Things Fall Apart (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Chinua Achebe
- First Published: 1958
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Tragedy
- Time of Work: The late nineteenth century
- Setting: Umuofia, an Ibo society on the lower Nile River
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Postcolonial literature
- Subjects: Culture, Africa or Africans, Tradition, Politics, Colonies or colonization, Race, Suicide, Nineteenth century, Exile or expatriates, Missions or missionaries, Religion, Villages, Law or legislation, Christianity, Death or dying, Rulers, Egypt or Egyptians, Government, Modernization
- Locales: Nile River, Umuofia, Africa
Characters Discussed
Okonkwo (oh-KOHN-kwoh), the protagonist, one of the leaders of the Ibo community of Umuofia. He struggles from humble beginnings to achieve high status yet is still haunted by feelings of insecurity associated with his former lack of status. He is now a great warrior and wealthy farmer, with two barns full of yams, three wives, and two titles; he is also a lord in the clan. This string of successes is interrupted when he accidentally kills a man and is forced into exile for seven years. His plans for advancement are of necessity put on hold, and he chafes...
[The entire page is 941 words long]
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- Things Fall Apart (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
- Things Fall Apart (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
- Things Fall Apart (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
- Things Fall Apart (Cyclopedia of Literary Places)
See Also:
Chinua Achebe (Cyclopedia of World Authors)Chinua Achebe (Dictionary of World Biography)Chinua Achebe (Short Fiction)
See Also:
- - For teachers, the Things Fall Apart Lesson Plan.
- - Things Fall Apart summary and study guide in the eNotes.
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