Things Fall ApartTHINGS FALL APART tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a "strong man" of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first of these stories traces Okonkwo's fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives, and in its classical purity of line and economical beauty it provides us with a powerful fable about the immemorial conflict between the individual and society. The second story, which is as modern as the first is ancient, and which elevates the book to a tragic plane, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo's world through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing European missionaries. These twin dramas are perfectly harmonized, and they are modulated by an awareness capable of encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul. THINGS FALL APART is the most illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from within. |
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Common terms and phrases
Abame Achebe's African Agbala age-group ancestors Aneto asked beat began British brothers brought buried called cam wood Chielo child Chinua Achebe Christians Chukwu church clan colonial compound cooking court messengers cowries crowd culture daughter District Commissioner drums earth goddess egwugwu Ekwefi elders European Evil Forest Ezeudu Ezinma farm father feast fire foo-foo goatskin hand harvest head heard Heinemann Holy Ghost Fathers Igbo Igboland Ikemefuna iyi-uwa Kiaga killed kinsmen knew kola nut lineage live looked matchet Mbaino Mbanta missionaries morning neighbours Niger Niger River Nigeria night novel Nwakibie Nwoye Nwoye's mother Obiageli Obierika Ogbuefi Okagbue Okonkwo Onitsha Oracle palm palm-oil priestess rain returned round shrine soon spirit stood story talking Things Fall thought told took Tortoise tree Uchendu Umuofia Unoka Uzowulu voice walked warrant chiefs wife wine wives woman women yams young