Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe | Characters

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Professor Kristen Over of Northeastern Illinois University explains the main characters in Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart.

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Chinua Achebe's classic postcolonial novel Things Fall Apart details the tragedy of colonialism through the eyes of Okonkwo, a respected member of Igbo society in 1890s Nigeria.

Determined and stoic, he meets the harsh realities of life with equanimity. He survives a hardscrabble upbringing to become the patriarch of a growing family and a prominent figure in his village. However, the arrival of British colonists upsets the delicate balance he has established.

The disruption created by these invaders, who set about converting the Igbo to Christianity, sets Okonkwo on the path to ruin. As he attempts to rebel against the new order established by the British, he loses everything he has worked for.

This parable of colonialist oppression avoids easy conclusions. It instead focuses on the very personal struggle of one man as he attempts to cope with powerful social forces intent on destroying his way of life.

Considered the father of modern African literature, Nigerian-born Chinua Achebe first published Things Fall Apart in 1958. The novel has been translated into more than 50 languages. Nelson Mandela said Achebe “brought Africa to the rest of the world.”

This historical fiction novel contains many powerful themes, such as betrayal, fate vs. free will, and culture and change. Other symbols include fire representing Okonkwo and his blazing anger, which eventually destroys him; yams symbolizing masculinity, wealth, and respect; and locusts symbolizing the arrival of British colonists.

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