Achebe's Things Fall Apart

In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the author takes the readers on a trip to the Igbo tribe in Nigeria and shows the lifestyle, culture, and struggles that the villagers experienced before and after the European imperial era. The characters, plot, setting, theme, tragic hero, symbolism, figurative language, historical and cultural values and story development contributes to the critical analysis of the novel. It also contributes to writing and understanding the novel.
The protagonist of Things Fall Apart is Okonkwo. He is a warrior, farmer and a leader in the Igbo clan known as Umuofia. He is well respected by his clan members because of his hard work and service to his clan. Okonkwo has three wives and several children. His determination to not be like his lazy, poor father lead to his success. Unoka is the father of Okonkwo. He is known as a weak, poor and irresponsible person by his clan. He is known to be tender and talented at music. Unoka is not a warrior because he feared the sight of …show more content…
Some of the main characters endure fear in the book. Okonkwo fears of being perceive as weak by other people. He fears becoming like his weak and lazy father. He considers everything relating to his father has a sign of weakness. He lets the fear of weakness control him instead of This fear causes him not to show any affection towards his children. Fear also impacts Nwoye in this novel. Nwoye fears his father’s anger. He tries to get on the good side of his father by doing the things that would please him. Okonkwo’s harsh behavior towards his son is what allows Nwoye to fear his father. Furthermore, fear affects Okonkwo’s wife, Ekwefi. She fears losing her daughter, Ezinma. Ezinma is her only surviving child. It is understandable as to why Ekwefi fear of losing her daughter, especially since nine of her children died during childhood. Fear plays a major role in these characters and their decisions throughout the