What is the central message in Things Fall Apart?

Answer 1

Various moral dilemmas present themselves in Things Fall Apart, mostly around whether one should do something just because it is tradition.

The biggest example of this is when Ikemefuna is sentenced to die. Instead of stopping it from happening, Okonkwo ends up being the one who kills Ikemefuna.

Another example is the killing of twins when they are born.

Answer 2

Overall the lesson is not to be greedy, and to be honest. From a European imperialist point of view, the lesson could be not to imperialize places that don't need religious reform etc., just for the possible profits from making colonies there.

The tortoise talks the birds into each giving him one feather so that he has enough to go to their feast, but he ends up tricking them and taking all of their food. They realize they have been tricked and they all take back their feathers one at a time. The tortoise then realizes he wont be able to get down to his cottage without wings. he then convinces a bird to go down and tell his wife to put all of the soft things in the front yard so that he can jump down, but the bird tricks him back instead, and tells the tortoise's wife to put all of the hard things in the yard. the tortoise sees his wife putting things in the yard, but he cant see what they are, so he assumes it is all of the soft things that he requested. He jumps down to a very hard landing, shattering his shell to pieces. The doctor comes and puts the shell back together for him, but it is now all bumpy and it will never be smooth again.

Answer 3

Although this is debatable, I think the central message of Things Fall Apart is that ethnic Nigerians had a proud, complex and developed society and religion before they were colonized by the English. This society is not as primitive as English society, and other writers had made it out to be before Things Fall Apart was published.

Answer 4

Many conflicts occur in Things Fall Apart including:

• The Wrestling between Okonkwo and Amalinze the Cat.
• The conflict between Okonkwo and his father's philosophy.
• Okonkwo's internal struggle to be manly and escape the shadow of his father.
• Nwoye's internal struggle to be himself and yet live up to the expectations of his father.
• Mbanta and Umuofia's conflict regarding the women killed in Mbanta's market.
• Okonkwo's struggle to accept Ikemefuna's death even as Ikemefuna is the most shining example of manliness in Okonkwo's home.
• Okonkwo's struggle to keep his wives in line.
• The struggle to deal with Okonkwo's anger.
• Okonkwo's ambition to become the greatest man of his village
• The wrestling between Amadiora and Okafo.
• The internal struggle of Okonkwo during his exile
• Okonkwo's need for yams during his first harvest
• Okonkwo's internal struggle to deal with the drought then storms of the first harvest.
• Ezinma's struggle to stay alive.
• Ekwefi's struggle to have children who live.
• Chielo's request to take her daughter Ezinma to see Agbala.
• The conflict between the men of Abame and the horseman.
• The conflict between the village of Abame and the white reinforcements
• The conflict between the religions of the white men and the Igbo.
• The struggle to make medicine for Ezinma as she is dying of illness.
• The haggling over the bride's price.