In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the protagonist, Okonkwo, who is determined not to be like his lazy and indigent father, doesn't understand that he can be kind and yet still be successful as warrior and farmer. Although he wanted to be respected as an influential leader within the Igbo community, he was rude to those who don't have titles, and harsh with his gentle sons, and he also beat his wives. Okonkwo wished to be respected by all as a man of great wealth, power, control and the exact opposite of his father. .
Okonkwo's father, Unoka, was a lazy and wasteful man. He often borrowed money and then squandered it on palm-wine and merrymaking with friends. Consequently, his wife and children often went hungry. Within the community, Unoka was considered a failure and a laughingstock. He was referred to as "agbala" (Pg. 13), one who resembles the weakness of a woman, and has no property. Unoka died a shameful death and left numerous debts. By watching the way his father was when he was a young boy, Okonkwo decided to be everything his father wasn't "Okonkwo was ruled by one passion to hate everything that his father loved. One of those things was gentleness and another was idleness" (pg. 13). Okonkwo despises and resents his father's gentle and idle ways. He resolves to overcome the shame that he feels as a result of his father's weaknesses by being what he considers to be "manly". Therefore, he dominates his wives and children by being insensitive and controlling.
Okonkwo became obsessed with the need to prove to everyone that he, unlike his father, was a man worthy of respect. Okonkwo also worked hard as a farmer and in time his "prosperity showed in his household". Okonkwo had "a large compound," "three wives", "two barns full of yams" and "two titles". Okonkwo had become a wealthy and respectable man. Okonkwo gained all his success on his own. Still, he feared that all would fall apart if he were to allow any slight deviation to occur.
Okonkwo Okonkwo is the central character in the novel. ... Okonkwo considered him to be a complete embarrassment and vowed to never be like him. ... Okonkwo is a masculine man that has an ill-temper and gets violent at times. ... Okonkwo got violent with his family on several occasions. ... Okonkwo had no choice but to flee from clan for seven years. ...
Okonkwo is one of the most powerful men in the Ibo tribe. ... Because of his fear of being seen as weak, Okonkwo even strikes down a child that calls him father: " as the machete came down Okonkwo looked away. ... Okonkwo [draws] his machete and ... ... Okonkwo is very hard on his son Nwoye. ... Okonkwo tries to encourage his values on how to live as a man to his son, and to Okonkwo, crying is very womanly, and so Nwoye is punished for it. ...
When he was a child, a boy called Okonkwo's father an agbala. ... Okonkwo saw Nwoye weak and lazy from an early age. ... Secretly, Okonkwo grew fond of Ikemefuna, "Even Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy-inwardly of course. ... Okonkwo refused to integrate with the new visitors. ... Okonkwo's life was controlled by his fears. ...
As Umuofias leader, Okonkwo is portrayed as a hard working and successful man from the perspective of the clan; however, Achebes use of language shows the reader Okonkwos tragic flaw, which is the fear of failure and looking weak like his father, Unoka. ... Okonkwos fear is reflected through his temperamental guise, for he associates masculinity with violence; however, it is clear to the reader that on the inside, Okonkwo is compassionate, but by allowing his fear to run his life, he comes off as aggressive. ... Although Okonkwo does everything in his will to not end up like his father, Unoka...
In Chinua Achebe's book Things Fall Apart, the main character, Okonkwo, is such a character. ... But the narrator gives the reader insight into Okonkwo's feelings, which Okonkwo has become very adept at hiding from the other members of the tribe. It is revealed that Okonkwo has a strong liking for Ikemefuna and for Ezinma. ... Okonkwo wishes to fight them and drive them away, and he has a just reasons to do so. ... Okonkwo is the embodiment of a tragic hero. ...
Okonkwo, then, becomes violent, courageous, and very wealthy. ... Okonkwo soon hangs himself to death. ... Okonkwo's life and death follow the mold of a tragic hero. ... This is similar to Okonkwo's life. ... Okonkwo's fate was inevitable. ...
Throughout the entire story, Okonkwo is driven by the fear of being weak. ... "Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. ... It is the same fear that drives Okonkwo to kill himself. ... This trait is also mentioned when Okonkwo is described. "Okonkwo was not a cruel man. ...
Okonkwo's fear of weakness ultimately results in his aiding in the death of Ikemefuna and his son Nwoye's repulsion of Okonkwo and his violent nature. ... Okonkwo's use of his power in the clan borders on abuse. ... Surely, Okonkwo's fatal flaws lead to the devastation of his clan. Okonkwo typifies the tragic hero. ... Okonkwo realizes that "things had fallen apart."...
His dignity is also challenged by his son, Nwoye, in whom Okonkwo sees a resemblance to Unoka, which Okonkwo fixes by beating Nwoye and forcing him to be manly and strong. ... "Okonkwo was not a man of thought but of action" (59). ... Okonkwo is also set on finding his proper location in his tribe. ... Okonkwo's whole life was "dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness" (12). As a strong man, Okonkwo's success is visible through many aspects of his life. ...
