For Sir Arnold

CHARACTERS IN THINGS FALL
APART
1. OKONKWO
Okonkwo is the novel’s protagonist. Okonkwo is
renowned as a wrestler, a fierce warrior, and a
successful farmer of yams (a "manly" crop). He is
also considered a tragic hero. A tragic hero holds a
position of power and prestige, chooses his course
of action, possesses a tragic flaw, and gains
awareness of circumstances that lead to his fall. He
has three wives and many children who live in huts
on his compound. Throughout his life, he wages a
never ending battle for status; his life is dominated
by the fear of weakness and failure.
2. UNOKA
Unoka is Okonkwo’s father, but he and his son
differ in pretty much every way. He is not
physically powerful and is much more given to
storytelling and conversation than he is to labor
and action. Unoka is Okonkwo’s father, but he
and his son differ in pretty much every way. He
is not physically powerful and is much more
given to storytelling and conversation than he is
to labor and action. Unoka also was drawn to
creative activities, such as music.
3. EKWEFI
Ekwefi is Okonkwo’s second wife and the
mother of Ezinma. She first falls in love with
Okonkwo upon seeing him win a wrestling
match. Ekwefi ran away from her first
husband to live with Okonkwo. She had bad
luck with bearing children; despite giving
birth to the children, only one had survived.
4. EZINMA
Ezinma is Okonkwo’s most beloved daughter.
She is the only of Ekwefi’s ten pregnancies to
survive beyond infancy, and, as such, her few
instances of illness cause a big commotion.
Most notably, she is beautiful (she is known
as the “Crystal Beauty”) and is different to
other women in Umuofia because she often
challenges her father and exerts greater than
usual control over her life and future
marriage. All of this earns her father’s
respect, who wishes that she had been born a
son instead of a daughter.
5. NYOWE
Nwoye is Okonkwo’s actual son, but the two have
a very tense relationship, as he differs greatly from
his father. Nwoye does not adhere to his father’s
views of masculinity and is instead much more
drawn to his mother’s stories. Additionally, he
feels a much greater connection to the people and
world around him, rather than simply
bludgeoning through it like Okonkwo. These
differences lead his father to worry about him,
that he is not masculine enough and will wind up
like Unoka. When Nwoye converts to Christianity
and takes the name Isaac, Okonkwo views this as
a complete betrayal and feels that the son he has
been given is a curse upon him.
6. IKEMEFUNA
Ikemefuna is a boy from a nearby village who
is taken to Umuofia and put in Okonkwo’s
care as recompense for his father having
killed a Umuofian woman. He is deeply
homesick at first, but eventually begins to
develop a relationship with his new
caretakers. He is more industrious than
Nwoye, which garners him Okonkwo’s
respect.
7. OBIERIKA
Obierika is Okonkwo’s closest friend. He is a
calm, thoughtful, and reflective man who
tries to give Okonkwo good advice, but is
more often than not ignored. He provides
insight into the life and traditions of the
Umuofia people. His daughter gets married
early in the story, and when Okonkwo is in
exile, Obierka visits him and brings him news
of the white missionaries. At the end of the
book, he gets emotional after Okonkwo’s
death and screams at the missionaries saying
that they have caused the death of one of the
greatest men of Umuofia
8. OGBUEFI EZEUDU
The oldest clan member of Umuofia, Ogbbuefi Ezeudu is very well
respected for his wisdom despite being a fierce warrior in his youth.
He is the one who gave Okonkwo the advice not to take part in
Ikemefuna’s killing. At his funeral, Okonkwo’s gun goes off
accidentally killing Ezeudu’s oldest son, prompting Okonkwo’s exile.
9. MR. BROWN
Mr. Brown, the first white missionary to travel to Umuofia, institutes a policy of respect
and compromise between the church and the clansmen. He engages in long religious
discussions with Akunna in order to understand the Igbo traditions, and he builds a
school and a hospital in Umuofia.
10. OJIUGO
Ojiugo is Okonkwo’s third wife. Okonkwo beats her during

the week of peace, drawing criticism and showing his cold
side.
11. OBIAGELI
Obiageli is the daughter of the novel's protagonist, Okonkwo, and the
daughter of Okonkwo's first wife. Obiageli is often compared to
another of Okonkwo's daughters, Ezinma, who is impulsive and
always speaks her mind. Okonkwo often says that Obiageli is more
sensible than her sister and less inclined to speak out of turn.
12. UCHENDU
Uchendu is Okonkwo’s uncle, the younger brother of his mother, who
welcomes and helps Okonkwo get settled during his exile in Mbanta. He
is a kind and thoughtful man, who gives Okonkwo good advice.
13. DISTRICT COMMISSIONER

An authority figure in the white colonial government in Nigeria. The
prototypical racist colonialist, the District Commissioner thinks that he
understands everything about native African customs and cultures and he has
no respect for them. He plans to work his experiences into an ethnographic
study on local African tribes, the idea of which embodies his dehumanizing
and reductive attitude toward race relations.
14. CHIELO
Chielo is the priestess of Agbala and the

Oracle of the Hills and the Caves. She is a
widow with two children and has
considerable power within the clan. While
channeling the goddess Agbala, she comes to
take Ezinma to the caves, worrying both
Okonkwo and Ekwefi.
15. NWAKIBIE
Nwakibie, a wealthy clansman, lends Okonkwo 800 seed-
yams when Okonkwo is still young, helping him build the
beginnings of his personal wealth and status.
16. AKUNNA
Akunna is a well-respected leader of the Umuofia people. He is a forward
thinker, and he sees the value of education for his son long before most others
in the village are convinced. It's easy to see why Akunna is well-liked. He
is intelligent and direct when he discusses his religious beliefs, but he
is respectful of differing points of view. Akunna’s influence on the missionary
advances Mr. Brown’s strategy for converting the largest number of clansmen
by working with, rather than against, their belief system.
17. REVEREND JAMES SMITH
Reverend Smith is a missionary who replaces Mr. Brown as the new
head of the Christian church. Reverend Smith is strict and
uncompromising, the opposite of Mr. Brown who was kind,
compassionate, and accommodating. He is showing no respect for
indigenous customs or culture.
18. ENOCH
A fanatical convert to the Christian church in Umuofia. Enoch’s
disrespectful act of ripping the mask off an egwugwu during an annual
ceremony to honor the earth deity leads to the climactic clash between
the indigenous and colonial justice systems. While Mr. Brown, early on,
keeps Enoch in check in the interest of community harmony, Reverend
Smith approves of his zealotry.
19. MR. KIAGA
Mr. Kiaga is a convert and interpreter for Mr. Brown. Mr. Kiaga opened
the church for all members of the Umuofia people, regardless of their
social status, which led to many conversions. He is the one who accepts
Nwoye when he runs away from his family.
20. OKAGBUE UYNAWA
A famous medicine man whom Okonkwo summons for help in
dealing with Ezinma's problem.
21. MADUKA
He's the son of Okonkwo's very best friend, Obierika. Maduka is a manly
guy, and Okonkwo wishes he had a son like him. Which can't make his
own son, Nwoye, feel all that great about himself. But yes, Maduka is a
strong, athletic young man, and he wins a wrestling match in Chapter 6
of the novel with such skill that even Okonkwo, who was a great wrestler
in his day, is very impressed.
THANK YOU!!

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CHARACTERS IN THINGS FALL

Ojiugo is Okonkwo’s third wife. Okonkwo beats her during

13. DISTRICT COMMISSIONER

Chielo is the priestess of Agbala and the

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