Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" is considered one of the best early modern African novels in English. The story tells the tale of Okonkwo, a great man in his tribe, but also shows the flaws in his character. It shows the conceit of the missionaries, but also how and why they were so successful at converting locals. The characters in Things Fall Apart give a glimpse of life during the colonial era in Nigeria while furthering our understanding of Okonkwo.
The main character, Okonkwo, is an Igbo in pre-colonial Nigeria. He has built his life from the ground up, fuelled by the fear that he will one day become his father. He rules his family with an iron-fist, despising everything that he considers weak.
Things Fall Apart was published as Nigeria was gaining their independence from British rule. A huge contemporary discussion was what kind of country should Nigeria be, now that they where independent? Should they keep British customs, or go back to old Nigerian customs? Luckily, Chinua Achebe is cleverer that that. He shows the bad things that the missionaries did to the Igbo culture.
“The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one."
Chinua Achebe isn’t a cultural purist who glorifies the “old country” with no understanding of its faults. He never tells us what the right way is. He shows that all cultures will have weaknesses and strengths. Even if the missionaries hadn’t come, the Igbo culture would have had to change at one point.
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Here's a look at some of the main characters in "Things Fall Apart":
Main Characters
Okonkwo
Okonkwo is the main protagonist of the story. A well-respected clan leader, he believes in traditional masculinity and gained his position through hard work and fighting skills. Since early childhood, Okonkwo’s embarrassment about his lazy, squandering, and effeminate father, Unoka, has driven him to succeed. Okonkwo’s hard work and prowess in war have earned him a position of high status in his clan, and he attains wealth sufficient to support three wives and their children. His father Unoka was a lazy, soft, emotional man, who gave his son nothing, and Okonkwo worked hard his entire life to not be like his father.
Over the course of the story, there are many examples of Oknonkwo’s brutish side, but only a few where his soft side shows. Every time he feels a soft emotion, he considers himself weak and represses his emotions. Okonkwo’s tragic flaw is that he is terrified of looking weak like his father. Eventually, his hard-headedness causes a rift between him and his son, him and his village, and eventually, he kills himself.
Ikemefuna
Ikemefuna is a 15-year-old boy who is put under Okonkwo’s care when he is traded to the village as compensation for the murder of a woman. Ikemefuna is 12 when he starts living in Umuofia and though he initially struggles to fit in with Olonkwo’s family, he is eventually welcomed by the family.
Nwoye, Okonkwo’s eldest son becomes particularly close to Ikemfuna and thinks of him as the brother he never had. Ikemefuna is a more traditional manly man, and his positive influence on Nwoye pleases Okonkwo. Eventually, Ikemefuna starts calling Okonkwo father, which Okonkwo allows.
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After living with Okonkwo’s family for three years, the Umuofia oracles demand that Ikemefuna be killed. Okonkwo feels hesitant and is given advice not to take part in the killing. Afraid to appear weak though, he decides to take part but stays in the back. Ikemefuna is told that he is being returned to his village, but on the way, he is attacked by the clansmen. He runs towards Okonkwo begging for help and calling him father, but Okonkwo lands the killing blow.
Obierika
Obierika is Okonkwo’s closest friend. He is a calm, thoughtful, and reflective man who tries to give Okonkwo good advice, but is more often than not ignored. He provides insight into the life and traditions of the Umuofia people. Obierika looks out for his friend, selling Okonkwo’s yams to ensure that Okonkwo won’t suffer financial ruin while in exile and comforting Okonkwo when he is depressed. His daughter gets married early in the story, and when Okonkwo is in exile, Obierka visits him and brings him news of the white missionaries. At the end of the book, he gets emotional after Okonkwo’s death and screams at the missionaries saying that they have caused the death of one of the greatest men of Umuofia.
Ekwefi
Ekwefi is Okonkwo’s second wife. Once the village beauty, Ekwefi ran away from her first husband to live with Okonkwo. She fell in love with him as a young girl but he was unable to pay his bride price. She has had a difficult life, losing 9 out of the 10 children she birthed. This is why she is so attached to her only surviving daughter, Ezinma.
Ezinma
Ezinma is Ekwefi and Okonkwo’s only daughter. Their relationship is atypical-Ezinma calls Ekwefi by her name and is treated by her as an equal. She is strong-willed and intelligent as well as beautiful. She is one of the few people who can influence her father, and Okonkwo frequently wishes that she had been a boy. Ezinma is also Okonkwo’s favorite child, for she understands him better than any of his other children and reminds him of Ekwefi when Ekwefi was the village beauty. Okonkwo’s relationship with her showcases some of the few times he lets his softer side emerge. Okonkwo rarely demonstrates his affection, however, because he fears that doing so would make him look weak.
Nwoye
Nwoye is Okonkwo and his first wife’s first son, placing him in a very important position as the eldest son. Okonkwo’s oldest son, whom Okonkwo believes is weak and lazy. Okonkwo continually beats Nwoye, hoping to correct the faults that he perceives in him. Nwoye is more like his sensitive grandfather Unoka than his ultra masculine father Okonkwo, something that bothers his father immensely. Nwoye resembles his grandfather Unoka, in that he's drawn to gentleness and music, even though he recognizes that his father disapproves. Nwoye is bothered by some of Umuofia’s traditions such as leaving twin babies to die in the forest.
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Influenced by Ikemefuna, Nwoye begins to exhibit more masculine behavior, which pleases Okonkwo. Nwoye becomes very close to Ikemefuna, and when he finds out that Okonkwo took part in his killing, a rift starts forming between father and son. During their exile, Nwoye is attracted to the kindness of the Christian missionaries. Though he initially never enters, when his father beats him for even being close to the church, he finally joins them. This causes Okonkwo to disown him from the family. Nwoye doesn’t seem to mind and goes to study with the missionaries. His storyline shows how and why the missionaries were attractive to the youth.
Unoka
Unoka is Okonkwo's father. Though a talented musician in life, he was also lazy and irresponsible, accumulating many debts. Unoka is Okonkwo’s father, of whom Okonkwo has been ashamed since childhood. By the standards of the clan, Unoka was a coward and a spendthrift. He never took a title in his life, he borrowed money from his clansmen, and he rarely repaid his debts. He never became a warrior because he feared the sight of blood. Moreover, he died of an abominable illness.
He is not well respected in the clan because he is lazy. He is fond of playing music and telling stories, but he is always in debt, often begging for money. Okonkwo despises his father and started working hard at a young age to make sure he doesn’t end up like him. Okonkwo, therefore, hates all the things his father liked and represented, both driving him to be successful, but also making him a cold and tough man. Unoka dies a shameful death, still in debt and without title. On the positive side, Unoka appears to have been a talented musician and gentle, if idle. He may well have been a dreamer, ill-suited to the chauvinistic culture into which he was born.
Minor Characters
Besides the main characters, "Things Fall Apart" also features a host of minor characters who contribute to the richness and complexity of the narrative.
- Ogbuefi Ezeudu: The oldest clan member of Umuofia, Ogbbuefi Ezeudu is very well respected for his wisdom despite being a fierce warrior in his youth. He is the one who gave Okonkwo the advice not to take part in Ikemefuna’s killing. At his funeral, Okonkwo’s gun goes off accidentally killing Ezeudu’s oldest son, prompting Okonkwo’s exile.
- Ojiugo: Ojiugo is Okonkwo’s third wife. Okonkwo beats her during the week of peace, drawing criticism and showing his cold side.
- Uchendu: Uchendu is Okonkwo’s uncle, the younger brother of his mother, who welcomes and helps Okonkwo get settled during his exile in Mbanta. He is a kind and thoughtful man, who gives Okonkwo good advice. Uchendu himself has suffered-all but one of his six wives are dead and he has buried twenty-two children.
- Chielo: Chielo is the priestess of Agbala and the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves. She is a widow and has considerable power within the clan. While channeling the goddess Agbala, she comes to take Ezinma to the caves, worrying both Okonkwo and Ekwefi.
- Nwakibie: Nwakibie is the second most powerful man in the clan and is the one who gave young Okonkwo his first yam seeds.
- The District Commissioner: The District Commissioner is the highest colonial representative in Nigeria. He is a typical racist colonialist who thinks of local customs and traditions as barbaric. The prototypical racist colonialist, the District Commissioner thinks that he understands everything about native African customs and cultures and he has no respect for them.
- Mr. Brown: Mr. Brown is the first white missionary to travel to Umuofia. Mr. Brown, the first white missionary to travel to Umuofia, institutes a policy of respect and compromise between the church and the clansmen. Mr. Brown institutes a policy of compromise, understanding, and non-aggression between his flock and the clan. He even becomes friends with prominent clansmen and builds a school and a hospital in Umuofia. He is a kind man who takes the time to understand the culture and slowly builds trust with the locals.
- Akunna: Akunna is a clan leader among the Umuofia who speaks with Mr. Brown about religion and teaches him the ways of the locals. Akunna, a respected man of the clan, discusses religious beliefs with Mr. Brown. Akunna and Mr. Brown discuss their religious beliefs peacefully, and Akunna’s influence on the missionary advances Mr. Brown’s strategy for converting the largest number of clansmen by working with, rather than against, their belief system.
- Reverend James Smith: Reverend James Smith is Mr. Brown’s successor. Reverend Smith replaces Mr. Brown after the latter departs for health reasons. Unlike Mr. Brown, Reverend Smith is impatient and strict, showing no respect for indigenous customs or culture. He criticizes the way Mr. Brown, the first white missionary to travel to Umuofia, institutes a policy of respect and compromise between the church and the clansmen. Unlike Mr. Brown, he views the locals as savages and has no interest in understanding the local customs and traditions. He demands that his converts reject all of their indigenous beliefs, and he shows no respect for indigenous customs or culture. He is the stereotypical white colonialist, and his behavior epitomizes the problems of colonialism.
- Enoch: Enoch is a convert that becomes zealous and fanatical under Reverend Smith. Enoch is a fanatical convert to the Christian church in Umuofia. While Mr. Brown, the first white missionary to travel to Umuofia, institutes a policy of respect and compromise between the church and the clansmen. Enoch’s disrespectful act of ripping the mask off an egwugwu during an annual ceremony to honor the earth deity leads to the climactic clash between the indigenous and colonial justice systems. He snatches a mask off the face of one of the elders during an important ceremony, which causes a clash between the church and the Umuofia.
- Mr. Kiaga: Mr. Kiaga is a convert and interpreter for Mr. Brown. Mr. Kiaga opened the church for all members of the Umuofia people, regardless of their social status, which led to many conversions. He is the one who accepts Nwoye when he runs away from his family.
The characters in Things Fall Apart offer profound insights into Nigerian society during the colonial era, enriching our understanding of Okonkwo's journey and the cultural clashes of the time.
| Character | Role in the Story |
|---|---|
| Okonkwo | Main protagonist, influential clan leader |
| Nwoye | Okonkwo's eldest son, drawn to gentleness and music |
| Ikemefuna | Boy sacrificed to Umuofia, close to Nwoye |
| Ekwefi | Okonkwo's second wife, mother of Ezinma |
| Ezinma | Okonkwo's favorite daughter, intelligent and strong-willed |
| Obierika | Okonkwo's close friend, thoughtful and questioning |
| Unoka | Okonkwo's father, lazy and irresponsible |
| Mr. Brown | First white missionary, respectful and compromising |
| Reverend Smith | Strict and uncompromising missionary |
