Things Fall Apart

Chinua AchebeFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1958

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-13

Chapters 14-16

Chapters 17-19

Chapters 20-22

Chapters 23-25

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Vocabulary

Essay Topics

Quiz

Essay Topics

Revisit the epigraph, which is an excerpt from William Butler Yeats’s poem, “The Second Coming.” Why did Achebe select this epigraph to introduce his novel? What elements of the novel’s plot and language draw upon the content and emotion of Yeats’s poem?

Manhood and womanhood are emphasized throughout the novel, and not only in Okonkwo’s mind. How do the gendered elements of Ibo society empower and erode the community? Is masculinity a positive force in Okonkwo’s life?

What is the relationship between spiritual and physical life in Things Fall Apart?