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Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

 Chapter Wise Summary



Chapter One

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart begins with an introduction to the protagonist of the novel Okonkwo. The narrator informs the readers that Okonkwo is well known in more than nine villages since he threw Amaziline the Cat in a wrestling match when he was 18. 

In terms of physical features, Okonkwo is a tall and huge man with bushy eyebrows. An intriguing emotional peculiarity of Okonkwo is the inability to express anger due to stammering, and thus resorting to using the fist. 

The narrator then begins talking about Okonkwo's father, Unoka. Unoka is an improvident lazy man, and Okonkwo is a stark contrast to his personality. Although, as a young boy, Unoka was good with musical instruments, the grown Unoka was a debtor who owed "few cowries to quite substantial amounts" to all his neighbours. The villagers even decided to not lend Unoka any money, but he always managed to talk his way out with them; "piling up his debts."

This one time, a neighbour Okoye comes to meet Unoka. Unoka and Okoyte converse about various things, like rain, yams, feast, until the discussion reaches wars. Here, Unoka's character traits are highlighted, "Unoka was never happy when it came to wars. He was in fact a coward and could not bear the sight of blood. And so he changed the subject and talked about music, and his face beamed." 

Nonetheless, Okoye actually visited Unoka for asking his money back as he was to take the Idemili title, the third-highest in the land. The conversation which was going on plainly so far changes to proverbs when Okoye begins to ask for his two hundred cowries. The narrator says, "Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten." However, Unoka tells him that he will be paying off the heavy debts first, and Okoye has no option but to depart. 

At last, Unoka died under heavy debt. Luckily, "among these people, a man was judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father." So Okonkwo was able to earn a name for himself with his deeds. He beat the greatest wrestler, was a wealthy farmer having two barns full of yams, and three wives; again, Okonkwo despite being young was able to earn a name for himself because "age was respected among these people, but achievement was revered."

The chapter ends with foreboding of the doom that will fall upon Okonkwo and Umuofia (the village) due to Ikemefuna, a lad who was sacrificed to Umuofia for avoiding war. 



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