Assignment on Things Fall Apart
Name :- Rajdip.P.Gohel
Roll. No:- 27
Paper No:- 14- The African Literature
Class:- M.A Sem - 4
Topic:- Things Fall Apart Character
Study
Enrolment No:- 2069108420190017
College:- Smt.S.B.Gardi Department Of
English
Submitted:- Department Of English
M.K.University, Bhavnagar
Introduction:
Things Fall Apart, first novel by Chinua Achebe, written in English and
published in 1958. Things Fall Apart helped create the Nigerian
literary renaissance of the 1960s. The novel chronicles the life of Okonkwo,
the leader of an Igbo community, from the events leading up to his
banishment from the community for accidentally killing a clansman, through the
seven years of his exile, to his return, and it addresses a particular problem
of emergent Africa—the intrusion in the 1890s of white missionaries and colonial
government into tribal Igbo society. Traditionally
structured, and peppered with Igbo proverbs, it describes the simultaneous
disintegration of its protagonist Okonkwo and of his village. The novel was praised for
its intelligent and realistic treatment of tribal beliefs and of psychological
disintegration coincident with social unraveling. When Things Fall
Apart was first published, Achebe announced that one of his purposes
was to present a complex, dynamic society to a Western audience who perceived
African society as primitive, simple, and backward. Unless Africans could tell
their side of their story, Achebe believed that the African experience would
forever be "mistold," even by such well-meaning authors as Joyce Cary
in Mister Johnson. Cary worked in Nigeria as a colonial
administrator and was sympathetic to the Nigerian people. Yet Achebe feels that
Cary, along with other Western writers such as Joseph Conrad, misunderstood
Africa. Many European writers have presented the continent as a dark place
inhabited by people with impenetrable, primitive minds; Achebe considers this
reductionist portrayal of Africa racist. He points to Conrad, who wrote against
imperialism but reduced Africans to mysterious, animalistic, and exotic
"others." In an interview published in 1994, Achebe explains that his
anger about the inaccurate portrayal of African culture by white colonial
writers does not imply that students should not read works by Conrad or Cary.
On the contrary, Achebe urges students to read such works in order to better
understand the racism of the colonial era.
Character List:
Okonkwo
Okonkwo is a man who values masculinity, strength, and
respect above all else. He is seen as a leader within his clan and his family,
which includes three wives and a number of children. A man of action, Okonkwo
overcomes his poor background and achieves great success. Unoka, Okonkwo's
father, was lazy and a poor provider, and Okonkwo is driven to be everything
his father was not. Okonkwo's rigidity causes great harm, first within his
family—the killing of Ikemefuna and the rift with Nwoye—and then within
society. Okonkwo is unable to adapt when the white man/missionaries come to his
village. He commits suicide rather than adhere to the rules of the changed
society. Okonkwo is the major character and protagonist of
the novel, Things Fall Apart. He is physically strong with great
strength in his character. Throughout the novel, he strives very hard to shed
the inherited laziness to assert his manliness. Okonkwo exudes masculinity,
ruthlessness, and violence from the very start of his life. He believes his
father was a coward. He has three wives and ten children. He adopts a tragic flaw of
his father that is to go against the community and
its norms. He proves his strength by killing Ikemefuna and by resisting the
arrival of the white civilization. He fails to perceive the threat of this
modern civilization that has impacted the Umuofians.
Although Okonkwo has achieved personal
and social success, he doesn’t change with time. He goes into exile for murder
after killing Ezeudu’s son accidentally. When he returns, he finds that
most people in the village has embraced the white civilization and converted
into Christianity. He fiercely opposes the kills one of the English messengers
and is filled with guilt. He is also surprised at the tribe’s reaction which is
of complete apathy and silence. To avoid
being judged by a white man, he commits suicide. Thus all his glory and pride
comes to an end.
Nwoye
Nwoye seems to have adopted some of Unoka's traits, which
upsets Okonkwo. Okonkwo worries that Nwoye will grow up behaving as his
grandfather behaved. Because of his concern, Okonkwo is even harder on Nwoye
and beats him regularly. Nwoye begins to change under the influence of
Ikemefuna. When Ikemefuna is killed, Nwoye retreats into himself and is cut off
from his father. With the arrival of the missionaries, Nwoye revives. He breaks
away from his father and becomes a Christian convert. The eldest son of
Okonkwo, Nwoye, resembles his grandfather. He always struggles hard to come out
of the powerful image of his father and fails to be tough. When Ikemefuna is
brought home, he takes him as an older brother. Despite his best efforts to
adopt masculine habits and values, he stays conflictual in his mind though he
succeeds in winning approval of Okonkwo sometimes. When he sees his father
assassinating Ikemefuna, he begins to hate his masculinity and courage. He
finally joins the English forces of civilization when the mission returns to
Mbanta. He again becomes optimistic and feels relieved after getting out of his
father’s oppressive rule and takes the name Isaac and betrays his father one
last time.
Unoka
Unoka is viewed by Okonkwo and the clan as lazy,
although he was also a gifted musician and a gentle man. Rather than working,
Unoka preferred to play his flute and drink wine. He was seen as a coward
because he was afraid of war. He had poor harvests because he was unwilling to
put in the effort to care for the land. When Unoka died, he was in debt to all
of his neighbors.Okonkwo cannot see his father's good qualities and hates him.
He lives his life with the intention of avoiding anything his father enjoyed. Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, has never been honestly a strong man
was known for his cowardice and profligacy. He would spend his time singing and
dreaming. He also falls in massive debts as he continually borrows from other
clansmen. Unoka earns shame for Okonkwo from which he has to come out through
the assertion of masculinity. On the other
hand, he is also an artist by nature and a very talented musician. His idleness
and constant borrowing have made him a misfit in the highly patriarchal
culture. That is why Okonkwo does not relate himself to his father.
Ikemefuna
Ikemefuna comes to the clan as a form
of payment for a murder that one of his tribesmen committed. The elders place
Ikemefuna with Okonkwo, who puts his first wife in charge of the boy. Ikemefuna
misses his family but comes to feel at home in Umuofia. He becomes popular
within the family, particularly with Okonkwo's oldest son, Nwoye. Okonkwo is
also fond of Ikemefuna, though he does not reveal his feelings and eventually
participates in Ikemefuna's murder. Ikemefuna becomes the adopted son of Okonkwo after
Mbaino clan hands him over to Okonkwo for a murder. Boy’s manners win Okonkwo’s
heart to whom he calls his father but also becomes a brother figure to Nwoye
and other family members. Although Okonkwo has shown particular interest in the
boy, he kills him with his machete when the decisive moment comes to prove his
masculinity.
Obierika
Obierika is the closest thing Okonkwo
has to a confidant. Like Okonkwo, he has achieved status within the clan. He
has multiple wives and children. He marries off one daughter, and his son is a
wrestling champion. When Okonkwo is forced to leave Umuofia, Obierika cares for
his land and property. Unlike Okonkwo, Obierika is more nuanced in his thinking
and is able to express himself. He rebukes Okonkwo for participating in the
murder of Ikemefuna, tells him to have patience with his children, and cautions
him about the power of the missionaries. When Okonkwo dies, Obierika speaks up
on his behalf and calls him a great man. Obierika comes to limelight in the
novel while helping Okonkwo, who needed financial help when he goes into exile,
and Obierika jumps to help Okonkwo. However, he is also a born skeptic who
questions Okonkwo’s execution of Ikemefuna and playing with the conventional
tribal wisdom. The social pressure, however, does not let him point out the
cultural problems that he sees.
Ezinma
Ezinma is Okonkwo’s favorite daughter,
an only child from his second wife, Ekwefi. She is braver than her mother and
also fearless. So, Okonkwo often wishes her to be a boy instead of a girl on
account of her boldness and courage. Not only does she win his appraisal but
also wins his respect. She understands that postponing marriage may bring back
her father’s lost glory and social status after the exile ends. Ezinma is the
only child of Okonkwo's second wife, Ekwefi. She is particularly close to her
mother. Okonkwo also favors Ezinma. He feels a connection to her and
appreciates her boldness. Her behaviors and attitude make Okonkwo wish she were
a boy. Ezinma feels a similar fondness for her father.
Work Cited:
Course Hero.
"Things Fall Apart Study Guide." Course Hero. 28 July 2016. Web. 7 Mar. 2020. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Things-Fall-Apart/>.
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