Things Fall Apart Character Analysis

Okonkwo’s main characteristics as he is depicted in the first few chapters are he is a well respected warrior and determined individual of the Umuofia clan throughout the nine villages and beyond. Okonkwo is a well

Okonkwo life is “dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (Achebe 13). When Okonkwo was a boy, his playmates teased him calling, saying that his father was agbala. Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, was lazy. He did not work on his farm; he died in great debt. He did not acquire a single title. He did not have a barn to pass down to his son. Unoka is a type of man who is scorned in Umofia. He is seen as weak and effeminate. As Okonkwo grows older, he is determined not become a failure like his father. His father was weak; he will be strong. His father was lazy; he will be hard-working. Okonkwo earned his fame by defeating the reigning wrestling champion. Okonkwo diligently plants yam, building a successful farm. He builds himself an obi, has three wives and many children. His fame “rested on solid personal achievements” (Achebe 3). Okonkwo will not let one womanly trait sully his reputation. Therefore, he “hate[d] everything that his father Unoka had loved” (Achebe 13). One of these was gentleness. Okonkwo refuses to show any signs of emotion, except his temper. He

In the novel, Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is a sympathetic character and unsympathetic character in regards to his family relationships with his adopted son, Ikemefuna, his daughter, Ezima, and his father, Unoka, as a result of he appears to genuinely care about his family; but, the pride within himself prevents his expression of such pride and concern openly.

Okonkwo’s oldest son, Nwoye, has to achieve high expectations, to be just like his father. If he falls short of Okonkwo’s near perfection, he will face consequence usually in the form of physical harm. Okonkwo wants Nwoye to be strong, powerful, independent, and hard-working. He must be like is father, and not like his grandfather, Unoka, or his mother. Unoka was an absolute failure in Okonkwo’s eyes, and a terrible father, who did nothing to help the family. Okonkwo is a man and wants his son to be a man too, not womanly like his mother. Okonkwo wanted “his son to be a great farmer and a great man” (33). Okonkwo is “worried about Nwoye....my children do not resemble me...too much of his mother in him” (66). Okonkwo knows that Nwoye resembles more of his mother than him, but also knows that he resembles Unoka too. Both fathers want their sons to be just like them, but do little to ask what they want in life, and neither father will budge on what they want for their sons.

In the novel, All the Broken Pieces, by Ann E. Burg, Matt makes a comparison between himself and his brother when he defines his brother as “summer” and himself as “fall”. This metaphor can be explained not only by their physical features, but their emotional and mental characteristics as well. His brother features summer and hasn’t faced any misery, while he himself looks like fall and has come across atrocious things.

Okonkwo has a distorted view of what being a man is compared to his clan. He associates masculinity with being aggressive and the only emotion he shows, is anger. He never thinks before he acts, he acts head strongly and savagely. In his eyes, his dad is a failure and a disgrace to the Ibo culture. He strives to be the complete opposite of his father.

In the novel Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe, the character Okonkwo is nurtured to become who he is due to a person from his past, his father. The novel states, “When Unoka died he had taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt. Any wonder then that his son Okonkwo was ashamed of him” (Chinua Achebe 8). This lets the reader know that Okonkwo’s father was never a man of honor and that Okonkwo did not want anything to do with him and that he did not want to be like him. The novel later states, “Okonkwo’s fear was greater than these… It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father” (Chinua Achebe 13). This again shows that Okonkwo's entire lifestyle is formed around his dislike for his father. This dislike for his father affects the work as a whole by showing the reader that it nurtured him from birth until he died, so that he

Okonkwo’s story portrays the major differences between African culture and the idea that the Western society had on the African culture. Okonkwo is native to the Umuofia tribe and represented this oversized human being who with holds no emotion. All this makes Okonkwo seem very unrelatable and unfriendly, but this is what makes his relationships with the characters in the book so entertaining. For example, Okonkwo had a very negative connection with his father that affected him so much that it brought him to the point where it changed his life and is also the reason why he is so strict with his kids. With the introduction of these missionaries into the tribe, it completely changed the way the tribe acted and ended up bringing Okonkwo to a point where he had to pay the ultimate price. It was all because they couldn’t get along.

In the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, not only are pride and manliness central themes but they also contribute to the demise of the main character, Okonkwo. In his mind, he is fighting the downfalls of his father while pushing away the people in his life who actually love him. By fighting the past, Okonkwo’s insecurities result in a lifetime of failure. Okonkwo has a desire to be in control of the clan.

Family can have different meanings to different people. Some think of it as a responsibility , and some regard it nothing but as a mere burden. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the author introduces the readers to Okonkwo, a well-respected warrior and leader in the Umuofia tribe, whose complicated life revolves around his family and community. Through Things Fall Apart, Achebe gives insights to the unique and fascinating culture of the Umuofia tribe. Readers are able to learn many aspects of the Igbo people throughout the book.

The literary tool of character is used by Chinua Achebe to express that Unoka’s personality and behavior lead to the development of Okonkwo’s own persona. The quote, “When Unoka died he had taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt. Any wonder then that his son Okonkwo was ashamed of him?” (Pg. 8) is used to express that even from a young age Okonkwo was sculpted to despise his father. Unoka is described as, “lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow.” (Pg. 4). This reveals that Okonkwo wasn’t just acting out of arrogance when being what his father wasn’t, it was a result of Unoka’s own slothfulness that our main character had to grow up much

However, despite how contrasting the tribal culture may seem, delving deeper into the feelings and rationalizations of the people reveals that they are not far off from the thinkings of a supposedly civilized man. Okonkwo, the acclaimed character of the novel, exhibits his views in a very conspicuous way. His perspective on life and success is introduced in a dramatic style which placed much emphasis on his views, and continued with this emphasis throughout the book. Okonkwo and his good friend, Obierika, discussed about the femininity of Okonkwo’s eldest son, Nwoye. The thought of Nwoye resembling Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, emerged a resolution in Okonkwo.

Okonkwo is strong and scruff on the surface and wants to be viewed in such a manner as a person, but to the reader Achebe uncovers Okonkwo’s more friendly side and begs the reader to understand, sympathize, and relate with Okonkwo as he is not as harsh as he first comes across. Okonkwo portrays constant anger in order to show strength. He works as hard as he can to maintain a steely mask. Achebe states, “Even Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy--- inwardly of course.” (Achebe 28) In that line the author shows that Okonkwo does have love and care for others in order to relate him to the reader. Of course he immediately states that it is “inward” emotion in order to clear up the fact that Okonkwo will not drop his emotionless disguise. Okonkwo is also connected and made less rough through his religious belief.

From the beginning of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, we see that the main character of the novel, Okonkwo, is a man of action, strength, and impulse. Okonkwo rarely thinks thing through and hardly ever sees the consequences of his actions and how they can affect others. By exerting a heavy hand on his wives and children, his authoritarian style of parenting shines through with the rays of masculinity and dominance pouring into his household. Okonkwo lacks a solid father son relationship with Nwoye because he is insufficient in his ability to control his fears of becoming his underachieving and weak father.

The desire for power is a natural human tendency. This social authority allows people to feel superior to others. In the novel, Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, there is a constant impulse among some of the characters to gain power through prosperity. The story takes place in an Igbo village in Nigeria, where culture and religion have an immense impact on an individual. The main character, Okonkwo, appears to yearn the most to become a powerful and respected man. Throughout the novel, Okonkwo gains power over others by defeating the most distinguished wrestler in a match, committing acts of violence, and increasing his possession of material goods.