Things Fall Apart Character Analysis - 824 Words

Chinua Achebe’s novel, â€Å"Things Fall Apart† is an extraordinary example of life lessons and internal battles characters can face. The novel show cases that sometimes characters can have struggles within themselves and that it does don’t necessarily have to be a person. Throughout the novel the audience gets to meet Okonkwo, the main character who is quite hard to read. As the book progresses the true Okonkwo is discovered. Okonkwo is faced with this immense pressure he puts on himself and soon we see this character self-destruct. Okonkwo’s complex character and internal struggles is what makes him such a strong and relatable character because of this everyone can formulate an Okonkwo in their life. Okonkwo has this prestige masculine†¦show more content†¦He was a man without a tile in the village of Umuofia, and he could not endure the sight of blood.† (Achebe). Biologically, he was a male, but among the Igbo, he was never a man. So, pe ople laughed at him. In order to become a hero, Okonkwo felt he must overcome this public image that the public held of his father. In the beginning of the novel, Achebe made the following remarks about Okonkwo: â€Å"His father rested on solid personal achievement’s.† â€Å"He had no patience with unsuccessful men† (Achebe). â€Å"His whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness† (Achebe). Although Okonkwo wants to be nothing like his father, he is and the audience get glimpses of that side of him. As much as he tries to be nothing like his father the audience witness scenarios in which he is a caring man. â€Å"Achebe told us that down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man.† (Nnoromele). Okonkwo’s relationship with his daughter Enzima is an example of where he breaks from this masculine image he upholds. â€Å"A typical example of this happened on the night when the priestess of Agbala came to take Enzima, Oko nkwo’s daughter, for Agbala’s blessing. In spite of his inexorable commitment to support and defend the laws of the land, Okonkwo felt the natural pull to resist established social order. He was expressively unapproving of the untimely visit by the Priestess. He perceived her arrival as an intrusion to his family’s domestic life.†Show MoreRelatedThings Fall Apart Character Analysis1564 Words   |  7 Pagesstory of â€Å"Things Fall Apart† is three part story that tells the life of Okonkwo. The main character in the story to which he is much known in nine villages. In part one of the story it shows us the way on how Okonkwo rose to power and becoming a very valuable person. He is very well respected on how hard he worked to get at the top. The struggles Okonkwo went through as a young child was pretty tough. His father Unoka was a failure. He had owed money to every neighbor he lived around. One thing that UnokaRead MoreThings Fall Apart Character Analysis1071 Words   |  5 PagesIn life, we all have fears whether it’s spiders, darkness, or even death. In Things Fall Apart, we see the fears of many of the main characters being shown especially in Okonkwo. Okonkwo was not born into power and wealth and it was up to him whether he was going to make something out of his life. His choice was to disregard his father’s ways and work as hard as possible so that he can become one of the most powerful men in his village of Umuofia. His work ethic and passion for success drive himRead MoreThings Fall Apart Character Analysis1568 Words   |  7 Pagesof â€Å"Things Fall Apart† is a three part story that tells the life of Okonkwo. The main character in the story to which he is much known in nine villages. In part one of the story, it shows us the way on how Okonkwo rose to power and becoming a very valuable person. He is very well respected for how hard he worked to get at the top. The struggles Okonkwo went thro ugh as a young child was pretty tough. His father Unoka was a failure. He had owed money to every neighbor, he lived around. One thing thatRead MoreThings Fall Apart Character Analysis1130 Words   |  5 PagesPower â€Å"No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and children (and especially his women) he was not really a man† (Chinua Achebe 53). This quote from Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart demonstrates the power of men as it is presented throughout the novel. Things Fall Apart is the story of Okonkwo’s struggles in society, and his search for power throughout his life. During his exile, cultures clash and chaos erupts in the Igbo village. Okonkwo’s father, his exile in MbantaRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart917 Words   |  4 PagesEA 3.2 Literary Analysis: character analysis The introduction of a new culture to another culture can be quite a challenge, as well as life-changing for those individuals who decide to assimilate the new beliefs and customs. The arrival of the missionaries to Nigeria affected the the Ibo culture and introduced its people to a new set of religious beliefs and westernized customs. Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, portrays the contrasting reactions of people to the new culture brought to theirRead MoreThings Fall Apart: Okonkwo Character Analysis Essay856 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel Things Fall Apart, strength and pride are very important aspects of the main character, Okonkwo, however, these traits may sound like excellent traits to possess but because of the way he was raised, Okonkwo harbours many of his emotions under an outer shell of violence, strength and pride. His traits can be shown by looking at where he has come from in his life, for example, Okonkwo has acquired a large amount of wealth in his life because of his hard work and dedication which he alsoRead MoreEssay Character Analysis of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart541 Words   |  3 PagesIn the novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected and determined individual whose fatal flaw eventually works against him. Throughout the novel the readers are shown that Okonkwo has many of these Characteristics because he is obsessed with the idea of becoming just like his father. This becomes his flaw in the novel that puts him into exile and makes it hard for him to adjust to the changes that were made with in his village. Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected individual inRead MoreThe Analysis of the Main Characters and the Impact of Colonialism in Things Fall Apart and Avatar1868 Words   |  8 Pagesnatural resources, all the while disrupting your way of life. The only thing that you can do is react, maybe you choose to fight back, or maybe you learn to accept these new ways as your own. The Navi from Avatar and the Ibo from Things Fall Apart are both under the attack of an imposing nation, although the way that the natives and the invadors handle the situation are very different. Okonkwo and Jake Sully, the main characters from these two stories, have a huge impact on the outcome of the nativesRead MoreWork1068 Words   |  5 Pages2013 Things Fall Apart: Character Analysis Research Paper In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the main character Okonkwo has only one tragic flaw; he has raised himself so that looking weak or effeminate is the worst thing to him that he could do. Okonkwo is a model clansman based on his success. However, he is more alienated from his culture based on his lack of respect for it. In this research paper, I’ll walk through a character analysis of Okonkwo. The protagonist of Things FallRead MoreAnalysis Of Feminism In Things Fall Apart1070 Words   |  5 Pages The analysis of feminist theory in Things Fall Apart presents reason for the sexism that is continuously portrayed. Sexism and problematic gender roles within the novel are repeatedly depicted throughout a number of scenes and characters. With this, we are able to see how sexism exists in various cultures and how the implementation of sexism is detrimental to society. Although, as feminist theory states, rebelling and challenging the patriarchal system is necessary to halt gender roles and sexual