The title of this book was inspired by a line in William Bulter Yeats poem, "The Second Coming".
* Character summeries are taken from Wikipedia.
Okonkwo -The protagonist Okonkwo has a warrior complex and is a leader of the Igbo community of Umuofia. He despises his father Unoka because he sees his as lazy and weak. He has three wives and many children.
Ekwefi - She's the second wife to Okonkwo and the mother to his daughter Ezinma.
Ezinma - She's the only child out of ten to survive past infancy from Ekwefi so she's well protected by her mom. She is also Okonkwo's favorite child.
Nwoye - Okonkwo sees his eldest son as weak and lazy like his own father. Okonkwo often beats on his son for being weak
Ikemefuna - He is a boy from another village who was taken in by Okonkwo's family. Okonkwo treated him like his own son and he even bonded with Nwoye and the other children.
Ogbuefi Ezeuda - He's the oldest man in the village and also one of the most important members in the clan among the elders and leaders.
Obierika - He's Okonkwo's closest friend. He looked after Okonkwo's yam
Mr. Brown - The first white missionary to travel to Umuofia. He became friends with prominent members of the clan and built a school and a hospital in Umuofia. He attempted to be respectful of the tribe's value system rather than harshly imposing his religion on it.
Reverend James Smith - He replaces Mr. Brown and is uncompromising and strict on his converts to reject all of their indigenous beliefs. He shows no respect for indigenous customs or culture.
Uchendu - He's the younger brother of Okonkwo's mother who takes in Okonkwo and his family when they travel to Mbanta.
Unoka - Okonkwo's father was a talented musician who passed away ten years prior to the start of the book. Okonkwo was ashamed of his father for being lazy and not a warrior.
There are many themes running throughout Things Fall Apart. Here's a list of some of the themes that can be discussed. These themes are summerized from Answers.com and Shmoop.com.
Many conflicts arise in Things Fall Apart. The following are a few of the main conflicts throughout the book.