fierceness served as a leader who kept Umuofia safe from the intruders. Now, ironically, in Okonkwo's exile, he loses his standing in both places.

In the seven years that Okonkwo was exiled, things began falling apart in his village. In only seven years, Okonkwo does not recognize his village. The irony is in the fact that Okonkwo cannot get his village leaders to go to war. To have a been such a strong leader, now Okonkwo has lost his authority.

Another example of irony is that Okonkwo took Ikemefuna into his own home. Now, Okonkwo understands how Ikemefuna feels having to leave his homeland. The irony is in the fact that Okonkwo becomes an exile just as Ikemfuna. Ikemefuna left his home behind, not knowing what to expect. In much the same way, Okonkwo has left his home behind not thinking that so much will change in his absence.

The irony is that Okonkwo blames everything on his chi. He does not take responsibility for his own actions:

When Okonkwo is in exile, he ponders the tribe's view of his chi. He thinks that maybe they have been wrong—that his chi was not made for great things. Okonkwo blames his exile on his chi. He refuses to accept that his actions have led him to this point. He sees no connections among his breaking the Week of Peace, his killing Ikemefuna, and his shooting Ezeudu's son. In Okonkwo's eyes, his troubles result from ill fate and chance.

Ironically, these are the opposite actions of a strong leader. Okonkwo is not as strong as he appears. He cannot handle it when the village will not go to war. Ironically, Okonkwo leaves his village a strong man. He comes back and is not as strong as he once was. He hangs himself because his village is falling apart. Ironically, he dies without honors, just like his father.

In Things Fall Apart, the main characterOkonkwo is exiled from his tribe. Even though he is a successful man in accruing wealth from his yam farm, Okonkwo has trouble balancing his emotions and he is violent and angry most of the time. When he accidentally shoots and kills an elder's son during a funeral, the Earth Goddess Ani decides to banish Okonkwo from his village. Ani is already angry at Okonkwo because he is violent with his family. Also, he has killed Ikemefuna who was his adopted son. Even though Okonkwo is warned not to take part in the killing of Ikemefuna, Okonkwo is afraid of appearing weak so he murders Ikemefuna. Ultimately, Okonkwo kills the son of an elder as his gun explodes. This is an action that is punished by exiling a tribe member. 

Okonkwo’s immoral actions affect the community. During the funeral rite for the elder Ezeudu, Okonkwo’s gun accidentally explodes, killing Ezeudu’s son.

Because Okonkwo has a list of crimes, the Earth Goddess Ani banishes Okonkwo for seven years. He has to go and live in his mother's village. Ani cannot allow Okonkwo to corrupt his village with his angry actions:

His irrational actions are destroying the moral fabric of traditional life. Therefore, Ani banishes Okonkwo to Mbanta, his mother’s village, for seven years.

In his mother's village, Okonkwo will be in touch with his feminine side as he learns the feminine principle to honor his mother's nurturing love. Okonkwo is banished to learn how to become a balanced man who understands the supremacy of his mother's feminine qualities.  

In chapter thirteen, a funeral ceremony is held for a prominent warrior, Ogbuefi Ezeudu, and everyone in the clan gathers to participate in the ceremony. During the funeral ceremony, the men beat their drums, dance, wield machetes, and fire their guns into the air. As the villagers dance and participate in the frenzy, the egwugwu join the ceremony, and darkness descends on the village. Before the ceremony ends, the warriors fire their weapons into the air one last time, and Okonkwo accidentally kills Ezeudu's sixteen-year-old son.

The ceremony comes to an abrupt end as confusion rapidly spreads throughout the village. Okonkwo has committed a crime against the earth goddess and is forced to flee Umuofia. Ironically, Okonkwo's crime is also considered a female offense, and he is exiled for seven years. During his exile, Okonkwo and his family reside in his mother's homeland of Mbanta.

After Okonkwo accidentally kills Ezeudu's son's during a chaotic funeral ritual, he and his family are banished from Umuofia for seven years and exiled to his mother's homeland of Mbanta. Okonkwo's uncle Uchendu greets him, and Uchendu's five sons give Okonkwo a large number of seed yams to establish his farm. Despite Unchendu's hospitality and benevolence, Okonkwo remains depressed and struggles to accept the reality of his situation. Okonkwo's primary goal in life was to attain the most titles in his tribe and achieve a revered status among his peers. Tragically, Okonkwo lost his two titles and was forced to leave Umuofia in shame. Achebe writes,

Okonkwo had yielded to despair and he was greatly troubled. (103)

Unchendu recognizes that Okonkwo is grief-stricken and asks him why the Igbo say "Nneka," which means "Mother is Supreme." Unchendu proceeds to tell Okonkwo that when times are good, a man belongs to his fatherland. However, a man comes home to his motherland in order to seek solace and protection during difficult times, which is why they say "Mother is Supreme." Unchendu then warns Okonkwo to not "displease the dead" and says that he has an obligation to comfort his family and kinsmen. Unchendu also provides Okonkwo insight into his situation by stating that he is more fortunate than he thinks, telling him,

But if you allow sorrow to weigh you down and kill you they [Okonkwo's family] will all die in exile. (106)

Okonkwo considers his uncle's advice and attempts to cope with his difficult situation by focusing on his work. However, Okonkwo is not the same man he once was and remains filled with bitterness and remorse for his actions. When he returns to Umuofia after his exile, his village is completely different and the traditional culture has been undermined by the white Europeans.