Things Fall Apart Character Analysis

Since Okonkwo stood out more than all the other men he was seen as Umuofia's most powerful man. Although Okonkwo is the most powerful man in Umuofia he also has weaknesses. One of those weaknesses is his father, he doesn’t wanna be a weak man and careless like his father. As the white missionaries moved in into their home land, the Igbo people who are unsure of how to react to these traditions either switched to their ways or stayed faithful to their faith. Many people became persuaded of the new religions authorities, however Okonkwo who is an warrior at heart refuses to accept the changes that were taking place in his community.

In the book All the Broken Pieces, by Ann e. Burg, the main character Matt Pin compares himself to his bother Tommy. He describes how their physical features, along with their emotions and metal stage, are divergent. Matt correlates himself to fall, while he compares his sibling to summer.

Domination and authority over women are reflected by the male characters in Things Fall Apart, specially the protagonist Okonkwo, as he oppresses his wives and overly abuse his power as the male dominator. At the beginning of the novel Okonkwo displayed, this trait as the monarch of the household “He ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children” (Acebe, 10). In the Igbo community men were the domineering sex and ruled over their families especially their wives. They treated their wives with disrespect and continuously let women live in fear. As stated above, males being more powerful than women limit woman capabilities and let them fear their husband. Throughout the book the author gives a clear idea that within the Igbo culture they live in a patriarchy society and as proven above the males continuously withhold this dominate role in their household.

Okonkwo continually rejected the ways of his father, who was deeply indebted to other members of Umuofia, holding no titles, to the point where Okonkwo’s “whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (16). He transferred his fears into the context of Umuofia and the traits that society valued, but what was really the driving force in his decisions “was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father” (17). The values of Umuofia resembled the polar opposite of what Unoka was and Okonkwo twisted his motivations around in his mind and presented them to himself and the community as derived from Umuofia’s traditions. From this delusion, Okonkwo established his ultimate goal of becoming a revered member of the village, possessing many titles, and achieving anything necessary displaying his prominence in the community.

In most cultures an individual’s gender will influence their characterization. For instance, Ibo tribes in Africa classify people according to their gender. Women are thought as submissive individuals who are to some extent weaker than men. Men on the other hand are thought of as strong beings with much expected from them. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart strongly emphasizes on the categorization of masculinity and femininity in the society of Ibo tribes. Throughout the book, Okonkwo’s idea about masculinity situates him with respect to his community. In his community Okonkwo is greatly praised for his masculine traits. It is Okonkwo integration with masculinity that leads to him becoming an

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.

The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, originally written in his native language Ibo, tells the tragic tale of an African pre-Christian tribe seen through the eyes of Okonkwo. Okonkwo became a very successful clan leader in his village, by working hard and refusing to be lazy like his father Unoka. Achebe uses irony to encourage character development, drive the contrast between Okonkwo’s dreams and his reality as others see him, and explain the culture’s beliefs in the way they treat women vs. the way women are revered.

One quotation that expresses Okonkwo’s view of manliness states Okonkwo “was always happy when he heard [Nwoye] grumbling about women. That showed that in time he would be able to control his womenfolk” (53). This quotation shows that Oknonkwo feels pleasure when his son displays signs of power, such as the control of the perceived weaker gender. Ergo, Okonkwo views the subordination of others by his son as an example of “masculinity.” This idea is further supported by the quotation: “No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children… he was not really a man” (53). Oknonkwo clearly considers utter authority of one’s nuclear family as a prerequisite to meet “manhood.” He literally states that a man without patriarchy in his family is not a man. Therefore, when Nwoye displays the early signs of this dominance, like the grumbling about his subordinate women’s issues, Okonkwo is finally considering his son “masculine” as shown by his happiness.

Okonkwo is initially introduced as a proud, hardworking, successful warrior. He is described as "clearly cut out for great things" (6). But he is the son of a ne'er-do-well father; though genial and inoffensive, Unoka must certainly have been considered a failure. He is lazy and does not provide for his family. Not only is this disgraceful, but life-threatening as well. He is dependent on other members of the clan and must have been considered unsuccessful. Okonkwo chafes under such disgrace and his success is a consequence of his desire to be everything his father is not; society's vision of an exemplar citizen. The fact that Okonkwo is able to rise above his poverty and disgraceful paternity illustrates the Igbo's acceptance of individual free will. But Okonkwo's fate and his disharmony with his chi, family and clan are shown to cause his ultimate disgrace and death.

“The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart…Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world”, W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming. This quote is the foundation with which Chinua Achebe built his novel, Things Fall Apart, where the main character Okonkwo encounters an abundance of issues that challenge not only him, but also others close to him as well. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe uses Okonkwo’s eldest son, Nwoye, to display how the corruption found in a culture paves the way for devastation for some and salvation for others. Okonkwo is a strong man in the Ibo culture that fact is indisputable. As a young boy he was able to defeat the most notorious wrestler in the village, and Okonkwo demonstrated incredible drive to success despite shortcomings that were dealt his way.

In a village where visible masculinity is imperative to possess if a man wants a good reputation, Okonkwo does not wish to contradict the village’s ideal image. His love for Ikemefuna is strong; however his image trumps his affections for the boy. Even though he is directly told by Ogbuefi to not lend a hand in the death of Ikemefuna (57), Okonkwo disregards Ogbeufi's words.The direct characterization Achebe displays gives the reader a greater sense of the magnitude of Okonkwo’s self image. The reader has previously learned Okonkwo’s actions for achieving great masculinity, and can predict that he will continuing striving for it.

Chris Balog Mrs. Edelstein Honors English II 20 November 2014 Masculinity in Things Fall Apart In Things Fall Apart, Achebe uses Okonkwo’s obsession with masculinity and the fear of displaying weakness to show the power and brute force of a man in the Ibo Culture.(thesis)(include the result) Okonkwo, unlike his father before him, finds comfort in all schemes of power and wealth. His entire life is dedicated to the constant struggle to construct and maintain a strong household for him to produce many children and to acquire many wives.

Abraham Lincoln allegedly suggested, "'to test a man's character, give him power'" (Forbes 2). The African-inspired novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe chronicles the journey of the respected village warrior, Okonkwo, as he experiences a rise and descent in power. Tension, and subsequently violence, builds as Christian missionaries force the institution of their beliefs in Okonkwo's village, Umuofia. Within Okonkwo's ill-fated rise to power, he draws strength from his various relationships and roles as a member of Igbo society. Okonkwo's authority is an example of how Igbo society's imposed expectations and roles can determine social status, which is measured by the amount of power granted to an individual.

The only thing he (Okonkwo) fears most is not ending up like his father, Unoka. However, Achebe ‘‘makes an insightful comment on the nature of masculinity through his representation of the tribal leaders. Achebe basically, was conducive in creating four alter egos of Okonkwo: one of which were the masculinity; next of his fatherly abilities; and the last of his family progress and four of his likelihood of success’’ (Achebe.179). My paper will explain how Okonkwo’s Masculinity from Achebe’s Things Fall Apart will be characterized by his fears, beliefs, and emotions for several reasons.

In Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ (1958), the novel focuses on the trials and tribulations of the central character, Onkonkwo, who faces a constant internal debate on the traditional ideas of ‘masculinity’ and ‘femininity’ - the main conflict which builds in the story. Onkonkwo is portrayed as a militant man, whose views are both antiquated and traditional; he has a narrow minded view of what it means to be traditionally masculine and what defines a ‘good’ man. Ultimately, his rigorous and inflexible prejudices are indicative of his own weakness. As a result of this inability and intolerance to see another’s viewpoint it leads to broken connections, predominantly with regards to the males in his life whom he denotes more pressure upon to reach such expectations in order to be viewed as a man in Onkonkwo’s eyes.