Okonkwo Research Paper

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Okonkwo was held in high esteem within his clan of Umuofia. He was a self-made man and created his riches without the help from anyone else. His estate included his personal hut, huts for his three wives and children, shrine room, storage for yams and kola nuts, and shelter for his wives chickens and his goats. This estate was then enclosed by a large earthen wall. In addition to the physical riches he held, yams, kola nuts, and livestock, he also had attained two out of the four tribal titles that a person could hold, and well on his way to attaining the third (Achebe, 1994). These were feats not many tribal members had attained, including his father, who had none. Although Okonkwo held many tribal titles and was held in high esteem within the clan, his disdain for his father, not the presence of the Christian missionaries, caused Okonkwo to commit suicide. Because of his father’s lack of achievements, both in physical riches and tribal standing, as he was a loafer, everything did Okonkwo was so he was to not be associated with his father’s legacy (Asamoah-Gyadu, 2010).
Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, was a disappointment of …show more content…

He was a very proud man and did not take kindly to being questioned, especially by those whom he considered of lesser social character (Ikuenobe, 2006). Such as the case of calling another male villager a “woman” while in a meeting because he did not have any titles (Achebe, 1994). Being questioned by a “lesser” man was equivalent to being weak, and Okonkwo had a fear of being seen as weak and lazy, like his father. However, because he had this fear, his ability to fully integrate with the clans virtues, such as humility and compassion, he lacked the ability to enjoy some of the “restful and festive periods” that the village had, such as the Week of Peace (Ikuenobe,

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