperer would get harsh punishment; good men and true God whisperer would live happily and peacefully.
To get more converts, they would offer them iron horses (bicycles). -
Evil Forest Become The Place to Build Churches
Pg 148-150 The missionaries ask the villagers for land to build churches; they agrees, but gives them a big portion of the Evil Forest. The villagers thought they would die very soon because the evil forest contains people’s dead bodies who were suffered with deadly diseases; but none of them died.Some rumors spread that the white man can see and talk with the evil spirits through his glasses.
Mr. Kiaga tells people that they can go to churches to worship the true God. -
The New Religion Begins to Challenge The Igbo Religion
Pg 154- 156
Some converts come into the village and said “all gods are dead” and threaten to burn down the all shrines. The villagers get angry on them and beat and turn them bloody.
Rumors begin to spread very quickly. The white man had not only brought a religion but also a government with them. They also hanged one villager who killed a missionary.
This new religion accepts the twins and Igbo outcasts into their churches. -
The Royal Python is killed
The sacred python refers as the God of Water which is killed by a converts named Okoli. As a result, the village has made all Christians outlaws.
The villagers call a meeting to decide what would they do to punish them. Okonkwo wants to punish them violently, but they decide to leave this matter on God.
Okoli is found dead and the villagers say the God punish him and support the villagers. So they chase away the female converts who came to get water from river to clean the church for Easter. -
A Large Feast Organized By Okonkwo
7 years of exile is going to end very soon, okonkwo decides to invite his kinsmen and villagers in Mbanta for a feast to show his gratitude.
An elder man expresses his feeling on the new religion. He fears for the younger generation and feels that the bond of kinship is breaking and a very unpleasant and bad religion has settled among them. -
Okonkwo is Planning to Return His Fatherland
He realizes that he may lose his high position in Umuofia. He wants his daughters to get marry in his fatherland and their appearances would attract many powerful men in Umuofia which would increase Okonkwo’s status.
He still wishes Ezinma was a son because she understands him very well. -
Missionaries built a court for judgement
The court judges case in ignorance. They guarded prison which are full with men who had committed crime by breaking white man’s laws.
Aneto was hanged by the white men. The court settled a case on land dispute and favored the man who gave them more money. Aneto killed the man in anger and tried to flee; but caught by the white men and hanged. -
Meaning of The Title “Things Fall Apart” and Okonkwo Returns to His Fatherland Umuofia
“He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”The Christians are responsible to break the unity of the clan and the people begin to go against each other which break their relationship. For example- the relationship between Okonkwo and Nwoye.
People pay no attention on Okonkwo. The new religion, churches, new government, trading stores are interested them more. He mourns for the clan because it broke apart. Warlike men become soft- hearted like women. -
An Ancestral Spirit had killed
Pg 186-191
In an Igbo festival, Enoch commits a very big crime. At first, he told an egwugwu that “they wouldn’t dare to touch a Christian”. In response, the egwugwu smacks him with a cane. Enoch fell on egwugwu and tore off his mask publicly which is sin and crime done by Enoch. -
Invitation From The District Commissioner(DC) for 6 leaders of Umuofia
The DC use a clever trick to arrest and imprison the leaders.He demands 200 bags of cowries from the villagers because they burnt people’s houses and the holy church.He tells the kotma to treat the leaders with respect; but he shave off their hair and starve them for 3 days. When Okonkwo says, “they should kill the white man”, the kotma hears him and beat each leaders with stick.The kotma demands 50 bags more as the increasing fine, otherwise the leaders will be hanged. The villagers agree. -
Okonkwo Kills A Messenger
The villagers call for a meeting. Okika, one of the 6 leaders, advises the Umuofia to go to war even though they will hit their kinsmen. They should protect the clan from the white man.
Five kotma arrives and order them to stop the meeting. Okonkwo draws his machete on the messenger and killed him. Now he realizes that Umuofia wouldn’t do anything to protect the clan because they had let the others escape. They all are confused. Okonkwo leaves the meeting place. -
Okonkwo Hangs Himself
The district commissioner (DC)and his guards demanded to see Okonkwo. Obierika agrees; but in one condition, they have to help them. The DC warns them to not to play any trick.
Okonkwo committed suicide and his dead body is dangling from a tree. Obierika asks them to take down the dead body, only strangers can touch and bury his body. It is an abomination for a man to suicide and now his body is considered as evil. Obierika criticizes the DC for Okonkwo’s dead. -
Commissioner’s Interest On Okonkwo’s Actions
Pg 208-209
The DC wants to include Okonkwo’s actions in his new book. He finds interest on his actions of killing a messenger, then hanged himself. He decides to write a whole chapter on Okonkwo.
