Okonkwo owes his great success to his unrelenting warrior character, but when his culture begins to fade away and he does not change, it is also his downfall. From the beginning of the story, Okonkwo bases his entire personality…
One of the main reasons supporting this statement is because Okonkwo was always a coward. Everything he acted on was driven by a fear of appearing weak. What he did not understand was that this mindset automatically makes him weak. A stereotypical hero is brave and overcomes his fears. In the end of the novel, Okonkwo tries to run from his phobia one last time by killing himself and leaving his clan to the colonizing dogs. By doing so, he did not leave a significant impact on his people. Although he attempted to gather them together to fight back against the colonists, he failed and let his anger get the best of him. All he did was intensify the fight by killing the messenger, and killing himself when the white men demanded to see him. Before returning to Umuofia, Okonkwo also did not pay any respects to his people. He tried to keep his friends close but completely disregarded his family in light of his malevolence. Eventually, he killed his own “son” and his own clansman. Did he save anyone in the process? No, he did not; he lost the respect he gained from others towards the beginning of the book, and ultimately gave…
In the book, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe portrays the main character, Okonkwo, as a fearful and stubborn protagonist. But, when the Christians arrived Okonkwo is challenged because of the societal changes that took place. He was left behind on things that he thought he controlled and believed was still in style. Okonkwo is greatly affected by the presence of the Christians because he is forced to show a form of weakness and jealousy while previous to this he was a great leader and was never intimidated by anything or anyone.…
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.…
Okonkwo, the main character in Things Fall Apart, is a hard headed man. He is very custom to his tribe's way of life. He believes a woman's place is in the house, cleaning cooking and taking care of the children. Okonkwo's father was not an acceptable man in Igbo society. His father was in extreme debt and was not a very structured man.…
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.…
Like the heroes of Greek Tragedy, Okonkwo had many tragic flaws, the most significant of these being hubris. Okonkwo is incredibly stubborn in that he would always let his temper get the better of him. This is shown when he becomes hungry, and when his wife is not there to bring him his lunch, she is severely beaten, despite the fact that it is a Holy Week. Okonkwo is required to pay a fine for his actions, but it is assumed that he did not learn the meaning behind his punishment. His inability to accept his emotions led to…
First, one of Okonkwo’s major weak points was his family. He tried not to let it show, but he cared deeply for his family. For example, when Ikemefuna was introduced into Okonkwo’s life, Okonkwo immediately grew a stronger bond with Ikemefuna than he had with his real children. After raising Ikemefuna for three years, Okonkwo was told Ikemefuna must be killed. Not only did he agree to it but he took part in the brutal murder. On page 61, Achebe writes, “Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak.” Although he loved Ikemefuna like his own son, he killed Ikemefuna to avoid being thought of as weak by his fellow clansmen. Another example of Okonkwo’s weakness when it came to his family was when he followed Ekwefi, Enzima and Chielo to the shrine. He wanted to ensure his daughter and wife’s safety. On page 112, Achebe says, “He allowed what he regarded as a reasonable and manly interval to pass and then gone with his machete to the shrine.”…
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…
Some may feel scared at first to go on their own and start something new, but in the end, we are just starting a legacy. In the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo who is the protagonist, is determined to gain high titles and become powerful in spite of his father’s weaknesses. Okonkwo wants his sons to inherit his power, but one of his son’s, Nwoye, wants to take a different route. Achebe uses Nwoye and the personal and cultural events that happen throughout the story to convey how they can lead to an individual’s perfunctory decision to create one’s own legacy.…
How does one interpret being challenged? In the novel Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe. This novel is about Umuofia losing their religion and their tribe because of the missionaries coming over and trying to recruit new members to their religion. Okonkwo, the main character, appears weak later in the novel because the missionaries became more powerful than Okonkwo would ever be. Okonkwo has been challenged by the collision of the missionaries by being downgraded and becoming depressed over time.…
“Things Fall Apart” has many scenes of violence throughout it. Most of them are related to Okonkwo in one way or another, weather he is the one being violent or not. One of the reasons violence is so important to this novel is that it shows how a person can act when they are so strict and stubborn. Since Okonkwo has a personality like this he is more likely to be violent than not. He is also very sheltered, meaning that he has built an emotional wall around himself, making it practically impossible for him to be compassionate towards anyone. He shows no emotion and always keeps a stern front. He may be felling something, but more than likely won’t show it. He will keep it bottled up inside, making him more likely to lash out in violence, which he does numerous times throughout this novel.…
How Okonkwo’s life fell apart. Three examples follow below on how it all happened. First thing falling apart in Okonkwo’s life, which all three examples can be related back to this one; his mental health. The way he rules his household with a heavy hand, comes from him battling with the fact that his father “Unoka” had a terrible reputation throughout the village as being a coward. Okonkwo there for fixates his mind on how to make sure he never does anything his father did; For example, never show compassion like his father always had.…
Have things ever fallen apart for you, well it happened for Okonkwo. The Book was interesting because the category it is under is fiction even though there were many parts to it being real things that actually happened. The author states how European Colonization took over tribes in nigeria. Evenmore there were similar things that happened in others countries such as in china. Nevertheless there were parts where the book was false and also when the author contradicted himself though he makes up for it.…
Okonkwo is determined to be a lord of his clan. He rises from humble beginnings to a position of leadership, and he is a wealthy man. He is driven and determined, but his greatness comes from the same traits that are the source of his weaknesses. He is often too harsh with his family, and he is haunted by a fear of failure.…