Things Fall Apart: Key Quotes Chapters 10-12

Chapter 10 Key Quotes

“Hold the egwugwu!” said Okonkwo in a powerful and authoritative voice.

Okonkwo’s leadership role in the egwugwu embodies his masculine dominance, respect and power in the society.

“The drums beat, and the flutes sang and the spectators held their breath.

The musical instruments personify the cultural aspect of the society, they are the mouthpiece of the ritual, maintaining suspense and anticipation.

Chapter 11 Key Quotes

“Proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.”

This is a recurring truth in Igbo society that proverbs give substance to speech, just as palm-oil gives taste to food, highlighting Igbo traditional wisdom.

“She should have been cast away in the Evil Forest, but her mother had pleaded. So Ekwefi and her child lived.”

Ekwefi’s maternal instincts and love for her daughter Ezinma break the traditional norms, underlining the human emotions against cultural customs of throwing twins into the Evil Forest.

Chapter 12 Key Quotes

“Now the wrestling was the real thing… The boys’ contest was only a stamping of little feet on the sandy floor of the ilo.”

This quote highlights the gender differences and expectations within Umuofia society, belittling the boys’ wrestling in comparison to the men’s.

“Is this the little Ekwefi that beat all the other girls because of a goat?”

The reference to the past incident gives insight into Ekwefi’s character from her young age, portraying her as competitive and passionate.

Overall, these quotes help elaborate the themes of masculinity, leadership, cultural wisdom and tensions between human emotions and traditions in ‘Things Fall Apart’. Identifying these quotes and their meaning in the context will enhance the understanding and analysis of the novel.