In the story Things Fall Apart, the usage of foil characters is very prominent. Achebe uses these foil characters in his novel to highlight the traits of his main characters. One of the most important foil character pairings is that between Okonkwo and his best friend, Obierika. These two men are considered foil characters because of their contrasting personalities and their ways of acting. Their actions uphold one of the most prominent themes of the story; sometimes it is better to stay calm and think about your actions before you go through with them. Okonkwo and Obierika’s personalities are very different. Throughout the story, Achebe makes sure that their defining traits are highlighted and shown in contrast to the other foil character.
