Religion and Philosophy

Things Fall Apart is strongly connected to religion and philosophy. In the novel religion is unlike religion in our world today. In Okonkwo’s clan religion is a life style – almost like a philosophy. They live everyday in fear of sin and as seen in the novel, go to extremes to cleanse the town and themselves their transgressions or tufia (a curse or an oath).

• Oracle of the Hills – called Agbala, lives in a cave which serves as a shrine. People come to her to discover what the future holds for them or to consult the spirits of their dead fathers.
• Music – is a huge part of the clan it serves as a way to honor ancestors and worship God. A lot of the women and children also sing songs to keep themselves busy during the day or for enjoyment.
• Egwugwu - a tribesman who impersonates ancestral spirits of the village.
• Ceremonies – every ceremony involves the village from weddings to court cases everyone attends. There are also many ceremonies where the Egwugwu dance.

Science and Technology

In the novel Things Fall Apart there are very few connections to science and technology. The only connection we could find was indirect. We assumed that when the white men missionaries came to Umuofia and Mbanta they brought with them some type of technology or a more industrial way of living.

Poetry Connections

1. po-et-ry (noun)
the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts.

Poetry is presented within the novel through celebration and collaborated teachings to express thoughts and feelings of important moments. It is a form of personal expression often times put to music as an even deeper form of self-release/elevated thoughts to help celebrate the time. Poetry evokes greater meaning to situations and helps listeners gain a better understanding of situations. Although poetry is sometimes a sophisticated composition written by skilled poets, often times it is just a rythmic chanting used to unite people in celebration.

For example:
"Who will wrestle for our village?
Okafo will wrestle for our village.
Has he thrown a hundred men?
He has thrown a hundred men.
Has he thrown aa hundred Cats?
He has thrown a hundred Cats.
Then send him to fight for us." (p.51)

This is an expression/chant used to unite the people cheering for Okafo and intimidate the opponent that he is fighting. Simple words chanted by crowds are able to ignite the adrenaline within people and motivate them to higher levels of intensity.

Ekewifi

Plot Overview

Okonkwo is a wealthy and respected warrior from the Umuofia clan, part of lower Nigera. His father, Unoka, was very unsuccessful and he fears that he follow in his footsteps. Okonkwo takes in a boy won by the village named Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna becomes close friends with Okonkwo’s son Nwoye, but when the clan tells Okonkwo that the boy must be sacrificed because he has become too close to Okonkwo– Okonkwo murders him, even though he isn’t supposed to be a part of the death.

A respected elderly villager, Ezeudu, dies and at the funeral Okonkwo’s gun explodes and kills Ezeudu’s son. Okonkwo is exiled for 7 years because he killed a fellow clansman. Okonkwo travels with his family to Mbanta where his uncle Uchendu lives. He is warmly welcomed and starts to build a farm and huts for his wives. Missionaries come and try to convert the villagers, Okonkwo resists the change. Okonkwo and his clan, the egwugwu, burn the Christian church to the ground. They are thrown in jail where they suffer physical abuse.

After they are released the clansmen hold a meeting which is interrupted by missionaries – Okonkwo kills a messanger with a machete attempting an uprising, but no one follows him. The District Commissioner arrives at Okonkwo’s compound to find that he has hung himself. The commissioner is writing a book and decides Okonkwo’s rebellion and death will make a good chapter, the book is to be called: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.

Uchendu

Priorities

Due to Okonkwo's desire to never be like his father, Unoka, and become a respected man in the village, he often loses sight of what is truly important in life. When Okonkwo returns to his motherland during his seven years of exile, he learns from his wise uncle, Uchendu, that his problems are nothing compared to other tragedies that many villagers experience. He teaches Okonkwo that even though life can have problems, you should never let sorrow weigh you down, since Okonkwo has a duty to care for his wives and his children. Uchendu has buried twenty-two children and has lost all of his wives, but he still continues on in his life. Lastly, he asks Okonkwo to seek comfort in his motherland and care for his family and ancestors rather than worry about his sorrows of life.