In Chinua Achebe’s book, Things Fall Apart, the main character is Okonkwo. He has three wives and ten children. In his town he is part of the nine masked leaders called the Egwugwu in their government. He is a man of high status and has a big ego. Okonkwo is a tragic hero because he sees his role in his downfall. During the book Okonkwo recognizes his high status, his pride, and his flaws toward his undoing. Okonkwo being a tragic hero has characteristics like his high status in the clan. This makes him important. One of his titles is the egwugwu. They are feared and “[People] fled as soon as an egwugwu came in sight,” but some may have “notice that…[one] had the springy walk of Okonkwo” (Achebe 90). Okonkwo’s other name is the Cat. His fame and glory of that travels throughout his and other towns. His personal achievement to gain this was “...by throwing Amalinze the Cat…[He] was a great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten” (Achebe 1). But that was 20 years ago, but all remember and he is recognized for even more. Okonkwo winning and being known throughout the villages feeds his ego and pride. …show more content…
Okonkwo’s pride is well deserved.
Because of all his achievements. But he only tries so hard because he does not want to be seen like his father. Okonkwo tries to be fierce and hardworking, unlike his father. His father “[was] laughed at [and] he was a loafer” (Achebe 5). To be nothing like him he acts violent. He throws the Cat, he always finishes what he starts. For example during peace week, “not even for fear of a goddess” (Achebe 30). He won’t admit he was wrong to do that because of his pride but he will follow through with his own punishment as if nothing happened. Stubborness is part of his flaws, not admitting he’s wrong and trying to be the best. But this is how this was tied to his
downfall. Okonkwo’s decision for suicide was thought out. Knowing the culture after what he did he knew he would not get a burial with all his titles. In a way he was punishing himself. After killing the messenger “he knew that Umuofia would not go to war” (Achebe 205). Okonkwo knew he did not have the support of the people. So suicide, he thought was the best way to get out of his mess, but the not easy way out and he would do it to himself so his friends or egwugwu would not have to kill him. But his ‘evil’ still lingered because “it is an offense against the Earth, and a man who commits it will not be buried by his clansmen” (Achebe 207). After all this Okonkwo recognizes his problems. Throughout the book Okonkwo accepts that his flaws, high status and pride lead to his downfall. He has a high status that made him important to his clan. That fed his ego and pride. Okonkwo wanted to nothing like his father so he was not lazy and worked for everything. In the end though, it was all for his undoing.
Okonkwo is on two ends of a stick. Sometimes he can be shown to be a caring, sympathetic character, but others he is shown as a ruthless person that is very unsympathetic person. Okonkwo is a man of action that would rather solve things with his fists rather than talking it out. He is a great wrestler hailing from the Umuofia clan that has thrown Amalinze the Cat. Okonkwo is also a very good farmer, where he has been able to grow two barns worth of yams. He is someone that doesn’t know how to control themselves when they get angry as he will then resort to violence. Okonkwo’s family relationships make him a sympathetic character because of his caregiving nature and hospitality and he is shown to be an unsympathetic character because of his
Okonkwo is one of the most powerful men in the Ibo tribe. In his tribe, he is both feared and honored. This is evident by this quote, "Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond... [He] brought honor to his tribe by throwing Amalinze the Cat..."(3) This suggests that in Okonkwo's society, power is attained by making a name for yourself in any way possible, even if that means fighting and wrestling to get your fame. Although honor is a good thing, when people have to fight to gain it, it becomes an object of less adoration. Okonkwo's "prosperity was visible in his household... his own hut stood behind the only gate in the red walls. Each of his three wives had her own hut... long stacks of yams stood out prosperously in [the barn]... [Okonkwo] offers prayers on the behalf of himself, his three wives, and eight children." (14) Okonkwo has also worked and tended to his crops in a very zealous fashion, and drives everyone around him to work as hard as he does. Because of this, he earns his place as one of Umuofia's most powerful men. In many cultures, a big family is a source of pride. Although Okonkwo is not always pleased by his children and wives, it also brings him a source of pride to have three wives and eight children. Large families mean that the head of the family is able to support all of them. Okonkwo's devotion to his crops and family gives to him the respect that any father and husband deserves, and in his culture, being able to fight and kill as well gives him even more influence and power.
From birth Okonkwo had wanted his son, Nwoye, to be a great warrior like him. His son instead rebelled and wanted to be nothing like Okonkwo. Okonkwo would not change so that his son would idolize him, as he had wanted since his son's birth. He chose not to acknowledge his son's existence instead. This would weigh heavily on anyone's conscience, yet Okonkwo does not let his relationship with his son affect him in the least bit.
In the novel, Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is a sympathetic character and unsympathetic character in regards to his family relationships with his adopted son, Ikemefuna, his daughter, Ezima, and his father, Unoka, as a result of he appears to genuinely care about his family; but, the pride within himself prevents his expression of such pride and concern openly.
There were only 1,500 estimated people in the country of Nigeria in the late 1800s. In the book things fall apart most of all of them would know about Okonkwo the famous.In the book Things Fall Apart it follows the life of a famous man among the nine villages in Nigeria. Okonkwo had to go through many misfortunes as him and his culture is being tested by outsiders.In the beginning of the book it fallows mainly Okonkwo in his struggles then it goes into what he has to deal with when the missionaries. In the world, people have to uphold an image and that was what Okonkwo was doing and it slowly got harder and harder to keep the image and that is when things fell apart.
Then there is a staggering list of achievements. Okonkwo is a strong character but thinks only inwardly - especially towards his father - which will be discussed further in this essay. As a child Okonkwo was neglected by his father and even later in his life did not speak with him until of course his father was on his deathbed, this made him very angry. Okonkwo always saw his father Unoka as lazy. Okonkwo worked hard to remove any trace of laziness from his personality.
Abame, a village almost identical to Umuofia, had recently been wiped out by the strange visit of white men. The area in which this story takes place has never seen these albino people, and most of the villages didn’t believe the stories that these men exist. After the first arrival of a white man, Abame consulted the Oracle, who in return, foretold the demise of the clan if they were to let him free. As a result, Abame killed the intruder, and laid the matter to rest. However, even after many market weeks, their precaution led to the anger of the man’s party. On a popular market day the white men attacked and murdered the entire village, and only a small band of refugees were able to survive. When hearing of the innocent slaughter of the tribe, Uchendu tells the story of Mother Kite and her daughter, who are
Okonkwo wanted to become one of the greatest men in the Ibo tribe, but three unfortunate events occur bringing him closer to his end. Okonkwo was a proud, industrious figure who through hard work was able to elevate himself to a stature of respect and prominence in his community. The one major character flaw was that he was a man driven by his fear to extreme reactions. Okonkwo was petrified of inadequacy namely because his father was a complete and utter failure. This fear of shortcoming made him hate everything his father loved and represented: weakness, gentleness, and idleness. Who was Okonkwo, well Okonkwo was a hero and also he...
Okonkwo's life was driven by his strong desire for status. In Okonkwo’s eyes, status was defined in two parts. The first part being how much respect and how many titles one has. Okonkwo goes to extreme odds to gain respect in his village, Umuofia. Okonkwo’s opinions on success relating to titles is displayed very early on. An example of this
As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the cat. Amalinze was the great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino (Chinua 1). Okonkwo throwing a man that was never beaten in seven years just shows how powerful of a man he was. To crown it all he had taken two titles and had shown incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars (Chinua 5). Not only was Okonkwo a great wrestler he used his power to help win wars and help his tribe be better. Another thing that allowed Okonkwo to have power his
The character of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart was driven by fear, a fear of change and losing his self-worth. He needed the village of Umuofia, his home, to remain untouched by time and progress because its system and structure were the measures by which he assigned worth and meaning in his own life. Okonkwo required this external order because of his childhood and a strained relationship with his father, which was also the root of his fears and subsequent drive for success. When the structure of Umuofia changed, as happens in society, Okonkwo was unable to adapt his methods of self-evaluation and ways of functioning in the world; the life he was determined to live could not survive a new environment and collapsed around him.
Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected individual in many ways. He was a well known person through out the 9 villages and beyond. His successes were based wholly on his personal achievements. For example, he was a warrior and wrestler who gained respect through his athletics. Manliness was a characteristic that was greatly valued by the people of the village. Since Okonkwo was a wrestler and a warrior this showed that he was a fierce fear-free individual. And because he hadn't lost one fight or any battles this was more reason for the people of the village to love him. He was also respected because of his wealth. Okonkwo had three wives and m...
Two passages from the story Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, provide the reader with a more profound understanding of Okonkwo, and his son Nwoye. The two do not have a good relationship and it becomes worse as the story progresses. Throughout the book the two become increasingly distant and it is apparent that Okonkwo is very disappointed in his son. After the death of Ikemefuna, Nwoye begins to question many aspects of his life, especially religion. As the Christian missionaries spend more time with the members of the village, Nwoye becomes interested in this new religion. The first passage I have chosen discusses Nwoye’s feelings about Christianity.
Okonkwo embodies all the ideal and heroic traits of the Igbo culture. He is strong, authoritative, hardworking, and successful. The opening sentence states that “Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond” (3). Okonkwo is great and famous because of his “solid personal achievements” (3). Okonkwo first achieved fame and recognition when he became the village’s wrestling champion. At eighteen years of age, he had “brought honor to his village” by defeating the seven-year champion. By winning the wrestling match, Okonkwo demonstrates to his village his great strength and skill as a warrior. After that his fame spread “like a bush-fire in the harmattan” (3). Okonkwo governs his household with authority. He “ruled his household with a heavy hand” (13). His wives and children lived “in perpetual fear of his fiery temper” (13). Okonkwo is a hard task-master. He works on his farm “from cock-crow until the chickens went to roost” and compelled his family to do the same (13). He does not tolerate laziness in his sons. He punishes his son, Nwoye, with “constant nagging and beating” (14). Okonkwo is the sole and unquestionable authority figure in his household.
Chinua Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart, uses the changes in African tribal culture brought about by European colonization to illustrate the evolution of the character Okonkwo. As Okonkwo leads his life, his experiences, personality and thought are revealed to the reader. The obstacles he faces in life are made numerous as time progresses. Okonkwo's most significant challenge originates within himself. He also encounters problems not only when in opposition to the white culture, but in his own culture, as he becomes frustrated with tribal ideals that conflict with his own. The last adversary he encounters is of the physical world, brought upon himself by his emotional and cultural problems. The manner through which Okonkwo addresses his adversaries in Things Fall Apart creates the mechanism that leads to his eventual destruction.