Unoka And Okonkwo

Achebe highlights the natures of various characters by creating dynamic foil pairs that emphasize the desirable and undesirable traits within the Ibo society.
Unoka and Okonkwo are father and son. Despite this, they are polar opposites; Unoka represents a departure from tradition and responsibility, while Okonkwo embodies all of the qualities valued by the Ibo society. The ideal man is to take care of his wives and children. It was also a sign of status when a man has multiple wives and many barns full of yams. Unoka as a child never paid attention to his surroundings nor observed what other men did in his society. ”He would remember his own childhood, how he had often wandered around looking for a kite sailing leisurely, as soon as he found
The author shows the effort Okonkwo had put in as a young man. Unlike Unoka who had grown up with a comfortable life, Okonkwo had a different impact on his life by the society he lived in. Society has shown Okonkwo to grow up as a hard working man. Due to the way society used to make fun of Okonkwo’s father, the author shows how Okonkwo grew up to be different from his father and more like what an ideal man of the Igbo society was to pursue. “But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw. Okonkwo’s fears were greater than these. It was not external but it lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father” (13). One thing that Okonkwo and Unoka share is fear. In the quote it states that Okonkwo’s fear is that he is scared to have any characteristics similar to his father. Unoka, which was believed by all the villagers, to have been scared of “manly” work like going to war or going far from home to plant his yams. Unoka's lethargy and Okonkwo's
Though they grow up in a similar environment, Enzima and Nwoye grow up to be totally different; one child pleases and brings pride to Okonkwo while the other child is seen as a disgrace by Okonkwo. Through the children, Achebe shows how children of the Ibo society should and shouldn’t behave. Achebe portrays Enzima as a bright, courageous and full of confidence. She sits like a man and has temper tantrums like her father. Enzima “after a pause she said: “Can I bring your chair for you?” “No, that is a boy’s job.” Okonkwo was especially fond of Ezinma” (44). Okonkwo is seen as a person who strictly follows the ideal roles of each gender set by the community when he doesn’t let Enzima volunteer to do a boy’s job. Despite the fact that Ezinma is Okonkwo's dearest child, he holds fast entirely the Igbo culture’s customs. “... I shall be happy if you marry in Umuofia when we return home.” That was all he had said… she had agreed… “ I wish she were a boy,” Okonkwo thought… Who else among his children could have read his thoughts so well” (173). Okonkwo once again is proud that his daughter respects his wishes and has respect for him. Okonkwo finds Enzima as one of the few people who understand him. “ Not only does Enzima make her father feel proud but her brother, Nwoye, makes an effort to please his father. “Okonkwo inwardly pleased at his son’s development… he wanted him to be a prosperous man having enough in his barn to feed the