Chinoa Achebe's 1958 novel, Things Fall Apart, is set in the late 1890s in the fictional village of Umuofia in the African country of Nigeria. Part 1, Chapter 1, introduces the main character Okonkwo, a member of the Igbo tribe. an ethnic group that lives in nine villages along the lower Niger River in southern Nigeria. Okonkwo became famous long ago because of his wrestling exploits. As a teenager, he beat a wrestling champion who had been undefeated for seven years.
Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish and defeated the champion in a fight that was one of the fiercest his village had ever seen. In the 20 years since, Okonkwo's fame and stature have grown like a bushfire. His status as a successful farmer and war hero with civic titles and three wives makes him one of the greatest men of his time in the eyes of his clan and in his own eyes.
His jaunty step makes it appear that he walks on springs. Okonkwo's father, Unaka, was a gifted flute player and lover of wine, and he was at his happiest when playing music. He was also a gifted conversationalist and storyteller, one who peppered his speech with proverbs.
The art of conversation was highly valued by the tribe, but Unica was a failure at the practical aspects of life. He was lazy and provided little food for his family. He was in debt to practically everyone, and though he owed money to all of his neighbors, he had no intention of paying them back. His father's indebtedness shamed Okonkwo and greatly shaped his identity as a tough, stereotypically masculine figure. Achebe's three-part novel opens by introducing us into the world of Igbo culture as yet untouched by Christianity and colonialism.
Through Okonkwo, the novel's larger-than-life protagonist, the novel also introduces us to the theme of masculine identity. Okonkwo has made a name for himself by rejecting his father, Unaka's model, gaining an almost mythic reputation as a great, heroic man. But despite his prominence and status, Okonkwo is quick to anger and violence. He has no patience, particularly with unsuccessful men that remind him of his despised father.
Although Unaka has been dead for 10 years, he still influences Okonkwo's life. Okonkwo's deep shame about his father's debt, along with a fear of anything he perceives as weak or feminine, shapes his expectations of manhood and his own identity.