TFA.Chapter.5

__The Last Supper__. Leonardo da Vinci. tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic. c. 1495-1498.

An important part in Chapter 5 is the Feast of the New Yam, which is celebrated by almost everyone in the village. As the village prepares for the upcoming festivities joyfully, Okonkwo is seen as an outcast. He does not participate in these events because he believes that they are a moment of idleness. Okonkwo separates himself not only mentally, but physically as well by staying away from the happy villagers. The idea of Okonkwo's separation is further emphasized further in the novel, as he is physically separated from his fellow villagers because of exile, then mentally separated from them due to drastic difference in beliefs and his inability to adapt.

We chose the mural painting __The Last Supper__ by Leonardo da Vinci. Leaving the original meaning of the painting aside, this piece reflects the happening in Chapter 5 of Things Fall Apart. In the center of the painting stands a man who seems sad. This man also seems to be isolating himself for others, for everyone is in groups while he is alone. This man reflects Okonkwo no only in terms of the emotions and separation he experiences during the Yam Feast, but also through the fact that he is of high rank than everyone else (the man is in the center of the piece, and seems to be in control). Furthermore, the various emotions displayed by the other characters surrounding the man in the middle reflects the spectrum of emotions (mostly joy and excitement) everyone else in the village is experiencing.