Okonkwo's Expectations

In the novella Things Fall Apart there is a Nigerian village where men are expected to be extremely masculine. The problem with these expectations is that the idea of masculinity is skewed in a way that makes having emotions seem like a feminine practice. It weighs heavily on the men in the village and has a large influence on their decision making. One man who is particularly affected by these expectations is Okonkwo, the most skilled warrior of the village and protagonist of the story. He was so obsessed with adhering the expectations set by himself and his society that he became ignorant of his true emotions which ultimately lead to the deprivation of his happiness and peace.
Okonkwo based the expectations he made for himself on how he was
In the village there was a very loose system of justice and it was not uncommon for injustices to occur. One instance of injustice is when the oracle strangely decrees that Ikemefuna must die. Ikemefuna was the kid from another village that Okonkwo somewhat adopted and it was clear that he was bonding well with his new family. He had been living with them for three years and also became very close with one of Okonkwo’s sons, Nwoye. And even though he did not show it, “Even Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy” (28). It can be inferred from the text that Okonkwo might of saw a little bit of himself in Ikemefuna. Yet all familial principles and values of parenting go out the window when it’s time for Ikemefuna to die. Despite a friends advice to not partake in the killing, Okonkwo still did. Ikemefuna had been slashed with a machete and ran to him for help, but “Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down.” And the reason behind this action was of course that “He was afraid of being thought weak” (44). He was so caught up in the expectations of his twisted society that when acting in an impulsive situation, the first thing he thought of was preserving his masculinity. He was completely ignorant of his real emotions, which showed clearly through his thick skin after the fact as he was enveloped in a deep depression. Okonkwo’s life was a sad one because he spent his time
After he spent his seven years Okonkwo was looking forward to getting back to his native land. But, as long as the expectations weighed upon him heavily, it would be impossible for him to find happiness. Sure enough his “return to his native land was not as memorable as he had wished;” instead, he ended up being “deeply grieved” (182). He was wrong for assuming he would have happiness because his village represented his necessity to be masculine, and that ended up being detrimental for him. He may have thought that because it was just an accident that things would go back to normal, but the problem with that is that what was normal for him long ago was not what could make him truly peaceful and