Things Fall Apart, Chapters Four and Five

In order to understand where Okonkwo is coming from as a tragic hero, you must first understand the culture in which he exists. This culture, village, community, and tribe are his entire world. He defines himself by the tribal rituals and traditions and strives to be a model of them. When he falls short, his world begins to fall apart.

The Ibo community prides itself on its structure of rituals and traditions including the beauty and complexity of its language. Chinua Achebe shares this with you through the use of figurative language such as similes and metaphors. He gives you insight into the culture with each proverb. Every culture has its own set of proverbs; the meanings of some proverbs are cross-cultural while others are dependent upon knowledge of a society’s mores.