Analysis of Okonkwo inThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Okonkwo was introduced as an accomplished and ambitious man, known far and wide for his rapid rise to fame. Of all his attributes, he most widely was known for his strength, he was introduced with a wrestling match that ended in Okonkwo’s victory against someone formerly undefeated. Immediately afterwards, he was physically described as tall and strong. This emphasizes one of Okonkwo’s most recognizable traits. His masculinity. Often associated with this trait, was his fiery temper, immediately after his physical description, Okonkwo was described as an impatient person that pounced on others often, a person that “...whenever he was angry… he would use his fists.” (Pg. 4) . Due to these traits, many, even his son Nwoye, feared Okonkwo. These traits and his belief that showing affection is showing weakness, lead to the constant suppression of another important trait of Okonkwo, his fondness for those he respect and love. Though some of these traits were suppressed, all of them were reflected to a great extent in his interactions with those closest to him.

An extreme contrast of his father, Okonkwo strives to appear as masculine as possible. Even though his traits were already considered very masculine, Okonkwo persistently tries to ensure he is not seen as his definition of weak, more so in the presence of his family then others, in an attempt for his sons to act masculine as well. However, not all agree with his interpretation of manliness, such as his son Nwoye and his friend Obierika, as both did not agree with Okonkwo’s actions when he killed the boy Ikemefuna, who viewed Okonkwo as a father, to not appear weak in front of others. Nevertheless, Okonkwo’s true masculinity is still shown throughout the book, such as when he far...

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... Even though he killed Ikemefuna, his regret and mourning for his informally adopted son was clearly shown in his actions the days after the killing, as he chose not to eat, and considered himself "a shivering old woman…[that] fall[s] to pieces because he has added a boy to [the list of those he killed]."(Pg. 65) Even not many realised his fondness, it was still there, and clearly, only shown to those he loved.

Okonkwo’s true nature was clearly only reflected around those he closest to him, many times only under intimate or special circumstances. As his true masculinity, his unrealised and under expressed fondness for those he loved, and his overly expressed fiery temper, was shown to the greatest extent only around those closest to him. This deeply developed the character, and heightened the sense of Okonkwo being a tragic hero in Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart.