Obierika , being the best friend of Okonkwo serves as him being his alter ego, as he often feels and thinks rather similar to Okonkwo , although he does not act upon his impulses as similarly. He is a static character that does not undergo any major inner changes throughout the novel. He remains the sensible thoughtful and perhaps, openminded character foil of Okonkwo, as he acts differently on the majority of the time. He often advises Okonkwo to act less impulsively and smarter. He is also not a rounded character; rather he appears to be flat as he isn’t fully engaged in Okonkwo’s developing journey and his major life changing experiences.
Looking at his values one can identify him to be a respectful hardworking person as he’s known and respected in Umuofia. Although Okonkwo mostly fails to take his advice, he never ceases to provide him with wise words and alternatives. When Okonkwo falls into depression over Ikemefuna’s death Obierika comforts him over it , although he doesnt approve of Okonkwo killing Ikemefuna. After, when Okonkwo goes into exile Obierika sells his yams and seed-yams and provides Okonkwo with the profits, proving his loyalty. He also soothes him over Okonkwos impatient temper when he says: “’You worry yourself for nothing the children are still very young’”, in response to okonkwo feeling that Nwyoe appearing weak and lethargic. Unlike Okonkwo , who immediately acts on his emotions without paying them any thought, Obierika prefers to contemplate his options and act on them more vigorously and reasonably.
In Things Fall Apart, Obierika stands out as being someone who is concerned with moral decisions that include open-mindedness and tolerance. He abstains from making selfish decisions that would lead to others being neglected, rather he practices his decisions with compassion. he focuses on fulfilling his several roles as a best friend, a father and an active part of the community. Also, unlike Okonkwo he views the white colonialists with a more accepting mentality, rather than seeing them as a threat. He is quite reasonable and agrees to co-exist with them as he prefers to inform himself about the western culture and ideals. Obierika , unlike many others , silently questions the validity of his religion and cultures values :“Why should a man suffer so grievously for an offense he had committed inadvertently?. But although he thought for a long time he found no answer”. This was after Okonkwo had been sent off to 7 years of exile after accidentally killing someone. Okonkwo feels that violence and anger is the only way to approach and eliminate the British, Obierika realizes and accepts that they had won a long time ago. He mentions that the white man “has put a knife on the things that have held us together and we have fallen apart."Although he doesn’t conform to the western religion and culture, he manages to accept their values and beliefs as well as respect them in terms of not burning down their sacred grounds or rebelling against them. Obierika had remained a loyal friend to Okonkwo, supporting him through all his hardships as well as he could. However when Okonkwo ended up hanging himself , one can identify the hatred in his voice :“It is an abomination for a man to take his own life. It is an offense against the Earth, and a man who commits it will not be buried by his clansmen. His body is evil, and only strangers may touch it…”. He feels regret towards being so accepting and sympathetic to the British colonialists as their actions had led to his best friend taking his life.
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