Summary Following the killing of the messenger, the District Commissioner goes to Okonkwo’s compound and, finding a small crowd, demands to see Okonkwo. Obierika repeatedly says that he is not home. When the Commissioner threatens the men, Obierika agrees to show him where Okonkwo is, expressing the hope that the […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 3: Chapter 25Summary and Analysis Part 3: Chapter 24
Summary The District Commissioner sets the six men free after the village pays the required fine, and the leaders quietly return to their homes, deep in misery and not speaking to anyone they meet. Okonkwo’s relatives and friends are waiting for him in his hut, and his friend Obierika urges […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 3: Chapter 24Summary and Analysis Part 3: Chapter 23
Summary Okonkwo is pleased about the destruction of the church and feels that daily life is beginning to seem normal again. For once, the clan listened to his advice and acted like warriors, though they didn’t kill the missionary or drive the Christians out of Umuofia as he had urged. […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 3: Chapter 23Summary and Analysis Part 3: Chapter 22
Summary The new head of the Christian church, the Reverend James Smith, possesses nothing of Mr. Brown’s compassion, kindness, or accommodation. He despises the way that Mr. Brown tried to lead the church. Mr. Smith finds many converts unfamiliar with important religious ideas and rituals, proving to himself that Mr. […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 3: Chapter 22Summary and Analysis Part 3: Chapter 21
Summary Not all members of the Igbo clan in Umuofia dislike the changes taking place. The Europeans are bringing wealth to the village as they begin to export palm-oil and palm nut kernels. The white missionary, Mr. Brown, takes time to learn about the Igbo form of worship, often discussing […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 3: Chapter 21Summary and Analysis Part 3: Chapter 20
Summary During Okonkwo’s first year in exile, he already began to plan his grand return to Umuofia. Now he is determined to compensate for the seven years he considers wasted. Not only will he build a bigger compound than before, but he will also build huts for two new wives. […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 3: Chapter 20Summary and Analysis Part 2: Chapter 19
Summary Although Okonkwo has achieved status in his motherland, he feels that his seven years in exile have been wasted. He could have risen to the peak of Umuofian society if he had not been forced into exile. At the beginning of his last year in Mbanta, Okonkwo sends money […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 2: Chapter 19Summary and Analysis Part 2: Chapter 18
Summary Initially, the church and the clan remain segregated from one another in Mbanta. The people of the village believe that eventually the Christians will weaken and die, especially since they live in the dreaded forest, where they even rescue twins abandoned in the woods. One day, three converts come […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 2: Chapter 18Summary and Analysis Part 2: Chapter 17
Summary Chapter 17 continues the story of how Nwoye becomes a Christian. The missionaries sleep in the Mbanta marketplace for several nights and preach the Christian gospel each morning. After several days, they ask the leaders of the clan for land on which to build a church. The elders agree […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 2: Chapter 17Summary and Analysis Part 2: Chapter 16
Summary Two more years pass before Obierika visits Mbanta a second time, again with unhappy news. White Christian missionaries have arrived in Umuofia, have built a Christian church, and have recruited some converts. The leaders of the clan are disappointed in the villagers, but the leaders believe that the converts […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 2: Chapter 16