Okonkwo's Emotions In Things Fall Apart

After reading the introduction of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the reader is meant to view Okonkwo, the book’s protagonist, as one who gives off the image of being hard and tough but still has feelings for others on the inside. Okonkwo, as one of the most well respected men in Umuofia, must uphold the appearance of a tough man. To “be a man” in his society was to rule his house with a heavy hand and not express weak emotions, such as affection, pleasure, and many other positive feelings. The only emotion worth expressing outwardly was anger. Because of this, Okonkwo never gave off the image of a caring man. For example, when Okonkwo had Ikemefuna in his house, he “became very fond of the boy - inwardly of course... To show affection was a sign of weakness” (Achebe 28).
Just like he is not allowed to express emotion regarding others’ actions, Okonkwo is also limited to what he can express about his own actions. Okonkwo is a man of many titles and is expected not to break any of the tribe’s spiritual laws. He did just this, however, when he beat his wife during the Week of Peace. Although he did feel sorry for his actions, “he was not the man to go about telling his neighbors that he was in error” (Achebe 31). He did not express that he regretted his actions. Okonkwo also seemed harder because he put his tribe’s customs before his own logic. In Umuofia it was expected that the eldest son was able to perform all of the tasks of a man. Because of this, Okonkwo treated Nwoye with a hard hand and pushed him to accomplish harder goals, such as preparing the yam