In the Novel Things Fall Apart, the lead character’s daughter ( Ezinma daughter of Ekwefi) who suffered from recurrent illnesses and was diagnosed as Ogbanje was a Sickle Cell Anaemia patient. That makes Okonkwo an AS genotype
Thursday, 15 January 2026
Things Fall Apart. Angle 1
Ex students of O Level literature gather here. Okonkwo had reactive depression which was untreated. In the Book Things Fall Apart, he fled Umuofia and Japa’ed to Mbanta.
Stressors: Relocating stress from cultural shock, language & custom barriers, loneliness, financial strain, job uncertainty, identity loss, borderline discrimination, legal challenges, homesickness, family separation, adapting to new norms, rebuilding support systems and stress.
The lack of mental health services in Mbanta lead to chronic problems.
Further stressors on his return home to Umuofia during Detty December lead to vawulence and eventual suicide
Things Fall Apart - Angle 2
Ex-O-Level literature students gather here.
He had personal traits that resembled neurodivergent characteristics, traits such as hyperactivity, obsession with routine, extreme focus, poor emotional regulation, and low empathy and it helped to explain both his success and his downfall.
His intense focus, physical energy, tolerance for repetition, and training were put to good use in wrestling, where he successfully defeated Amalinze the Cat. And these same traits caused success in the military, where training, discipline, and courage were needed, and also in farming, where the daily routine of waking up early and working hard all day caused him to rise from poverty to wealth. Okonkwo's poor emotional intelligence and rigid thinking damaged his relationships.
He viewed his eldest son Nwoye as weak and lazy because even at 12 years old, he expected him to display aggressive masculinity.
Periods of structured rest frustrated him as he could not relax due to hyperactivity. During the week of peace between the harvest and the new planting season, Okonkwo beat his youngest wife Ojuigo for neglecting to cook his meal, despite other wives having food that he could have eaten.
Later on, during the feast of the new year festival, he beats the second wife Ekwefi for cutting banana leaves. He choose domestic violence over peace due to his hatred of boredom.
When he finally decided to go out and hunt, his wife mocked his hunting skills for his dyspraxia meant he had poor fine motor control and was a poor shot. He had never killed anything substantial throughout his years of hunting. Ekwefi’s ridicule of his gun, which has never killed game hunters his pride. He rushed in a fit of rage to shoot at her. Unfortunately, his dyspraxia made him miss his target.
Overall, Okonkwo thrived on solitary, repetitive, physically demanding roles. But failed as a communal and emotional participant in society. He didn’t care for non verbal cues.
His strengths became weaknesses, contributing to his tragic downfall.
Signed
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Things fall Apart - Angle 3
Things Fall Apart - Angle 4
Ex O -Level Literature & Bible Knowledge students gather here. This is the last one
There is little doubt that the young Chinua Achebe would have been exposed to biblical stories from an early age as a result of his Christian (specifically Anglican, though often broadly described as Christian) upbringing. Stories such as Jacob wrestling through the night with an angel and prevailing, the extraordinary physical strength of Samson against the Philistines, and David’s rise from obscurity to national acclaim after killing Goliath are foundational narratives within Christian literature. As one reads Things Fall Apart, it is difficult not to wonder whether some of these well-known biblical stories may have subconsciously influenced Achebe and later emerged, creatively transformed, in his novel.
Of particular interest is the episode involving Ikemefuna, who is taken on a journey from which he never returns. This episode is reminiscent of the biblical account of Abraham’s journey with Isaac, undertaken with the intention of sacrifice. While Isaac is ultimately spared through the provision of a substitute ram, Ikemefuna is not granted such deliverance. Another parallel may be found in the story of Jephthah, who vows before battle that he will sacrifice whoever first comes out to greet him upon his victorious return. Tragically, it is his daughter who greets him, and she is sacrificed as a result of his vow. These deeply troubling narratives of faith, obedience, and sacrifice may well have left an impression on a young Achebe, later resurfacing as thematic elements in his fiction.
Themes of love, fertility, and familial suffering also appear prominently in both biblical texts and Things Fall Apart. In the Bible, infertility creates emotional strain in relationships such as those of Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Rachel. In Achebe’s novel, infertility is not the central issue; instead, the trauma arises from the repeated deaths of children in infancy. This is evident in the relationship between Okonkwo and his second wife, Ekwefi, who experiences the heartbreaking loss of multiple children before Ezinma survives.
All creative individuals recognize that inspiration is rarely traceable to a single source. Rather, it is often an accumulation of stories, experiences, cultural influences, and communal narratives that gradually crystallize into a work of art. In this light, it is plausible that Achebe’s early exposure to biblical stories—alongside Igbo oral traditions and colonial realities—contributed to the thematic depth of Things Fall Apart. I freely acknowledge that I have taken artistic license in proposing these connections, but such speculation invites a richer appreciation of Achebe’s creative imagination and the complex sources from which it may have drawn.
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1. Chinua Achebe : a biography by Ezenwa-Ohaeto
2. The sacrifice of Isaac by Oguefi Rembrandt
3. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
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