Novel Character Analysis of Okonkwo, Nwoye, Ezinma & Ikemefuna in Things Fall Apart
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Okonkwo
A Tragic Hero
Okonkwo is considered to be a tragic hero in Umofia, and the protagonist in Things Fall Apart. In his case, a tragic hero held the positions of prestige and power. He is a leader of the Igbo community and more specifically a son of the lazy Unoka.
He did strive to make his way out in the world that seemed to have value for manliness. His father Unoka was indolent, lazy spendthrift, poor, placid, had an interest in music and showed a high level of cowardice (Chinua Achebe, 1959).
However, unlike his father, Okonkwo did adopt the opposite dealings which enabled him to achieve a greater height. He was known to be a fierce warrior and renowned wrestler who was popular and successful in yam farming.
These comprise of becoming productive, thrifty, brave, wealthy, violent and he was strongly opposed to music and other soft items such as emotions and conversations.
A Noble Character
Besides, he was quite apathetic to a fault. Okonkwo is one of the characters who achieved a greater loftiness by embracing various ideals in life. First and foremost, he got married to three wives who sired several children to him.
He did stick to their culture even after the introduction of the European cultures which were brought by the whites who lived in their midst.
Tragic Flaws
Even though Okonkwo was viewed to be a tragic hero, he had tragic flaws which were the sole cause of his downfall. It is the question of manliness with anger, rashness, and violence which catalyzed his destructions and downfall.
At times, he was gruff, and he could not be able to fully express his feelings. Most of the time, his feelings were being referred to by the word, “inwardly" to mean he was not easily expressing his feelings. He was impulsive and could normally speak before he actually thinks.
A Complex Character
However, his emotions were too complex, and many times he engaged in violence with Ikemefuna and Enzima. However, at the end of it all, the society betrayed him after he had killed the British messenger by not joining him in the war, an act which made him commit suicide just like his father, Unoka. It was indeed a shameful and disgraceful death as per the doctrines of the clans.
Nwoye
Different from His Father
Nwoye was the eldest son of Okonkwo. He was 12 years at the beginning of the story, and he was a very sensitive man. He did grow under the shadows of his successful, demanding and powerful father. However, his interest and purpose for life were quite different from his father, and they take after those of Unoka his grandfather.
When his father wanted him to change, he received a lot of beatings before the actual arrival of Ikemefua who taught him a gentler form of masculinity. As a result, the Okonkwo did back-off, and Nwoye did start to win his grudging approval.
Feminine Characteristics
He remained conflicted and expressed feminine things to please his father (Chinua Achebe, 1959). However, by doing this, he missed the stories from his mother's end. In the book, Nwoye is portrayed as a boy who lacks confidence, and it is the sole reason why he was receiving harsh treatment from his father, Okonkwo.
Okonkwo’s Guidance
However, Okonkwo did choose to give him guidance through violence as opposed to counsel. For instance, in the occasion where Nwoye had not cut yams from their planting farm properly, the father cautions him not to cut it in that size or else he will break his jaws.
The treatment thus leaves him more frightened and did not want to make any mistake again. The gentleness and peaceful nature of Nwoye did go against the culture of the society which required a man to be masculine and violent.
He Loved Feminine Stories
For instance, he did like to listen to the stories and tales whom the women told as opposed to the violent battles that Okonkwo took an opportunity to tell him.
Therefore, on the realization of the society’s attitude, he did display a high level of pretence by showing a high degree of likeness to the violent stories to evade the wrath of his father (Whittaker & M.-H, 2007).
His father was later pleased with him, and the move saved him from the beatings. However, his life changed when the missionaries came to Mbata.
His faith and hope reawakened and did join forces with them. However, due to that move, he was disowned by his father, Okonkwo but in contrary, he got free from his father’s tyranny.
Ezinma
Beloved Daughter
She is the most beloved daughter of Okonkwo and the only child of Ekwefi. She is a character who is known to be bold and at times confronts or contradicts her father.
Okonkwo, her father, always had wished and hoped that she would have been born a boy as opposed to a girl since she had a masculine spirit (Chinua Achebe, 1959).
Her character tended to win the attention, affection, and respect from her father and had a kindred spirit, a trait which played a role in boosting the precocity and confidence.
Ezinma grew to be a beautiful young woman and defy marriage until the point where their family comes from exile to help her father rebuild his political career.
Wise Girl
Just like her father, she tends to put strategies before emotions hence achieving the most success in the things he was doing. Ezinma's engagement with Chielo discloses several tribal customs and beliefs.
It gives the procedure which individuals should undergo through when they are being married. She lived the life of a typical Umofian woman since she did wait until the day in which they came from exile and was married in Umofia (Chinua Achebe, 1959).
Like her mother, she had inborn confidence that did outshine most of the girls in the village.
Bold & Courageous
She was known to be ready to take the tasks of the boy. Also, she was talking with a lot of courage which depicts that of a man and has a temper fret like Okwokwo, her father.
However, she adhered to the traditional values and cultures by performing the gender roles and knows how to demarcate her boundaries, an attitude which did please her father so much.
However, in the case of her mother, she calls her with her own name and she had the authority to ask her so many questions which most of the women in Umofia would have found annoying.
However, given the boldness of her mother, she could be able to withstand it. The trait of Enzima thus makes her be a unique character in the whole book.
Ikemefuna
Young Boy
He was a fifteen-year-old boy who was given to Umofia from the neighbouring clan- Mbaino to end the war or conflicts between them. He was given as a sacrifice of killing one woman from Umofia.
Right from their clan, he lived with the Okonkwo‘s family, and Okwonkwo tends to love him as oppose to his only son, Nwoye. He believed that he was a promising hardworking young man.
Eventually, when he died, his death did affect Okwonkwo throughout the book. However, Okonkwo joined in the killing of Ikemefuna since he was afraid of being considered weak yet he was later haunted by his decision since he was warned not to take part.
Okonkwo could not eat; sleep and the action brought a wide ridge between him and his son Nwoye (Chinua Achebe, 1959).
Destiny Predetermined
Ikemefuna's destiny was predetermined since he was taken from their family at a very tender age to the new community to pay for the sins which he was not part. He even had no knowledge. He was put in the hands of Umofia elders and Okwonkwo has his new father whose entire fate lies.
It is his death which opens the eyes of Nwoye to understand the sense of right denial by the customs when they went ahead to kill an innocent young man.
The emptiness followed Nwoye which could not be filled by the tradition. It thus shows that Ikemefuna had played a role in shaping the Umofia clan and his effort could not be sidelined.
A Great Teacher
Ikemefuna is the character who did teach Nwoye how to be a man and enabled Nwoye to start interacting with the men of the family and the tribe.
He started to act like a man, a move which his father always adored. He was loved and respected by Nwoye, and his leadership played a role in ensuring that Nwoye had become a responsible person in society (Chinua Achebe, 1959).
He finally became part of the Okonkwo's family and everyone like and loved him a lot. He was known to be a hunter who could identify the bids and trap rodents during his hunting spree.
Therefore, even though the Umofia community killed Ikemefuna given that he was an alien, he stood an opportunity to excel in life.
