Things Fall Apart

by Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart: Foil 1 key example

Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Okonkwo and Unoka:

Okonkwo and his father are foils, each representing archetypes of masculinity that oppose one another and thus offset one another's traits. Many of his fellow clan members consider Unoka "womanly"—an insult intended to humiliate and emasculate men in Umuofia. Unoka is impotent in the sense that he cannot perform many of the social and physical tasks associated with manhood, nor does he wish to. Okonkwo's father would rather play alongside other musicians than fight in a war.