After reading the novel, Things Fall Apart, you would probably wonder why Okonkwo is such a ruthless person? What drives the character? Iyanla Vanzant once said, “ parents are teachers, guides, leaders, protectors, and providers for their children.” We all know that parents greatly affect their children’s behavior. This is also true of Okonkwo, the way he acts is truly affected by his father. Okonkwo’s characteristic is totally opposite from those of his father, Unoka.…
Throughout Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo's actions take place because he is afraid of becoming "A Woman" like his father. Not only does he act masculine to appear manly to the villagers, he does it to satisfy his own conscious. Okonkwo portrays a short temper in this book. Small things such as his supper being late and remarks about his hunting anger him, and lead to his beating of his wives and his son Nwoya. His desire to appear manly often fogged his judgment. When the time came to kill Ikemefuna, the boy who called him father, he was told by his best friend that he should not take part in this because the boy looked up to him. Okonkwo knew his friend was right. When he, Ikemefuna and other leaders of the tribe went to the woods to carry out the task, Okonkwo did not want the other men to think that he was weak so he cut down his own son. Okonkwo's actions were also motivated by the fear that his whole village would become weak. After returning from his exile in Mbanta, Okonkwo realized that the Christians were taking over. Unlike the rest of his tribe he wanted to go to war with them and drive them out. Soon he realized that during his seven years in exile Umuofia had changed and no longer was feared tribe it used to be. Okonkwo continued to fight the inevitable. His actions were never able to help his village; his worst fear had come true, they had become weak.…
Okonwko, the protagonist in the novel Things Fall Apart, had two different sides- the public man and the private man. Though he may seem and portray a very masculine character, that is actually a facade. In reality, Okonkwo is a man loaded with insecurity. Due to his fear of being judged and failing, eventually, he resorted to hanging himself at the end of the novel. Personally, I feel that his death was not one expected.…
In the novel Things Fall Apart Okonkwo was a terribly flawed man. He was a terribly flawed man becauses he beat his wife. Some people might think that he was a good man but because of his fiery temper he could hurt someone like when he was mad at his wife for leaving and not feeding him and he beat her. Like when the book says “And when she returned he beat her very heavily.” on (29). He is also a very terribly flawed man in the way that he doesn't like when people think of him as week. Like how in the book it says “Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak.” on (61). Another way that he is terribly flawed is when he almost shout his wife with a gun as we see in the book “He pressed the trigger and there…
In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart Okonkwo was flawed like every full blood human to walk the earth. He wasn’t perfect but he had an overall character of good. He was known through Umuofia as a hard worker and good provider. From the outside it may not look like Okonkwo cares for his family but deep down he really does. Okonkwo was a good man because he could provide for his family. He came from nothing, his father was worthless but he still achieved and “had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife”(8). He was a good man with a great work ethic and wasn’t scared to stick by his words:“I am not afraid to work”(21). He worked hard at everything he did. Deep down Okonkwo cared for his family. Okonkwo let Ikemefuna…
Okonkwo’s behavior could very much described as violent for many reasons such as described in the book by violently beating his wife, killing his “son”, and accidentally killing a sixteen year old boy. During the week of peace Okonkwo beat his wife for returning too late to make his dinner. “And when she returned he beat her heavily. ”(21) This was an act that was against the rules during the week of peace.…
The Martyr A man’s quest to rebuild a once sacred tradition is soon forgotten and he himself, massacred by his own hands. Umuofia, a war like a village is quickly torn apart when white colonists ravage there once sacred religion into corruption and in this, a man named Okonkwo faces them and tries to summon an insurrection to chase the “evil” and bring back a once peaceful village. Okonkwo ultimately loses himself in search of his ideals through his own actions and radical perspectives. Okonkwo's actions tend to be wrapped around his ideals that he must outgrow his father’s shadow and that to be successful, one must commit to physical labor. Being weak in the land of Umuofia is usually seen as being feminine.…
Chinua Achebe’s novel Thing Fall Apart focuses around the Ibo people in Nigeria but more specifically those of the tribe of Umuofia. In this tribe the male is the head of the household and must constantly prove himself to be worthy of his responsibilities. Each family in this tribe grows their own food and creates their own structures and supplies. To be successful a household must have a strong, powerful, and well respected male figure at its head. Is Okonkwo such a man that would have success in this society? Absolutely! Okonkwo is a man’s man especially according to the qualities held by his people. He is the most feared and probably the most respected man not only in his tribe but in the surrounding tribes as well. How does Okonkwo get this respect? We see him start his…
In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s actions can justify why he is an ambitious and intense leader that uses fear to control his followers. His fear tactic was also applied in his family life. In the novel, Okonkwo expresses multiple times how he does not want to be like his father; who was lazy and unsuccessful. Having this detached relationship as a child influenced him to treat his children and wives with aggression. For example, when Nwoye, his son, joined the church, Okonkwo was so enraged by it that he physically abused him. This resulted in his children and wives to do everything he said because they feared for their safety. I believe that the lack of affection that was giving to him as child had an impact on his behavior. If he had someone…
Okonkwo, the main character of Things Fall Apart, displays numerous signs of human irrationality. His biggest flaw is that he is terrified of looking weak, like his father. This irrational and excessive fear of being associated with his father causes him to think and do exactly the opposite of what his father did. He lets his fear control everything that he does. It is hard to understand how a person can grow and survive when he lives constantly under irrational fear. His efforts to be unlike his father cause him unhappiness and constant dissatisfaction.…
Okonkwo is a nice guy in the book Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo has many different views on people for his own reasons. Of the people that are important in his life that is . He may be rough from time to time again but sometimes he can be a nice father and or friend in more ways than one. Okonkwo is a weird one we know that already though because in one moment he can be nice and firm then the next second later he can be a royal pain in the ass from angry to mad to his children Nwoye and Ezinma. Although Nwoye and Ezinma are his children Nwoye can be a real slacker from most moment on the other hand Ezinma does not mind doing work and even attempting to do a males a job even though she is female. Okonkwo’s 1st approach is not…
In the novel Things Fall Apart the author Chinua Achebe explains how Okonkwo’s violent acts advance the plot. In the beginning of the novel Okonkwo is seen as someone who was greatly affected by his father Unoka during his childhood. Though as the story progresses you see different sides of Okonkwo. The choices and actions of Okonkwo has caused the story to move forward.…
Our parents have the biggest effect in our lives. The way in which they raise us depicts who we are going to be. When Okonkwo was growing up, his father impacted his fear of being thought of as weak. He had to prove to his community that he wasn’t like his father. In the powerful story of, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe he tells a story of an Ibo farmer (Okonkwo) who lives in Nigeria. Instead of controlling his fear, he allows it to take over him and force his actions on people. Although he is known for his fearlessness, he experiences this internal worry about himself and the fear of failure and weakness.…
This relates to Things Fall Apart because in chapter 2 you can see that Okonkwo pressures his son, Nwoye, to be just like him. Okonkwo find Nwoye to be lazy and not manly enough so he beats and nags at him constantly. Nwoye then becomes more attached to Ikemefuna who is shows care and comfort and becomes less attached to his father who is far more heavy-handed and intimidating.…
Okonkwo, in Things Fall Apart, is a hardworking individual. He knows how to battle through conflicts and is determined to be successful. Okonkwo’s passion comes from the failure of his father before him. One example of when Okonkwo’s response to conflict was when he had to move to his motherland Mbanta. Okonkwo could have given up at this point. He had just lost his home and ranking in the clan, something he had put tremendous effort into. However, he made negative situation and turned it into a positive. He started from scratch and thrived tremendously. He began to become a more successful farmer. He became a influence in his motherland, even when he wasn’t excepted in the beginning. Okonkwo’s response to conflict is outright amazing. He found a way to make his…
