Ogbuefi Ezeudu was a great warrior in his youth and now delivers messages from the Oracle. A priestess in Umuofia who is dedicated to the Oracle of the goddess Agbala. Chielo is a widow with two children. A clan leader of Umuofia. Akunna and Mr. In so doing, however, Akunna formulates an articulate and rational defense of his religious system and draws some striking parallels between his style of worship and that of the Christian missionaries.
A wealthy clansmen who takes a chance on Okonkwo by lending him seed yams—twice the number for which Okonkwo asks. Nwakibie thereby helps Okonkwo build up the beginnings of his personal wealth, status, and independence. Maduka wins a wrestling contest in his mid-teens.
Okonkwo wishes he had promising, manly sons like Maduka. Although Obiageli is close to Ezinma in age, Ezinma has a great deal of influence over her. Okonkwo beats Ojiugo during the Week of Peace. Ace your assignments with our guide to Things Fall Apart! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook.
Brown Ikemefuna Unoka. Why is Ezinma so special to Okonkwo? Why does Nwoye convert to Christianity? Why does Okonkwo hang himself? Characters Character List. Okonkwo An influential clan leader in Umuofia. Read an in-depth analysis of Nwoye. Read an in-depth analysis of Ezinma. Ikemefuna A boy given to Okonkwo by a neighboring village. Brown The first white missionary to travel to Umuofia. Reverend James Smith The missionary who replaces Mr. Share Information.
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Open Access Content. Contact us. Sales contacts. Publishing contacts. Social Media Overview. Terms and Conditions. He told Okoye that tradition required him to repay his largest debts before repaying small ones like his debt to Okoye. Okoye left without his money. Despite his father's shameful reputation, Okonkwo is now highly respected in Umuofia, which honors individual achievement rather than family heritage.
Still a young man in his thirties, Okonkwo has become a wealthy farmer of yams — a sacred crop — and supports three wives, a significant indicator of wealth and "manliness. Because Okonkwo is honored as one of the greatest men in his community, he will be asked to look after a young man who will be given as a peace offering to Umuofia by the neighboring village of Mbaino, which hopes to avoid war with Umuofia. Although not indicated in this chapter, the events of Things Fall Apart take place in the late s and early s, just before and during the early days of the British Empire's expansion in Nigeria.
The novel depicts details about life in an African culture much different from Western culture. In this chapter, Achebe reveals the following aspects of Igbo culture:.
Legends and traditions the fight with a spirit of the wild by the founder of their village Symbols of honor titles. Social rituals kola nuts, alligator pepper, chalk, small talk, and proverbs.
In his goal to demonstrate the complexity and sophistication of Igbo society, Achebe gradually introduces these details when they are relevant to the story. Chapter 1 describes Okonkwo's principal accomplishments that establish his important position in Igbo society. These details alone provide insight into Okonkwo's character and motivation. Driving himself toward tribal success and recognition, he is trying to bury the unending shame that he feels regarding the faults and failures of his late father, Unoka.
Essentially, Okonkwo exhibits qualities of manhood in Igbo society. Familiar with Western literature and its traditional forms, Achebe structures Things Fall Apart in the tradition of a Greek tragedy, with the story centered around Okonkwo, the tragic hero. Aristotle defined the tragic hero as a character who is superior and noble, one who demonstrates great courage and perseverance but is undone because of a tragic personal flaw in his character.
In this first chapter, Achebe sets up Okonkwo as a man much respected for his considerable achievements and noble virtues — key qualities of a tragic hero.
Okonkwo's tragic flaw is his obsession with manliness; his fear of looking weak like his father drives him to commit irrational acts of violence that undermine his nobleness. In the chapters ahead, the reader should note the qualities and actions that begin to reveal the tragic flaw in Okonkwo's otherwise admirable actions, words, ideas, and relationships with others.
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