BlogEnglishThe Definitive Guide to Analysing ‘Things Fall Apart’ for English: Summary, Context, Themes & Characters

The Definitive Guide to Analysing ‘Things Fall Apart’ for English: Summary, Context, Themes & Characters

Yams - Things Fall Apart Analysis

Studying ‘Things Fall Apart’ for English and are a little stuck with writing up your essay analysis of the text? Not to worry, we’ve going to break down the themes, the key characters and provide you with a summary of Things Fall Apart to help you write a cohesive essay.

PLUS we’ll provide you with a sample analysis table (also called a TEE table) and an example of a paragraph that gets high marks for Things Fall Apart!

Let’s get started on your essay analysis of Things Fall Apart!

Things Fall Apart Summary
Key Characters in Things Fall Apart
Context
Themes Explored in Things Fall Apart
Analysis of Things Fall Apart

Summary of Things Fall Apart

Okonkwo, born in a humble house in Umuofia, becomes famed in the village due to his wrestling capabilities, and also becomes somewhat wealthy. This is in contrast to his father, who was of a lazy character and refused to work.

His prowess is proven to the reader when, to avert a rivalry with the nearby village of Baino, he is sent to negotiate; he returns with a boy, Ikemefuna (Okonkwo raises him as his son) as well as a virgin. Okonkwo fears failure, and his culture is everything to him. 

Village - Things Fall Apart Analysis

Okonkwo is concerned for his biological son, Nwoye, who seems to take after Okonkwo’s father, but has great admiration for his daughter Ezinma. He also admires Ikemefuna, however, he is ordered to kill him by the village oracle. Despite his love for Ikemefuna, he carries out the deed.

Okonkwo has a quick and volatile temperament, hence why he beats his second wife during peace week, and even almost kills her with his gun. Okonkwo is later banned from the village as he shoots and kills a boy with his gun. He is forced to live in his mother’s village for seven years, but is consoled by his uncle, that pushes him to return to Umuofia. 

Meanwhile Umuofia is approached by missionaries who peacefully establish a church and are able to convert some of the villagers to Christianity, including Nwoye. Crucially, and unlike many colonisation instances, weapons are not used this time.

The missionaries make the village prosperous economically, but when Okonkwo returns, he sees this as a great mistake. During a ritual, the missionary Mr. Brown unmasks an “egwugwu”, a tribesman dressed as a spirit. This is met with hostility in the village and the villagers are convinced by Okonkwo to burn down the local church. They succeed. 

Okonkwo and the elders are then invited to the colonial Commissioner, that is able to overpower them and arrest them in retaliation for the burning of the church. The elders are humiliated and then released along with Okwonko.

The protagonist then kills one of the colonial missionaries, and thus loses the support of the villagers, who have come to enjoy the economic benefits brought by the colonial administration.

Desperate, Okonkwo hangs himself, and is not buried as suicide is seen as a sin. Okonkwo’s world has fallen apart.

Key Characters in Things Fall Apart

Okonkwo

An extremely proud, and hardworking man. He built his way from nothing through wrestling for the village, as well as being a successful fighter.

He is thus scared of failure, which would take away his relative wealth and family prestige. His culture is everything to him.

Ikemefuna

He is the son that Okonkwo always wanted, but he is also a tool for the writer to sacrifice in order to reveal the lengths to which Okonkwo will go to prove his worth to his culture, and his fear of failure. Do not underestimate the importance of this character, that is also a symbol. 

Ezinma

She is extremely clever, well mannered and hardworking, just like her father. Hence why Okonkwo admires her so much, and, by extent, her mother.

She is often compared to Nwoye, to highlight her superiority in the eyes of Okonkwo. 

Uchendu

He is Okonkwo’s uncle, a wise and much-admired man by Okonkwo, unlike his father. This is crucial, as it reveals how much Okonkwo detests his father’s ways.

Unoka

Okonkwo’s father, the only character that is never physically present due to his premature death, but that has great repercussions on Okonkwo.

Essentially, Unoka is a product of destiny, a man who accepted his role in life as an unsuccessful and relatively lazy man. Okonkwo contrasts him, as a product of free will. 

Context of Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart is a novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, first published in 1958. The novel is set in the late 19th century in Nigeria and portrays the clash between traditional African culture and the influence of Western colonialism and Christianity.

It tells the story of Okonkwo, a proud and successful warrior of the Igbo tribe who strives to maintain his cultural traditions and values in the face of the encroaching white colonisers. The novel explores themes of power, masculinity, religion, colonialism, and cultural conflict. It is widely regarded as a classic of modern African literature and has been translated into over 50 languages.

Very little was known about African culture pre-colonisation to western audiences. Chinua Achebe thus produced the story to highlight these specific circumstances in African history. It is also a way to reconstruct a part of his own culture, which to Nigerians is almost lost to this day. 

Things Fall Apart Book Cover

The context of the book is pre-colonial Nigeria. It is packed with references that western audiences find difficult to understand, as they are culture-specific and foreign to us. Nevertheless, it contributes to an identity that is otherwise almost hidden to the west.

Themes Explored in Things Fall Apart

Fate

The tribe as well as the lives of Unoka and the other villagers are believed to be controlled by fate. The characters, in other words, do not control what happens to them, or try and change their circumstances.

This speaks heavily towards the inevitability of fate. Unoka does not do anything to change the situation he is placed in. Okonkwo resents him for this.

Free Will

This stands in heavy contrast with free will, which by definition is the ability of man to make what he chooses of himself. Okonkwo changes his circumstances and becomes famous and wealthy, something his father never could achieve.

Despite this, fate still prevails in the end as the tribe, along with customs and Okonkwo’s ideals, is destroyed by fate. Before fate, Okonkwo is powerless, hence his suicide. 

Family

Family and traditions are constantly involved, from religious practices to blurring the lines between father-son and mother-daughter relationships — the book questions it all. Traditions are destroyed, despite some trying to uphold them, a constant reminder of change as the everlasting force behind existence. 

Culture

Two drastically different cultures come into contact in the book, with one prevailing over another, not because of superiority, but because of modernisation.

The writer here reveals how cultures can change in an instant, and advises us not to hold on to our values too fanatically, as ideologies often have to be modified to suit circumstances. This is the same with Umofia and its culture, that has to adapt to the modern, colonial world of the time. 

How to Analyse Things Fall Apart in 3 Steps

Step 1: Choose your example(s)

The best way to choose an example is to choose a quote that contains a technique or exemplifies a theme or symbol.

Remember you must include stylistic devices (how images and words are arranged in a text in order to produce meaning), and aesthetic features (elements that prompt a critical response from the reader) in your essays to gain the most marks. 

You can find a whole bunch of quotes we’ve compiled from Things Fall Apart.

The tricky thing with Things Fall Apart is that there is very little imagery or conventional stylistic and aesthetic features. Most of the time, you will be referring to symbols and themes rather than, say, personification and alliteration, as there are very few examples of this. Here is a quote that sums up the essence of how the book is written:

“There is no story that is not true, […] The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others.” 

Step 2: Identify your techniques

With Things Fall Apart, not many techniques are used, so refer to themes and key ideas for most of your analysis. The book is told in a very straightforward manner. This is because it is intended to be almost an ‘historical’ (although the characters are fictional) representation of the events.

In this quote, you can focus on the theme of culture, the subjective nature of it, through the technique of dialogue. The quote is spoken by Uchendu, Okonkwo’s uncle, who is trying to open his nephew’s eyes with respect to the Christians. Of course, Okonkwo is too proud for this, and Uchendu eventually fails.

Step 3: Carry out your analysis 

Always be ready to ask yourself what the author intended for you to feel/respond emotionally by reading the example quote. This will make sure that you tackle an important part of the analysis, which is the effect on the reader.

Chinua Achebe comments on the fragility of culture before change in his ‘Things Fall Apart’. Through masterfully written dialogue, “There is no story that is not true, […] The world has no end, and what is good among one people is an abomination with others,” Uchendu tries to convince Okonkwo that there is little he can do to preserve his people’s customs, or convince them that his is the only right world view. This comes as the Colonial powers attempt to bring Indigenous Peoples, sometimes brutally and sometimes nicely, into modern society. In this case, the Christians have opted for peace, and there is thus no legitimate excuse for Okonkwo to resent them and be violent towards them. 

For the rest of the analysis of this quote, you should download the sample paragraph below!

Step 4: Practise with sample essay questions

Even if you’ve written an incredible essay, if you don’t respond to the question or stimulus that you’re given in an exam, you could miss out on a Band 6.

Luckily for you, we’ve got plenty of practise questions on our resources page for you to use!

In Year 11? Here are 20 Practise Questions for the Common Module: Reading to Write to get you started!

Need some help analysing other texts?

Check out other texts we’ve created guides for below:

Studying VCE English? Look into the VCE English Framework of Ideas!

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We can help you master your essay analysis of Things Fall Apart by taking you through the summary, key characters and themes. We’ll also help you ace your upcoming English assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or online! Art of Smart have North Shore English tutoring to help you ace ‘Things Fall Apart’!

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Vittorio Manessi is an Art of Smart tutor based in Queensland studying environmental science. He was one of the first Year 12 students to study under the new ATAR system in Queensland. He enjoys Maths, Science, English and Ancient History and is keen to share his knowledge of the QCE by making awesome resources.

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