Character Analysis

What is the significance of Okonkwo’s character? What does he represent or is symbolic of?
Okonkwo is the protagonist of Things Fall Apart, where he is known for his fear of becoming his father whom he was embarrassed by because of his laziness and feminine characteristics. This fear made Okonkwo show no kindness or respect towards those with no title and made him treat his wife and children in an abusive way to ensure that no one considered him as weak or feminine. Additionally, Okonkow is known for winning a wrestling match against the cat which allowed him to earn his respect among the villagers, he is also known for his large yam harvest and having three wives. Achebe uses Okonkwo to explore and represent the different aspects of the Igbo culture, showing both the good and bad through the traditions and customs that they follow. Okonkwo's attitude towards life contributes to his fatal death which symbolizes the effects of colonization on the other side and how it causes cultures to fall apart.

What is the purpose of Okonkwo’s character within the text?
The purpose of Okonkwo's character is to represent the ending of the Igbo culture and to give the audience an insight into living within the opposing side of colonization. His character takes the readers on a journey through the Igbo cultures and traditions before colonization and how their traditions and ways of living changed during colonization and how this caused Okonkwo, who is full of pride, hangs himself. When Okonkwo is banished from his village, it shows how religious the Igbo culture and how important it is for their culture to follow their traditions even if it means banishing their leader. As a tragic hero, Okonkwo educates the readers of how his fear consumed his actions and thoughts which then combined with colonization resulted in his death.


How does Okonkwo’s character contribute to big ideas?
Okonkwo's death represents the effects of colonization on the opposing side and shows the falling apart of a culture which then contributes to the issue of cultures and traditions falling apart and being lost due to colonization. Okonkwo's character also shows the effects colonization has on people and how it can break them mentally since he was not able to adapt to the changes and refused to accept the arrival of the missionaries. Achebe then educates his readers to welcome changes with an open mind and to be flexible with our thoughts and morals. 

Comments

  1. Ann-Sophie EllerkampApril 27, 2019 at 9:56 PM

    I agree with your statements above, especially with the last question you had answered about how does Okonkwo’s character contribute to bigger ideas, you did I good analysis on how his death symbolizes change within the story. A statement that stood out to me that you wrote was second to last sentence, as it was well written and had a good analysis of how it connects to the colonial changes within Things Fall Apart

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Key moments

In my opinion, one of the most important events from things fall apart is the death of Okonkwo at the end of the novel and this is because the death of the protagonist symbolizes Achebe's main reason for writing the novel which is colonization from another point of view. This suicide shows how cultures and systems are taken over as it starts to fall apart and the effects it has on the people it is being inflicted upon. It also reflects Okonwo's weakness and failure and how it took over his pride as he was no longer the leader of his village so he decides to kill himself which creates a conflict within the novel. The second most important part would be Nwoye joining the church because this foreshadows the falling apart of the Umofia since it shows how Nwoye fell apart and decided to join the church which symbolizes the weakness of the tribe. This event is important to the conflict because it shows how Umofia is falling apart and characterizes Nwoye as a parallel to his father...
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