Themes in things fall apart

1. Prakruti B. Bhatt The African Literature Themes in Things Fall Apart Roll: No. 12

2. About Author Born  November 16, 1930,  Died  March 21, 2013

3. Themes Gender Family Respect and Reputation Fear Religion Sin Traditions and Customs Man and the Natural World Language and Communication

4. Gender Traditional Igbo life presented in this novel revolves around structured gender roles . The dominant role for women is: first, to make a pure bride for an honorable man, second, to be a submissive wife, and third, to bear many children The protagonist in the novel is extremely concerned with being hyper-masculine and devalues everything feminine, leaving him rather unbalanced.  Idea of balance between masculine and feminine forces – body and mind/soul, emotionality and rationality, mother and father. If one is in imbalance, it makes the whole system haywire.  

5. Family For the Igbo, there are a few key ideas that form the basis of an ideal family: mutual respect for each other, a reverence for all past fathers, and unity.

6. Respect and Reputation Reputation is based on merit – men gain reputation through bravery in battle, skill at wrestling, and hard work as seen through the size of their yam harvest.  Okonkwo , the novel’s protagonist, is extremely concerned with reputation because he grew up with a father who was shameful and lazy. Okonkwo overcompensates by working tirelessly on his farm and taking every opportunity available to prove his bravery and strength.

7. Fear Many of the characters suffer from fear of some sort.  Okonkwo fears becoming like his lazy, shameful father, Ekwefi fears losing her daughter, and Nwoye fears his father’s wrath.  fear in this novel leads characters to behave in negative ways that can bring the wrath of the gods, guilt, and the community disapproval upon them.

8. Religion The Igbo gods are mostly manifestations of nature and its elements, which makes sense because they are an agricultural society that depends on the regularity of seasons and natural phenomena to survive.  They worship the goddess of the earth and are always careful to avoid committing sins against her for fear of vengeance that might wipe out an entire generation. The Igbo ancestors also take on a divine nature to some extent. 

9. Sin In  Things Fall Apart, sin is defined as a crime against the gods. Such transgressions occur when a member of society violates the most intimate bonds of family, especially with regards to one’s children or somehow insults an ancestral spirit. These sins call for quick and severe punishment, often including animal sacrifices, a heavy fine, various symbolic gestures of atonement, exile from one’s fatherland, or even death

10. Traditions and Customs Respect and knowledge of one’s role in society is very important in determining such customs and Traditions. Another institution that rituals address and honor is the family unit. 

11. Man and the Natural World As an agricultural society, the survival of the Umuofia depends on the earth and its predictable cycle of seasons . The Igbo also reap the earth’s wealth in rather economical and effective ways – tapping trees for palm-wine, capitalizing off of locust plagues, and making medicine with herbs. Human beings are implicitly viewed as the children of the earth, though the conduct of the white men throws doubt on that assumption.

12. Language and Communication Speech is highly stylized in Igbo culture, with specific rules on how to addresses a neighbor, a superior, an ancestral spirits, and the gods.  While dialogue is usually direct in its meaning, speakers often adorn conversations with proverbs or references to folktales, which play a profound role in shaping Igbo beliefs.

13. Thank You…….