Single character analysis in Chinua Achebe's Things fall apart

Chinua Achebe presents an archetypal patriarchal warrior with the character of Okonkwo in the novel Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo is described as being “well known,” his fame being based on quintessential masculine feats like winning wrestling tournaments and having many wives. A round character, rather than a dynamic one, Okonkwo also epitomizes the classical tragic hero whose hubris and stubbornness prevent him from changing or recognizing what he could do to better lead his people. Achebe uses traditional storytelling methods and a straightforward narrative style to elucidate the main elements of his protagonist. The reader therefore gleans information about Okonkwo primarily through the narrator’s direct descriptions of the protagonist’s actions, reactions, and words. Motivated by the desire to maintain power and to fulfill patriarchal roles and norms in his society, Okonkwo ends up committing egregious ethical wrongs in order to achieve his egotistical goals, and in the end of the story, things truly do fall apart for his people. Therefore, Okonkwo of Things Fall Apart is a round character whose hubris and egotism serve as a meaningful warning to readers about the pitfalls of patriarchal power.
Driven by a fear of becoming like his disgraced father, Okonkwo compensates by wielding power through force and violence. His physical stature helps Okonkwo to gain the respect he needs from his tribe members, who value physical strength as a sign of strong male leadership. Okonkwo is described as “tall and huge,” with a “severe look” that cause others to fear him (Achebe, 1958, p. 1). In fact, Okonkwo is also described using animalistic metaphors and analogies to underscore his primal nature, his tendency to react to situations with his limbic system as opposed to calmness, rationality, and human ethics. For example, the narrator describes him as “slippery as a fish in water,” and also as a fierce predator who would “pounce on people quite often,” (Achebe, 1958, p. 1). Thus, Okonkwo is defined by his physical power and his high status in the village of Umuofia more than he is by his mental or emotional maturity.
Violence is another core character trait for the protagonist of Achebe’s novel. Okonkwo uses violence to maintain control over multiple domains of his life, from his personal and family life to his status in the community. He “ruled his household with a heavy hand,” to the point where “his wives...lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children,” (Achebe, 1958, p. 10). Due to the patriarchal norms of his Igbo culture, the members of the tribe condone and even expect such behavior from a fierce warrior-leader. It is only when Okonkwo violates the supernatural laws that dominate the society that he is exiled from the community. Thus, Achebe shows that a patriarchal society cares more about appeasing invisible spirits than about the ethical treatment of human beings.
Achebe also paints a round character who fails to change because he never changes his values, beliefs, or motivations. Until the very end of the novel, Okonkwo remains “dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness...deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods,” (Achebe, 1958, p. 10). The narrator reminds readers also that Okonkwo’s deepest fear is of “himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father,” (Achebe, 1958, p. 10). When Okonkwo faces his final challenge towards the end of the novel, he fails to recognize that his people’s values and beliefs have changed. They yearn for a more peaceful existence, and have lost respect for Okonkwo and the outmoded worldview he represents.
The mid-twentieth century Nigerian novel Things Fall Apart sheds light on how societies fall apart due to the perpetuation of fear and violence. Upholding the norms of masculine power, Okonkwo is a round character who Achebe describes using direct language. The depiction of Okonkwo therefore leaves little to the reader’s imagination, instead offering a pointed critique of gender roles, norms, and patriarchal leadership.



References

Achebe, C. (1958). Things Fall Apart. New York: Random House.