Character Resemblance in Things Fall Apart - Research Paper Example

Unoka’s actions made him popular in his community where they looked down on him as a weak individual giving the name, agbala, a term to resemble a woman’s weakness. Despite his father’s actions, Okonkwo is determined to outshine him and gain enough respect and wealth from the community. He develops an ambitious and character that makes him insensitive and dominating especially to his children and wives. Unlike his father, Okonkwo gains positive fame in his community by winning a wrestling match.

The story takes another twist when Okonkwo is given Ikemefuna to take care of being a community leader. The boy is used in the text to symbolize the desire for Mbaino, the adjacent village to keep the peace with Umuofia. Okonkwo, full of ambition and desire to express his egoistic issues, dictates his opinions to his family and communities mostly through actions. From breaking the peace week rules to killing Ikemefuna, he demonstrates his character as stubborn and insecure. He wants to distance himself from his father’s doings and is acutely sensitive, especially when it comes down to proving how powerful he could be.

The story tells of the tragic incidences that follow Okonkwo’s every action that makes all of his plans to succeed fail. The real tragedy starts when he unintentionally kills one of his clansmen at Ezeudu’s funeral and is forced to flee Umuofia for seven years. These made him lose all of the popularity that he had earned when he is forced to depart the village together with his family. All is not well at Okonkwo’s home, his son despises him and his daughter gets ill. He, then, seeks refuge at his mother’s home village staying with his uncle.

During this stay, the villages around them undergo a transformation, as their traditional beliefs dropped for Christianity. Nwoye, his son, is one of the converts who decides to swap the traditional beliefs for Christianity and attend the new school. The arrival of missionaries dictating the land rules marked Okonwo’s demise, when he finally accepted that it had been effortless to embrace change. He retaliates by taking his life, hence, things fall apart. Chinua’s captivating story presents a drama with events revolving around Okonkwo and values a traditional society holds.

Several characters in this story share common beliefs and present similar behavior. Resemblance of Characters and Traditional Beliefs The story is centered on a traditional community with a lot of belief and rules governing their society. Men view themselves as more superior and able to dictate the decisions made in families and society. Nwagbara claims that Chinua Achebe has successfully explained how women were exceedingly marginalized by the traditional societal beliefs. They are hardly included in the decision making process, because men carry the responsibility to make decisions that affect the entire society (Nwagbara, 3).

Their role in the book is to bear the shame of men and ensure the family is in excellent health. Through their behavior, several characters contribute to the topic of gender inequality. Okonkwo plays a crucial role in clearly defining the form of oppression and abuse that women face in a traditional society. He is desperate to prove his manhood to the society and power angry, any effort to link him to a weak man drives his anger. Okonkwo is an insensitive man who is cruel to not only his children, but also his wives.

Women, according to Okonkwo, are