Things Fall Apart Symbols

Claire Roberts

Jenny Hansen

Hilary Kerr

Brandon Traver

9/04/09

Things Fall Apart Symbols

The Quest

·  Long Journey. (p. 5) – This reference to a long journey taking place reminded us of the Odyssey and how he went on a quest. The thing that went on a long journey was actually a kite, which Unoka was watching. Also, this could mean that freedom is a very long journey because the kites have the freedom of flight.

Acts of Communion

·  Eating food is very important to our survival as human beings, but in literature, feasting together means something much more than that. Whenever people join together and eat, they are likely to be finding trust with one another. Also, putting food into literature means that there is a connection between the reader and the author because everyone knows about food. Types of food and communion that were repeated throughout Things Fall Apart were:

·  Kola nut. (p. 6, 19, 30, 165)

·  Alligator pepper. (p. 6, 19)

·  Feast. (p. 6, 19, 28, 36, 79, 165, 166) – Ancestral feast

·  Yams. (p.6, 8, 14, 17, 21, 28, 32, 33, 34, 39, 43, 52, 61, 64, 90, 95, 100, 141, 164, 165)- Yams mean more than just a crop. These yams represented what it took to be a man in Okonkwo’s village.

·  Dried up. (p. 23, 32, 34, 55, 82, 101, 207) – The sun fried the yams and the leaves, meaning there was no food for the community to eat.

Vampires, ghosts and Creeps

The creepy shadows and terrors of the night that present themselves in literature mean more than something scary. These shadows represent evil people that are using someone else to get what they want.

·  Dark Figure. (p. 17) – Okonkwo went to visit the shrine of Agbala and his priestess was the dark figure that was there. This dark figure is being used by Okonkwo so he can get what he wants in life.

·  Shadow (p. 55)– This shadow resulted from a cloud blocking the sun. This cloud points out how Okonkwo used a man in the village by using his yam seeds, which ended up dying.

Ghosts and spirits show things that are more than what they are. The ghosts try to teach the people in literature what they have done wrong.

·  Benevolent spirit (p.26-27)- In Okonkwo’s tribe, the benevolent spirit is supposed to aid them in opening their palm-kernels. This benevolent spirit was used to teach Okonkwo that he should be kind to others.

·  Ghost/Evil Spirit (p. 61,66, 104, 107, 187, 188, 190)

Fairytales

·  Story of the Tortoise (p. 98)- Every culture has its own fairytales and stories that are passed down in order to teach the next generation the morals they need for life. The story of the Tortoise is an example of this. This does not necessarily relate to a specific fairytale, but it shows that fairytales are used all over in order to teach moral lessons.

Biblical Allusions

·  Seven. (p. 3, 17, 47, 53, 70, 83, 84, 119, 133, 150, 162, 171) – There were many references to the number seven in Things Fall Apart. This is an important Biblical allusion because God created the world in seven days. In one part of the book, Okonkwo is banished from his town for killing another man. He is gone for seven years.

·  Fish. (p. 3, 98, 102, 110, 111, 131) – Fish were mentioned often as a means of food. The fish relate to the Bible because the story about Jesus taking a small amount of fish and bread and being able to feed everyone. And also when fishermen could not catch any fish, Jesus made them go back out and the fish jumped onto the boat by the hundreds.

·  Bush fire. (p.3, 4, 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 71, 75, 82, 85, 86, 88, 93, 125, 130, 146,152, 153) – There was also a lot of reference to fire in general in this novel. The fire relates to the burning bush in the Bible.

·  10. (p. 4, 53,) – The number ten was also referenced a few times in Things Fall Apart. The importance of the number ten is there are Ten Commandments that everyone should follow.

·  Palm oil lamp. (p. 9, 39, 58, 95, 98, 164) – Palm oil is repeated frequently. It lights the way for the villagers. It is also biblical though, because Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, when Jesus entered in to Jerusalem.

·  Palm wine. (p. 10, 19, 31, 39, 57, 58, 59, 79, 98, 110, 115, 137, 138, 141, 146, 166) – Palm wine is important like palm oil because of its connection to Palm Sunday. The wine can be more specifically referred to as the blood of Jesus.

·  Snake. (p. 9, 83, 111, 157, 158, 160, 163, 179, 185) – The snake in this book is very spiritual and very sacred in Okonkwo’s village. In the Bible a snake is mentioned in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. The snake in the Bible is temptation but the python in Things Fall Apart is sacred, which is ironic.

·  12 men on each side (p. 47, 194)- The mentioning of twelve men is important because Jesus has twelve disciples that mostly stand by him.

·  LOCUST (p. 54, 58, 60, 67) –The locusts come in Things Fall Apart right before all of Okonkwo’s major problems occur. This relates to the Locusts in the Bible because Locusts symbolize the end of the world and wrath against people.

·  Three (p. 33, 35, 52, 87, 90, 160, 165)- The number three represents the Holy Trinity.

Mythology

·  Long Journey. (p. 5) – The long journey taken by the kite is like the Odyssey that was taken by Odysseus.

·  Virgin. (p. 11, 12, 27) – Marriage, Greek.

·  Pillars- The pillars of Greece are the guidelines of the Greek world.

·  Lightning (p. 50, 79) Amadiora was in the wrestling match and moved like lightning to defeat his opponent. This could just be a simile, or it could be related to Zeus who could have helped him. Zeus is the god of all gods and his symbol is the lightning bolt.

Weather

·  Rain. (p. 5, 23, 33, 52, 53, 55, 57, 91, 130, 162, 163, 182, 198) – Rain is important in order to grow a plentiful harvest. This is true in this book, but in literature rain means much more. Rain could mean cleansing, rebirth, renewal, and even mystery.

·  Frozen rain (p. 146) – Hail is not like rain because it is solid and it does more damage than good. If rain is meant for renewal and cleansing, then hail must mean destruction and disorder.

·  Heavy rains. (p. 6, 33, 38) – Rain is good because it cleanses, but like the hail, the heavy rains can cause destruction. Heavy rain is ironic because it normally helps with the harvest but it only leads to destruction here.

·  Sun. (p. 5, 8, 58, 67, 87, 115) – When the sun rises, it means a new day has come. In literature, the rising of the sun can mean that there is new hope and happiness.

·  Blue sky. (p.5, 53, 106 ) – A blue sky in general could just mean it is a nice day to be outside. In literature, the blue sky implies it is clear, which implies there is not confusion for the moment.

·  Smoke (p. 32)-Smoke is much like fog, especially in the sense that there is confusion present for the characters.

·  Grey Wetness- This is ironic because there is confusion because it is grey, but it is cleansing because there is wetness.

·  Cloud (p. 79, 92, 189)- When clouds appear, that means there is a storm coming. This means the clouds are covering the blue sky, which implies confusion is coming.

·  RAINBOW (p.163)- Rainbows are what appear when there is a mixture of sun and rain. In literature, the sun means there is hope to come in the future.

Violence

Whenever blood, red, or anything evil is mentioned, some type of injury has probably occurred, or something bad is going to occur.

·  Blood. (p.6, 8, 10, 11, 53, 67, 140, 155 ) – Blood means someone has been hurt, most likely by the hand of another human.

·  Red. (p. 7, 13, 14, 37, 61, 83, 125, 151, 159, 191, 206, 207) –Red is a color that we associate with blood and violence. Red is mentioned many times in TFA and it shows that there has been violence in this village because the earth is dyed red.

·  Heavy hand. (p. 13, 28) – Okonkwo is a very violent man because he does not want to appear weak like his father. He is very violent towards his wives and children in order to show his brutal nature.

·  Evil forest (p. 89, 92, 148, 154) – The Evil Forest that is mentioned in TFA represents how violent and cruel people are because twins and those with diseases are shunned to this forest to die.

Politics

·  Flute (p. 92)- Oknonkwo’s father was a musician and he most always had a flute with him. Okonkwo viewed the flute as a sign of weakness. Okonkwo has a problem because all he ever things about is being great so anything that is weak is no thing for him.

·  Sand (p. 65, 113, 131, 198, 201)-Grains of sand are mentioned quite frequently and this shows how small things can amount to something bigger than themselves.

·  Anthill (p. 112, 114)- The ants in an anthill are known to work together like any good society should. This shows what a good community and village should do for survival.

·  Yams. (p.6, 8, 14, 17, 21, 28, 32, 33, 34, 39, 43, 52, 61, 64, 90, 95, 100, 141, 164, 165)- the yams relate to human problems because these were meant to be a man’s crop so it would be ridiculous if a woman were to grow yams.

Christ Figures

·  Stretch on the bed. (p. 9) –Oknonkwo was stretched out on the bed. This relates to Jesus because when Jesus was crucified, he was stretched out. It is also ironic because Okonkwo doesn’t make a good leader because he is too violent.

·  Ezinma- Picks up the pot without damaging her palms, god like qualities. She has marks already so she is no longer injured by the hot pot. Like Jesus’ marks on his hands and feet.

·  Iron horse (p. 144) Jesus uses more humble ways to travel and the iron horse (bicycle) is something he would not have used because it is outlandish in the village.

·  Horse (p. 145)- a Horse is a humble means of transportation so Jesus would have used something more like this.

·  Ikemefuna (p. 61)- Ikemefuna was chopped apart by his “father” and because he was sacrificed, he is like Jesus.

Physical Marks

Ikemefuna (p. 61)- Ikemefuna was chopped up with a machete by his “father” and because he was sacrificed, he is like Jesus.

Blindness

·  White (p. 11, 21, 74, 138, 145, 155, 175, 176, 179, 184, 187, 189, 190, 193, 195,197, 199, 203, 204, 205)- In TFA white chalk is used a lot. The chalk could be used to cover up other things which leads to the blindness of the village.

·  Smoke (p. 42)- Smoke is hard to see through as it is. But in TFA the smoke not only blocks sight, but it keeps the villages from “seeing” something that is going on around them.

·  Blindness (p. 145)- Blindness is mentioned in the open so this means there is something that the people are not literally and figuratively seeing.

·  At night time, it is hard to see so the villagers are blind without light, but they also cannot see something that is happening around them.

·  After dusk. (p. 12, 50)

·  Dark (p. 54, 88, 95, 101, 102, 104, 105, 106, 108, 109

·  Night (p. 95, 105, 107, 187, 189, 196)

·  Moon (p. 9, 95, 106, 107, 109, 130, 166, 196) – The villagers in TFA are blinded by the night and blind to the truth of some other matter. The moon comes out at night and sheds light on the truth the villagers are seeking.

Heart Disease

Drums beat. (p.3, 42, 44, 45, 88, 175, ) – During the wrestling matches in the village, the drummers beat on drums. The drums could be symbols for the heart. In this case, the drums are beating faster and faster, so as do the hearts of the villagers. The heart represents emotion so the villager’s emotions are also racing and going very quickly.

·  Heart of the lion. (p. 24) – Okonkwo’s harvest failed and his emotions were very sad and weak, meaning the heart of a lion would break. The heart of a lion is strong meaning his emotions were very sad and weak.

·  Heart (p. 121, 152, 196, 199)- the hearts mentioned, represent emotions of the characters that are being referred to. The emotions could be moderate, angry, sad, or maybe happy.

Irony

·  No Sunshine. (p. 24, 42) – No happiness, no harvest. Sun goes down – something bad is going to happen. The night will come and bring blindness. This is ironic because the sun is supposed to bring hope and happiness.

·  Tears- tears are water, which is supposed to cleanse the person that is crying. It is ironic that Nwoye is cleansing or being reborn and then is dad beats him for acting like a woman.

·  Palm tree (p. 20, 47, 52, 55, 106, 116, 130) – Trees usually stand for protection, but in the end, Okonkwo commits suicide by hanging himself on a palm tree, which is ironic because he never wanted to show weakness and suicide is the ultimate form of weakness.

·  Lazy, easy going ones. (p. 23) – Irony, the lazy ones didn’t plant so their seeds were saved from the heavy rains and drought.

·  Inherit a barn. (p. 16, 32) – No wealth.

Flight is Freedom

·  Kite. (p.5, 19, 32, 102, 140, ) – The kite is mentioned to represent how freedom is very close but so far away. The Unoka waited for the kite to return home so this kite represents escape from the village and the return after being away. This could symbolize Unoka’s want of freedom.

·  Eagle. (p. 19) – The eagle has the ability to fly and is therefore free to go wherever it wants to. Okonkwo is not free so this eagle represents what Okonkwo cant have.

Sex

·  (p. 74)-Machi says “you might as well say that the woman lies on tops of the man when they are making children.”-For this village, sex is all about dominating the women because they are of less significance than the men apparently.