Summary of Things Fall Apart Part II

Summary of Part II

Maria Fernanda Gonzalez

Group: 46

 

Uchendu helped Okonkwo building new huts and lend him yams do he can start a farm. The possibility for Okonkwo to become one of the lords of the clan is gone. We see the participation of Okonkwo in Uchendu´s son´s wedding.
Uchendu advises Okonkwo to receive the comfort of the motherland. Uchendu reminds Okonkwo that some have been worse off.

In the second year of Okonkwo’s exile, Obierika brings some bags of cowries to him and tells him that Abame is destroyed. He tells him the story of the white man that arrived on an “iron horse”. The villagers killed the white man and tied his “horse” to a tree. Later, more men when to Abame’s market and killed a lot of people. It this chapter Uchendu tells the story of Mother Kite. Obierika sells Okonkwo’s yams and continue to bring Okonkwo the money from his yams every year.

Obierika visits Okonkwo because he has seen Nwoye with the Christians. The other converts have been men that are generally ignored by the clan. Okonkwo does not want talk about his son. Then we see the story of Nwoye’s conversion: 6 missionaries, headed by a white man who speaks to the village Mr. Kiaga. The way the interpreter talks makes everyone laugh (“my buttocks” - “myself.”) He tries to sell the idea that they are all brothers, sons of God, they have false gods and that they should leave them and accept the only true God. The villagers do not understand anything, starting with the fact that God have a son but not a wife. Okonkwo thinks they are crazy, but Nwoye is enchanted with this idea. This religion seems to answer his questions about the death of Ikemefuna and the twins.

The missionaries wanted a piece of land to build a church so the village leaders offer Evil Forest and the missionaries accept it. The elders believe that  they will die within days but nothing happens and the church wins lots of converts. Nneka is introduced in the story; She had twins. Okonkwo’s cousins sees Nwoye with the Christians and informs Okonkwo, he is very disappointed and he wonders how he could ever have such a weak son.

 One day, several outcasts, come to church. The osu soon become the most enthusiastic members of the church. Then, someone killed the sacred royal python. Okonkwo want Mbanta to take all the Christians out, but the elders decide to ignore them instead. Okonkwo said that this is a “womanly” clan. After, the elders learn that the man killed the python has died; they trust in their gods, and they stop to ignore the converts. Okonkwo’s seven years of exile are ending. He is grateful for these years but he also regretted every day of the exile. Okonkwo made a feast in which one man expresses concern for the younger generation.

 

*Achebe, C.
Things Fall Apart
Achebe, C. (1958) Things Fall Apart. New York: Reed Consumer Books.