Okonkwo's Scarcity

Scarcity is the belief that something in one’s possession is in short supply. Humans as individuals constantly fight the issue of scarcity and it haunts their every thought. For many individuals, the first thought after waking up is “I didn’t get enough sleep” (Twist 43). Most of our days are full of phrases which depict our constant criticism of what one is lacking or does not have enough of. Scarcity often roots from an event that has caused one an immense amount of pain or ridicule and is society’s version of Post-Traumatic Stress (Brown 27). Within Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s childhood is traumatic for him as his friends ridicule him due to his father’s laziness and lack of power. As a result of the trauma in his childhood, Okonkwo’s adulthood
Okonkwo aims to display power by beating his wife, Ojiugo, exhibiting the lack of authority and restraint within himself. Okonkwo firmly believes that he must maintain authority and power over women. One night, Ojiugo returns home late, preventing her from cooking a meal for her children. Okonkwo severely beats her, completely disregarding that it is the Week of Peace. (Achebe 29-31). As Okonkwo learns that Ojiugo returns late beyond his knowledge, he believes that he has lost authority over her. The fear of losing authority leads to Okonkwo's beating his wife in order to demonstrate his power. Nevertheless, Okonkwo’s attempt to gain power in fact reveals the lack of power Okonkwo possesses as, because he has an insufficient amount of control, he feels the need to assert it upon others, in this case, Ojiugo. Professor Brené Brown writes in her book, Daring Greatly, “Scarcity thrives in a culture where everyone is hyperaware of lack… We spend inordinate amounts of time calculating how much we have, want, and don’t have...” (Brown 26). Ojiugo’s late arrival leads to Okonkwo believing that he does not have enough power over her, an unfathomable concept to him. Okonkwo believes that his power is becoming scarce, so he asserts dominance by lashing out. This expression, however, displays that he
Okonkwo strongly believes that he is obligated to retain authority over his family members. When Okonkwo returns to Umuofia, he is angry because his son, Nwoye, converts to Christianity. Okonkwo waits at home for him and upon his return, Okonkwo strangles, beats, and threatens to kill Nwoye. Nwoye narrowly escapes because his great uncle, Uchendu, commands Okonkwo to let go of him. (Achebe 151-152). When Okonkwo discovers that Nwoye converts to Christianity, Okonkwo takes the conversion as an act of defiance, leading him to believe that he has lost authority over Nwoye. Therefore, when Nwoye returns home, Okonkwo uses violence against him to reassert his authority. Brené Brown explains that scarcity causes individuals to be “angry and scared and at each other’s throats” (Brown 27). Okonkwo begins to believe that his power is becoming more scarce, leading to his animosity towards Nwoye. Comparably, Okonkwo blames others for his issues in order to legitimize his authority to