Things Fall Apart Chap. 1-6 Summary

Up to now, after having learned about Chinua Achebe, African Literature and the context this book is written in, I believe its safe to make a summary of the chapters ive read so far.

Overall, the book has been really interesting in the sense that it invites people to look into the history and culture of the African tribes. It gives a good introduction to the realities that tribesmen faced and still face today, and it looks into both the daily life and the general situation that most live in. Ranging from the most important traditions, rituals and celebrations such as wrestling, war and many more, to the routinary everyday tasks they must do to survive. We learn about how even in their small town, a whole world of a society takes place, involving titles, social status and reputation. The book takes place in the 1890's, following the happenings aroud Okonkwo, a wealthy and respected warrior and farmer of the Umuofia clan in Nigeria.

We look into his nature, as Okonkwo recognizes (and hates) that his deceased father, Unoka, was a failiure of a man, because he was lazy, cowardly, and owes money to everyone. He couldnt provide properly for the children, so they usually were hungry and poor. Okonkwo is scared that his son Nwoye will end op the same way, for he seems to be on that path of laziness and mediocrity. Okonkwo is the best wrestler in the tribe, and considered one of the top clansmen, having to do with war and presence. He is always treated with both fear and respect, but even though he is imposing and ruthless, he is still under the leaders of the clan, who punish him for breaking the peace during the Week of Peace for beating one of his wives. He was not punished for hitting her, he was punished for breaking a sacred tradition. This comes to examplify the type of life certain people in the tribe's society had to live and the problems they faced. Because he fears weakness, Okonkwo is very demanding of his family, for he relates weakness to women and his father. This brings good things such as the fact that he is very hardworking and providing for his big family, but it also has a bad side because he ends up damadging almost everyone around him in one way or another, for example he expresses disdain for the men less succesful than him. Okonkwo also gets mad when he has nothing to do, such as on celebration days.

Okonkwo is the fiercest warrior of the tribe, so when a man in another village, Mbaino, killed a woman form the Umuofia clan, making them angry, they decided to send Okonkwo to make a deadly deal. They would have to sacrifice something to avoid a war between the two villages. Okonkwo takes back home a virgin and a fifteen-year-old boy, Ikemefuna. He grows up to be loved by all, being useful and warrior-like, and soon Nwoye looks up to him as a bigger brother. Ikemefuna starts calling Okonkwo "father", and he feels close to him, but even though Okonkwo also feels attatched to him in the same way, he shows no sign of this affection. Some time after he also beats his second wife making up an excuse just because he was angry, and almost kills her with his gun. Wrestling events arrive shortly, and so he gets in a better mood.

In these chapters we begin to understand how complex the society is, where harmony is important, and a man's actions are more important than anything else. How (with Ikemefuna's stories) Africa is a very varied place, with subcultures in every culture and traditons that change depending on the tribe and location. People tend to forget that Africa is a whole continent, and im happy to be learning more about it every time I turn the page.