Bright Hub Education

Bright Hub Education

  • Teaching Tools
    • Teaching Tools
    • Classroom Management
    • Education Industry
    • Student Assessment Tools
    • Teaching Methods
  • Preschool and Early Ed
    • Preschool and Early Ed
    • Infant Development
    • Parenting Tips and Advice
    • Preschool Crafts and Activities
    • Preschool Lesson Plans and Theme
    • Preschool Teaching Strategies
    • Toddler Activities and Ideas
  • Elementary School
    • Elementary School
    • Grade School Activities
    • Lesson Plans for Pre-K and K
    • Lesson Plans: Grades 1 - 2
    • Lesson Plans: Grades 3 - 5
    • Parenting Grade Schoolers
    • Teaching Younger Students
  • Middle School
    • Middle School
    • English Lessons: Grades 6-8
    • History Lessons: Grades 6-8
    • Math Lessons: Grades 6-8
    • Parenting Preteens and Tweens
    • Science Lessons: Grades 6-8
    • Social Studies: Grades 6-8
    • Teaching Middle Schoolers
    • The Arts: Grades 6-8
  • More
    • High School(7)
    • Homework Help(20)
    • Special Ed(11)
    • More Areas(4)
More
High School (7)
Homework Help (20)
Special Ed (11)
More Areas (4)
English Lessons: Grades 9-12
High School Teaching Tips
History Lessons: Grades 9-12
Math Lessons: Grades 9-12
Parenting Teens
Science Lessons: Grades 9-12
The Arts: Grades 9-12
English Help
Geography Facts
Help with German
Help with Latin
Help with Writing
History Help
Language Learning Strategies
Learning Chinese
Learning French
Learning Italian
Learning Japanese
Learning Spanish
Literature Study Guides
Math Facts
Miscellaneous Languages
Science Homework Help
Science Projects
Social Studies Help
Study and Learning Tips
Test Preparation
Behavioral Disorders
Gifted and Exceptional St...
Hearing Impairments
IDEA, IEPs and The Law
Inclusion Strategies
Learning Disorders
Neurological Disorders
Physical Disabilities
Special Ed: Parent Perspe...
Speech Disorders
Visual Impairments
Homeschooling Advice
Summer Learning
Teaching a Second Language
Teaching ESL Learners
Homework Help
    Skip to content
    768

    Characters in Things Fall Apart: Okonkwo & Other Characters

    Literature Study Guides and Chapter Summaries / By Trent Lorcher / Homework Help & Study Guides

    Main Characters

    Okonkwo gets all the attention. He’s the novels protagonist and a respected clan member in Umuofia. He gains notoriety at a young age after defeating the Cat at a wrestling match.

    He is wealthy and driven to succeed, unlike his father, Ukona, who is lazy and irresponsible. Despite his success, Okonkwo brings much hardship on himself and his family through irrational temper tantrums and ill-advised actions. Okonkwo’s fall is brought on by his core beliefs that manliness is displayed through violence and domination.

    Nwoye is the foil to Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart. He prefers his mother’s stories over his father’s, prefers Christianity to the tribe’s customs, and despises his father for the death of Ikemefuna. Okonkwo considers his oldest son effeminate and weak, and beats him frequently to make him tough.

    Ezinma is the only child of Okonkwo’s second wife, Ekwifi, and Okonkwo’s favorite. Okonkwo fears displaying his love for Ezinma, it being a sign of weakness. He does, however, show his human side by waiting for her outside Agbala’s cave and making medicine when she is sick.

    Okonkwo Exposed: Character Analysis

    It’s important not to judge Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart through a modern day cultural lens. Okonkwo’s family, however, is dysfunctional even by Ibo standards. His dad’s a deadbeat. He’s overly abusive and hypercritical, thinks showing love is a sign of weakness, kills his stepson (although his death was ordered by the tribe, he did not have to take part in it), and acts rashly.

    His ability to chop heads off with a machete is impressive but he needs to work on gun maintenance. If only he had been born a hundred years later, he could have been the most popular professional wrestler ever.

    Other Characters

    ThingsFallApart Pin it! Share on Facebook

    Although Okonkwo’s family and Okonkwo get most of the attention, other characters in Things Fall Apart play an important role.

    Mr. Brown is the first white missionary at Umuofia. He shows respect for the tribe’s beliefs and adopts a policy of tolerance and non-aggression in order to win converts, even becoming friends with clan leaders. Mr. Brown builds a church, a hospital, and a school near the village.

    The Reverend James Smith replaces Mr. Brown and adopts a policy of intolerance. He encourages aggressive actions against the clan and its traditions. Mr. Smith is a stereotypical colonialist.

    Uchendu welcomes Okonkwo and his family after their exile from Umuofia. Uchendu encourages Okonkwo to respect the land of his mother by accepting his fate and living cheerily. He recognizes Okonkwo’s impetuousness and fears the consequences.

    Obierika delivers news of the missionaries to Okonkwo while in exile and helps out his friend by selling his yams. Obierika questions some of the tribe’s traditions yet remains loyal to them Enoch, an overzealous Christian convert, unmasks an egwuwu. In retaliation the villagers burn down his house and the church.

    The District Commissioner is the top colonial authority in the region. He tricks Okonkwo and other clan leaders and imprisons them. He’s the embodiment of colonial racism.

    References

    • Public Domain Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
    • Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books. 1959.

    This post is part of the series: Things Fall Apart Study Guide

    Study Africa’s most revered novelist with this study guide.
    1. Summary of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
    2. Characters in Things Fall Apart
    3. Things Fall Apart Quotes with Analysis
    4. An Analysis of Important Themes in Things Fall Apart
    5. Things Fall Apart Essay Questions

    Post navigation

    ← Previous Post
    Next Post →
    Copyright © 2019 Bright Hub Education. All Rights Reserved.
    About | Copyright Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
     

    Popular Pages

    • Home

    More Info

    Recent

    • Short Biography of P.G.Wodehouse
    • Facts about Djuna Barnes: A Writer’s Biography
    • Who Was Lewis Carroll and Why Did He Write Alice in Wonderland?
    • The Life of Hans Christian Andersen: Interesting Author Biography
    • A Biography of English Romantic Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
    • Biography of Dorothy Parker, American Poet, Critic, Satirist and Short Story Writer
     

    Search Here:

    Navigation

    • Teaching Tools
    • Preschool and Early Ed
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • Top Menu

    Keep In Touch

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Google+
    © 2019 brighthubeducation.com. All rights reserved.
    • Privacy Policy