| Okonkwo | The central character of Things Fall Apart. A young leader of the African Igbo community of Umuofia. He is known as a fierce warrior as well as a successful farmer. He is determined to overcome the stigma left by his father’s laziness and wastefulness. |
| Unoka | Okonkwo’s father, known for his weakness and lack of responsibility. |
| Nwoye | Okonkwo’s oldest son, age twelve at the book’s beginning. He is innately a sensitive young man. |
| Ikemefuna | A boy of fourteen who is given to Umuofia by a neighboring village to avoid war. He is a clever, resourceful young man. |
| Ekwefi | Okonkwo’s second wife; the mother of Ezinma, her only living child. |
| Ezinma | Daughter of Ekwefi and Okonkwo; Ekwefi’s only surviving child. |
| Ojiubo | Okonkwo’s third wife; the mother of several of Okonkwo’s children. |
| Obierika | Okonkwo’s best friend, who often represents the voice of reason. |
| Chielo | A village widow who is also the priestess of Agbala. |
| Agbala | The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves, who influences all aspects of Umuofian life. |
| Mr. Brown | The first white Christian missionary in Umuofia and Mbanta. An understanding and accommodating man, he is inclined to listen to the Igbos. |
| Mr. Kiaga | The native interpreter for the missionaries. He is a teacher and a leader of the new church in Mbanta. |
| egwugwu | leaders of the clan who wear masks during certain rituals and speak on behalf of the spirits; the term can be either singular or plural. |
| Ibo | a member of a people of southeastern Nigeria; known for their art and their skills as traders. Today, the word is spelled Igbo (the g is not pronounced). |
| iyi-uwa | a special stone linking an ogbanje child and the spirit world; The ogbanje is protected as long as the stone is not discovered and destroyed. |
| Mbaino | neighboring community and Ikemefuna’s original home |
| Mbanta | Okonkwo’s motherland |
| ogbanje | a child possessed by an evil spirit that leaves the child’s body upon death only to enter into the mother’s womb to be reborn again within the next child’s body |
| osu | a class of people in Igbo culture considered outcasts, not fit to associate with free-born members of the clan. |
| a week of peace | In Umofia, a sacred week in which violence is prohibited. |
| Reverend James Smith | the missionary who replaces Mr. Brown, uncompromising and strict and shows no respect for indigenous customs or culture. |
| Maduka | Obierika’s son |
| Ogbuefi Ezeudu | Oldest man in Umuofia, tells news from the Oracle about Ikemefuna, suddenly dies, had three of the four titles, well respected, large funeral |
| Obuefi Ezuego | Powerful orator in Umuofia |
| Ogbuefi Udo | Wife is killed by Mbaino, receives a virgin from Mbaino as his new wife |
| ndichie | elders |
| Nwakibie | Wealthy man, gives Okonkwo 800 yam seeds |
| Iguedo | Okonkwo’s specific village, one of the nine Umuofian villages |
| Okagbu Uyanwa | Medicine man who finds Ezinma’s iyi uwa |
| Uchendu | Okonkwo’s uncle who receives him into Mbanta |
| Abame | Village who kills the first white man they see, later destroyed by whites |
| Nneka | First woman convert of Mbanta who keeps bearing twins, not a big loss, the name is the most common and means “Mother is Supreme” |
| Okoli | Kills the sacred python, later dies mysteriously |
| Egonwanne | Speaks of peace, weak, Okonkwo believes he is the greatest obstacle to the clan |
| Enoch | Fanatical Christian convert, rips off the mask of an egwugwu, father is priest of the snake cult, Umuofia burns his house |
| Ogbuefi Ugonna | Respected man of Umuofia with two titles who joins Church |
Things Fall Apart characters
February 13, 2020