Things Fall Apart Summary: Chapters 1-6

Okwonko is a very strong and harsh man who lives with the fear of failure. When he was little his father Unoka, never showed any effort in providing a good life for his kids, he was always lazy and trying to escape his duties. Since then, Okonkwo had always been determined to work hard, for never having an opportunity to become as his father.

One day the whole village of Umofia was called to gather at the market place. A daughter of town had been killed. The wife of Ogbuefi Udo, had gone to the market at Mbaino and had been torn from life. A member of the place was immediately sent to see if they preferred war or to offer a virgin and a kid in exchange for the sin. Since all the neigbouring villages feared Umofia, they sent a fifteen year old boy called Ikemefuna and a virgin who would replace Ogbuefi’s missing wife.

Ikemefuna, afraid and confused, was ordered to stay in Okonkwo’s care, soon enough he became very good friends with Nyowe, son of his first wife, and started calling Okonkwo “father”. Although Okonkwo started to like the kid, he never showed any sign of affection or love for anyone, neither his wives or children,  since he considered it a symptom of weakness.

Okonkwo had always worked hard for having a successful future, when he was young he once asked Nwakibie, a very rich man, to give him his first yams for growing and promised not to fail him. The man admiring his efforts gifted him with more than four hundred yams. Although the weather conditions for the year made it impossible for Okonkwo to grow the crops, he never lose faith and kept going through. That’s why he was very harsh with Nyowe and beat him often when he showed any sign of laziness. With strong work, he got to have three wives and live with eight kids.

Umofia was celebrating the week of peace. Before growing crops nobody worked and everyone should be kind to others to honor the Gods of Earth. Okonkwo arrived home, searching for his youngest wife Ojiugo. She wasn’t there; she had gone to plait her hair without asking him. When she returned, Okonkwo was so mad that he beated her very heavily. No one could believe it, he had broken the peace. Ogbuefi Ezeudu, the oldest man of the tribe, gave him his punishment, to take some animals, a cloth and a hundred cowries to Ani, the great Goddess. Everyone spoke of the great sin this man had committed.

New Yam was about to come; Okonkwo grabbed his gun to go hunting, when he noticed someone had cut some leaves of the banana tree. It had been Ekwefi, his second wife; he turned around very angry and nearly shot her with his gun.

The wrestling tournament, took place in the second day of New Yam, Ekwefi forgot what had happened and attended, just as all the village, to see the event since she is passionate about wrestling.While watching the battle, Okonkwo starts to feel threatened, he remembers how he had thrown Amalinze the Cat when he was eighteen. He was afraid that someone could be better than him, that someone could overcome him, he felt like he was failing. He was jealous because now he wasn´t the only one, a young wrestler could be just as good as him.

Reference:

Achebe, C. (1994). Things fall apart. New York, Anchor Books.