Things Fall Apart Identity Analysis

Sense of Identity Unoka reputation has set out to defame his family. Unoka’s nature has shaped Okonkwo in every aspect. This character desired to be anything but his father in hopes of not resembling his father, Okonkwo has accomplished this through the physical and emotional pain of other people.

Often times characters function as torchbearers to two different worlds. In Things Fall Apart the torchbearer in this book is Nwoye. As the story progresses the audience is able to see Nwoye as a character who is caught between two worlds and two cultures colliding along with the clashing of their religions which triggers the sense of confusion in his character. Okonkwo’s eldest son, Nwoye holds feminine qualities instead of inheriting the

Unlike Unoka, Ikemefuna is considered to be a promising, hard-working young man who has true potential. As mentioned earlier the relationship between Nwoye and Ikemefuna is different from the relationship with Okonkwo. Nwoye and Ikemefuna have a different and distinct bond that has built the gentle boy (Nwoye) into a man who is worthy of Okonkwo's respect. Nwoye and Ikemefuna are foils for one another. A soft spoken character such as Nwoye comes to understand the culture and the virtues of the Igbo village through the teachings of his older adopted brother. Above all the other characters in this book Nwoye encapsulates an innocent child who is very sensitive to his surroundings and is perplexed by the seemingly casual cruelties being committed around him. Ikemefuna’s death has driven Okonkwo’s son to grow increasingly isolated from his father and loses respect for him. Without Ikemefuna’s companionship and influence, and the loss of faith in his father,

Aside from the Nwoye personal conflict a different conflict was being exemplified. The human consequences as a whole because of the introduction of a new culture in Things Fall Apart; Umuofia people's religion, agriculture, judicial system and social life. The arrival of the 'white' man, and the 'white' man's religion and culture comes the collision. The missionaries come to convert the people, they disparage the Umuofia's religious traditions and strongly urge them to abandon their gods. This doesn't go over well with the people and conflict arises, Okonkwo is opposed to the new ways. He feels that the changes are destroying the Igbo culture, changes that require compromise and accommodation — two qualities that Okonkwo finds intolerable. As the story progresses the audience is able to see the Okonkwo is too proud and inflexible, he clings to traditional beliefs and mourns the loss of the past. This ultimately leads to his shameful and disgraceful death like his father's. Although, Okonkwo’s character is not being shifted by the collision of culture, his character is, however, being shaped and defined by the ‘white man’s culture’ causing an indirect effect in Okonkwo's character. The defining of women's role in Things Fall Apart begins with family: marriage. Men often take more than one wife, since having multiple