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Chapters
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Chapters
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Things Fall Apart has 25 chapters.
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Chapters25 items
Chapter 1
The novel opens by establishing Okonkwo as the most respected man in Umuofia. His reputation rests on his own hard work, not his father's legacy.
Chapter 2
Umuofia is summoned by a night crier to gather the next morning. The meeting reveals that a woman from Umuofia was killed in Mbaino, and the clan must decide on war or compensatio…
Chapter 3
This chapter goes back in time to show Okonkwo's early struggles. As a young man with nothing, he went to a wealthy man named Nwakibie to beg for seed yams to start his farm.
Chapter 4
Ikemefuna has now lived with Okonkwo's family for three years and has become like a son, especially close to Okonkwo's oldest son Nwoye.
Chapter 5
The Feast of the New Yam is approaching, a time to thank the earth goddess and welcome the harvest. Okonkwo is in a bad mood because the festival means no work for several days, a…
Chapter 6
The village holds a wrestling match, one of the most celebrated events in Umuofia's social calendar. Ekwefi, Okonkwo's second wife, watches with particular intensity because she f…
Chapter 7
Ikemefuna has now lived with Okonkwo's family for three years and has become almost a son to him, though Okonkwo refuses to show it openly.
Chapter 8
Okonkwo is depressed after killing Ikemefuna, though he cannot admit why. He stops eating, drinks heavily, and cannot sleep.
Chapter 9
Ezinma, Okonkwo's favorite daughter, falls seriously ill with fever. Ekwefi, her mother, is terrified because she has lost nine children before Ezinma and believes the girl may be…
Chapter 10
The chapter presents a full public trial held by the egwugwu, the nine masked spirits who represent the ancestors of the nine villages of Umuofia.
Chapter 11
Ekwefi tells Ezinma the story of the tortoise and the birds while they sit together at night. Later, Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, arrives in a frenzied state and demands that…
Chapter 12
The next morning, life returns to normal. The chapter focuses on preparations for Obierika's daughter's uri, the ceremony before a wedding where the bride price is settled and gif…
Chapter 13
Ezeudu, one of the oldest and most respected men in Umuofia, dies. His funeral is a massive, loud affair with drums, guns, and dancing.
Chapter 14
Okonkwo arrives in Mbanta, his mother's village, and is taken in by his uncle Uchendu. Uchendu is old, wise, and practical.
Chapter 15
Obierika visits Okonkwo in Mbanta twice during the exile years. On the first visit, he brings news from Umuofia and tells Okonkwo about the destruction of a village called Abame.
Chapter 16
Two years have passed since Okonkwo arrived in Mbanta. Obierika visits and brings devastating news: the village of Abame has been wiped out by British soldiers after its residents…
Chapter 17
The missionaries arrive in Mbanta and ask the elders for land to build a church. The elders give them the Evil Forest, expecting the land's curse to kill them quickly.
Chapter 18
The Christian community in Mbanta grows, and tensions with the traditional village increase. The church begins accepting outcasts, the osu, who are people born into ritual slavery…
Chapter 19
Okonkwo's seven years of exile are nearly over. He prepares to return to Umuofia by hosting a large feast for the people of Mbanta who supported his family during their time there.
Chapter 20
Okonkwo returns to Umuofia after seven years and finds it changed beyond what he expected. The British have established a government and a court system.
Chapter 21
Mr. Brown, the first missionary, has built a school and a hospital alongside the church, and his patient, non-confrontational approach wins him genuine goodwill in Umuofia.
Chapter 22
Mr. Brown's health forces him to leave Umuofia, and Reverend James Smith takes over.
Chapter 23
The District Commissioner invites the leaders of Umuofia, including Okonkwo, to a meeting to discuss the destruction of the church.
Chapter 24
The released leaders return to Umuofia, and a meeting is called. Okonkwo speaks for war.
Chapter 25
The District Commissioner arrives at Okonkwo's compound to arrest him. He finds that Okonkwo has hanged himself.
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