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Why the Book is Entitled Things Fall Apart I believe that the title Things Fall Apart refers to the fact that without proper balance, things do fall apart. The notion of balance in the novel is an important theme throughout the book. Beginning with the excerpt fro ....

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.... Unoka was too lazy to go out and plant crops on new, fertile land, preferring to stay at home playing his flute, drinking palm wine, and making merry with the neighbors. He had to borrow money in order to maintain this lifestyle, and was never able to pay it back. Okonkwo perceived this trait as an imbalance toward the female side in his father's character; staying at home and not using one's strength to provide for the family is what a woman does. In reaction, Okonkwo completely rejected his father, and also his own feminine side. It was this deep-rooted antipathy toward anything considered weak or feminine that played a key role in his eventual do ....