THINGS FALL APART

(Chinua Achebe)

Chapter 21

The Europeans started exporting palm-oil and palm nut kernels from Umuofia. The missionary leader, Mr. Brown, was a thorough gentle man. His gentle behaviour had compelled the clans to listen his voice. He urged the Umuofians to send their children to his newly established school. Consequently, the number of converts increased to double during his campaign. But now, he has grown weak and decides to return to his homeland.

Before leaving to Europe, Mr. Brown meets Okonkwo and tells him that his son’s new name is ‘Issac’ and is going to a nearby college for studies. Okonkwo drives the missionary out and orders him never to return.

Rapidly changing system of Umuofia depresses Okonkwo deeply and the sight of fierce Umuofians growing ‘Soft like Women’ break his heart. He mourns for the clan, "which he sees breaking up and falling apart" — a phrase that recalls the title of this book.

Chapter 22

On the departure of Mr. Brown, a harsh and rude man ‘Mr. James Smith’ joined as head of Umuofian Church. Very soon, he suspended a young woman from his religion just because her husband threw away her dead child in the forest. The Umuofians believe that mutilating a dead child in a traditional way gets back into mother’s womb and takes rebirth. Mr. James considered such acts as devilish and condemned these people.

Each year, Igbo people celebrate a day to honor their earth deity. The egwugwu, the spirits of dead ancestors, come and enter the body of dancing clans who wear special masks as their tradition. Enoch, a mischievous convert, masks off one of the dancing clans which, according to Umuofian tradition, kills the ancestral spirit.

The next day, all the clans gathered and set Enoch’s hut on fire. Their culprit took refuge in the Church. They met Mr. James at the Church door and told him that they will not harm him for the sake of Mr. Brown who was their friend. However, they demolished the Church in order to satisfy their ancestral spirits.

Chapter 23

Okonkwo was much please with the destruction of the Church. he further enticed the clan to kill the missionaries and drive the Christians out of their land. The clan agreed with their warrior spirit but did nothing.

In the meanwhile, the District Commissioner returned and called for the leaders including Okonkwo. He asked them to explain the incident of Church. The discussion was underway when the guards handcuffed them and put them behind the bars where they were mistreated by the guards. Commissioner reminded them that Umuofia is under his control and whoever disturbs the peace, will be handled with iron hands. He asked them to pay a fine of two hundred bags of cowries for their release.

The court messengers went to announce in the village that the leaders will be released after a fine of two hundred and fifty bags of cowries (fifty of which the messengers added for themselves) is paid to the Commissioner office. Anyhow, the villagers decided to collect money immediately.

Chapter 24

Fine was paid and the leaders returned home. Okonkwo is obsessed with revenge. The next morning, clansmen came from farthest villages on the call of Umuofian leaders. One of leaders addressed the crowd and demanded for a war against the evil strangers i.e., the white. Suddenly, five court messengers appeared and ordered to stop the meeting.

Okonkwo stepped forward and beheaded one of the messengers with his machete whereas the other messengers ran away. No other clansman tried to stop them. From this inaction, Okonkwo realized that Umuofian will never wage a war against their enemy.

Chapter 25

The District Commissioner came to Okonkwo’s compound and demanded to see him. Obierika led the Commissioner and his party to the backyard of Okonkwo’s compound where his dead body was hanging down from a tree. Obierika wept and accused the Commissioner of the death of his friend. He further requested the Commissioner to ask his men to cut Okonkwo’s body down and burry him because, according to their tradition, no clansman is allowed to touch the body of a person who commits suicide — a sin against the earth. On the orders of the Commissioner, the white men buried Okonkwo’s body.

As the Commissioner leaves, he thinks about the book in which he writes about his experiences in civilizing the people of Nigeria. He is hopeful that he will write a chapter, or perhaps an interesting paragraph, about the man who killed a messenger and then killed himself. The Commissioner will title his book ‘The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger’.