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
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a man in eyes of the Igbo culture. He borrowed consistently and rarely paid back what he borrowed. Although he did attempt to provide for his family by farming, his laziness by using barren and previously farmed land prevented any bountiful harvests (Achebe, 1994). This caused him to have to borrow more to sustain his family and for future planting, which spiraled over the years. This inability to take care of his family, land, and community obligations lead him to be viewed as insulting to the clan (Ikuenobe, 2006). His joys in life were “song, dance, and drinking of palm wine” and also grew faint in the presence of blood (Achebe, 1994) which makes him not a fitting warrior, which is necessary at times, and a taker in the community. These attributes were not held in high esteem within the clan. Because of these qualities, Unoka never held a tribal title and was looked at as a failure in the clan (Nnoromele, 2000). At a young age, Okonkwo did not want to follow in his father’s footsteps of being a tribal failure. Because he knew his father was unable or unwilling to maintain his family, he was able to borrow 1200 yams to start sharecropping with other villagers. Okonkwo did intentionally want to help his father’s estate, however, but because he was farming to help sustain his sisters and mother, he would be supporting his father as well. Although this first year of farming for Okonkwo was a bad farming year, he persevered (Achebe, 1994) and was able to continue making a name for himself in the clan. This is evident with the fact that he held two tribal titles and was on his way to attaining the third, unlike his father, who did not have any tribal titles. Although Okonkwo held tribal titles and was characterized as a great man (Nnoromele, 2000), his need to be everything his father was not prevented him from being great.
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,
2006). The Week of Peace, which constitutes the week prior to planting new yam crops, is a time of relaxation and enjoyment. During this time, it is expected to be kind to your family and neighbors as not to offend the Gods and disrupt a good growing season (Achebe, 1994). During this peaceful time, Okonkwo grew irritated with his youngest wife because she lost track of time visiting her friends and did organize the evening meal (Ikuenobe, 2006). Instead of siding with compassion, which is more akin to what his father would do, Okonkwo beat her handedly. While in the tribal culture, this reaction may be considered justified in any other time throughout the year (Achebe, 1994), during the Week of Peace, it is a cultural taboo and a “violation of the Week of Peace, which required people to show restraint and reverence for the gods.” as was stated by the oracle (Achebe, 1994; Ikuenobe, 2006). While he did show remorsefulness after he was brought before the oracle, and made penance in excess of what was required (Nnoromele, 2000), his quick to temper attitude shows he was opposite of his father by not restraining punishment regardless of the social stigma it entailed. Because of Okonkwo’s attitude that idleness is viewed as laziness and laziness was also property that his father held, he looked for opportunities to not be idle. Just prior to the New Yam Feast, Okonkwo notices some banana leaves have been cut off. Looking for any reason to not be idle, he scolds the family until his second wife informs him she used the banana leaves to wrap food (Achebe, 1994). By inferring that cutting off a few leaves from a healthy tree would kill it, he soundly beat her. Upon finishing the beating, Okonkwo takes his leave to go hunting with his dilapidated and ill manufactured rifle. As he is leaving, the second wife mutters an insult on his ability to hunt. Okonkwo takes this insult personally and not as a retort from a freshly beaten women, points the gun at her, and pulls the trigger (Ikuenobe, 2006). Although it was lucky no one was injured, this also shows that Okonkwo defies everything his father stood for, as his father would not have even looked towards the banana leaves during a time of relaxation. Another aspect of Okonkwo’s personality that shows he will do anything to prove he is not like his father is when he murdered his adoptive son. His adoptive son, Ikemefuna, was given to him by the Oracle to look after some years earlier. He was given to Okonkwo as part of a peace offering from another clan due to the murder of a clansmen’s wife. Ikemefuna came to be part of the family and was looked well upon by Okonkwo; this includes Ikemefuna calling Okonkwo “father” (Achebe, 1994) over time. When the time came for the tribal leaders and the oracle to decide what to do with Ikemefuna, which was to kill him, it was implored that Okonkwo not take any part of it (Nnoromele, 2000). Because Okonkwo had the penchant for not following in what his father would do, he accompanied Ikemefuna on his death march. This could be construed as bad enough as one should not partake in the murder of one’s own family member (Nnoromele, 2000). However, accompanying his adopted son was not enough for Okonkwo to show his lack of weakness in front of his clansmen, he landed the killing blow on the boy, with his own machete (Achebe, 1994). Okonkwo’s life continued to be fret with even more missteps though. While Okonkwo had been banished to his mother’s land for the killing of a clan member’s child, it was more happenstance than intentional (Achebe, 1994). However, once there, he continued to show he still did not care for any trait that resembled his father. This is evident when it comes to his son, Nwoye. Nwoye converted to Christianity shortly after the missionaries arrived. Through the teachings of the church, Nwoye realized they were more attuned to his gentler demeanor and also taught that his father’s killing of Ikemefuna was wrong in their religion. Because, Okonkwo felt betrayed Nwoye’s conversion (Ikuenobe, 2006), he beat him and choked him causing Nwoye to leave the family and live with the church (Achebe, 1994). Up until Nwoye’s conversion to Christianity, Okonkwo thought of the missionaries as mere novelty. They stayed in the forbidden forest had their meetings occasionally attracting people of lower stature in his mother’s clan. This changed shortly after his son’s conversion and when he found the missionaries and also a newly formed court system had infiltrated his home clan (Ikuenobe, 2006). During one of the ceremonies, one of the clan’s converts removed the mask one of the egwugeu, or gods, who was played by one of the clansmen. This was considered an egregious crime and could not go unpunished (Achebe, 1994). Okonkwo succeeded in getting the clan to do something sever in retaliation, although it was not the killing of the Christians, or making them flee (Ikuenobe, 2006), it was enough to sedate his need for revenge. The clan opted to burn down the church while dressed as the remaining egwugeu (Achebe, 1994). While it is not identified that Okonkwo was directly involved with the burning of the church, he did assist in inciting its destruction which is not a cowardly decision and opposite of what his father would do. Because Okonkwo was involved in the church burning and also was one of the clan leaders, he was summoned to the court. Shortly after being summoned to the court, Okonkwo and five other clan leaders were arrested and confined with a hefty fine. During their incarceration, they were continually beaten, whipped, and insulted (Achebe, 1994). These actions fueled Okonkwo hatred. This hatred for the missionaries and their court systems is what fueled Okonkwo to strike down the court messenger when he arrived at the meeting on the morning after their release (Achebe, 1994). Okonkwo fled the scene and was found a short time later hanged from a tree on his estate, killing himself instead of being taken into custody. He would rather commit the worst sin possible, suicide, than follow the intrussive rules of the missionaries and their court system (Nnoromele, 2000). While it does appear that the white missionaries were instrumental in the cause for Okonkwo’s suicide, they were merely a final catalyst of his downward spiral. Prior to the instruction of the missionaries, he already showed his inability to follow clan social norms. This is evident with the beating of one of his wives during the Week of Peace. Another time was when he attempted to murder another of his wives, which murder of a clansmen is one of the gravest sins one could commit (Nnoromele, 2000). Okonkwo then murdered his adopted son, even though it is a strict taboo to murder a family member (Nnoromele, 2000). These actions were before first meeting the missionaries. After meeting the missionaries, his actions were accountable to not only his clan, but a newly instilled justice system. Okonkwo could not cope with this change of social norms and killed himself, the gravest crime, instead of standing his by his convictions.
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.
In these few chapters that we read, we have already learned a lot about Okonkwo, his life, and how he shows sympathy to some, but to others he is heartless. Okonkwo is other wise known as an unsympathetic person. Okonkwo is a clan leader of umuofia who holds many titles and is well known among his people. Okonkwo's daily life consists of tending to the three yam farms he has produced and to make numerous offerings to numerous gods and to help himself and his family. Okonkwo's personality is hard driven, since his father did not provide for him and his family Okonkwo had to start man hood early and this led him to be very successful in his adulthood, Okonkwo is an unsympathetic character who only shows sympathy rarely because he believes it's a sign of weakness Okonkwo's family relationships make him a sympathetic character because when his children show signs of manliness or do their jobs right he shows sympathy towards them. He is an unsympathetic character because whenever he get a little mad he has to take his anger out on something and that is usually vented by beating his wife's.
Okonkwo is “a man of action, a man of war” (7) and a member of high status in the Igbo village. He holds the prominent position of village clansman due to the fact that he had “shown incredible prowess in two intertribal wars” (5). Okonkwo’s hard work had made him a “wealthy farmer” (5) and a recognized individual amongst the nine villages of Umuofia and beyond. Okonkwo’s tragic flaw isn’t that he was afraid of work, but rather his fear of weakness and failure which stems from his father’s, Unoka, unproductive life and disgraceful death. “Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness….It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.” Okonkwo’s father was a lazy, carefree man whom had a reputation of being “poor and his wife and children had just barely enough to eat... they swore never to lend him any more money because he never paid back.” (5) Unoka had never taught Okonkwo what was right and wrong, and as a result Okonkwo had to interpret how to be a “good man”. Okonkwo’s self-interpretation leads him to conclude that a “good man” was someone who was the exact opposite of his father and therefore anything that his father did was weak and unnecessary.
However, Okonkwo’s honor was diminished at the funeral of Ezeudu, when his gun accidentally misfired and killed a clansman, and he had to flee the village to his mother’s land. He spends the rest of his life being discontent with the exile, even after he is accepted back into his village seven years later, because his goal in life was to be successful, influential, and honored. He is also angry that his clan has become “womanly” after they openly accepted the white missionaries into their village. His unhappiness leads him to
This idea is epitomized through Okonkwo - whose status as “one of the greatest men”, mirrors the prowess of the Igbo culture -, who, by a tragic turn of events is forced to kill his adopted son, Ikemefuna, in fear of “being thought weak.” From thereon, Okonkwo’s tale of woe progressively descends into melancholy, ultimately culminating in his death. The continuously tragic progression of events for Okonkwo, is symbolic for the decline of the Umuofia, as like Okonkwo, it reached the peak of its greatness, after which its circumstances continuously declined, ultimately concluding in its demise.
From an early age, Okonkwo was ashamed of his father, Unoka, who was unable even to feed his family. The unpredictability of receiving enough food at a young age was enough to inspire fear and embarrassment in Okonkwo who associated this embarrassment with his father and was given further justification for these feelings when he went out into Umuofia, discovering that the other villagers held similar opinions of Unoka. When he was old enough, Okonkwo began farming his own yams because “he had to support his mother and two sisters […] And supporting his mother also meant supporting his father” (25). Okonkwo’s self-reliance was admired, valued in the community where “age was respected […] but achievement was revered” (12); this admiration gave him feelings of security, and the respect of his peers pushed him towards greater self-respect, distancing him from his father. The security and respect became related in his mind as he viewed his acceptance in the community as his life’s goal and Okonk...
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...
In Achebe’s book, Okonkwo would be viewed as a very intolerant person as he comes quick to anger and the slightest misdemeanor could lead to a harsh beating. Okwonko showcases this when one of his wives show up late to make his afternoon meal and “when she returned he beat her very heavily” (Achebe 29). Okonkwo later continues to show examples time and time again of how harsh his character truly is. For the boy, however, instead of anger consuming him, he worries. He thought about his father and worried that he would be too tired to play catch with him under the trees, he worried about his room being taken over by large messy people, and he worried about his father returning bald (Otsuka 549). He continues to worry about multiple things later on in the story, showing the side of his character that is very worrisome in a stressful time. Both characters have some sort of way to vent out their stress, but it’s really doing them more harm than good. The cause of this stress leads back to unwanted change, the change of meal time for Okonkwo and the change of how different life is for the boy without his
When Okonkwo wanted to do something, he did it. The fear of being fragile like his father was the origin of his impulsiveness. While his father was “lazy and improvident” (Achebe, Pg.4), Okonkwo was a “man of action, a man of war” (Achebe, Ch2.Pg.4). If he “could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fists.” (Achebe, Pg.4) He walked on the tip of his feet and he was ready to “pounce on somebody. And he did pounce on people quite often.” (Achebe, Pg.4). His entire life was based on trying to be the opposite of his father and he did so by trying to have different personalities. Such impetuousness shrouded him with improvidence as he was quite incapable of thinking about the consequences of his actions. For an instance, he walked aimlessly around the compound in “suppressed anger, [and he] suddenly found an outlet.” (Achebe, Pg.34)Outraged, he beat his young wife and left the children crying, only to come back again – this time with a gun- and nearly killed her! On another occasion during the Week of Peace, his impulsive rage led him to beat his wife heavily. In his anger, he forgot that it was the Week of Peace, but “Okonkwo was not the man to stop beating somebody half-way through, not even for …a goddess.” (Achebe, Pg.26) Notice that his impulsive rage of manliness was more important that his beliefs. Okonkwo lacked the skill to think before acting and this will l...
Throughout the tale, the narrator’s voice indicates that they are proud, understanding, and sympathetic towards Okonkwo. This is evident when the narrator explicitly comments on Okonkwo’s shame with his father, a man who wasn’t seen as man enough to his son. "When Unoka died he had taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt. Any wonder then that his son Okonkwo was ashamed of him?" (Achebe, pg. 3).
Okonkwo is irrational and very abusive towards his wives. For instance, when his wife does not bring him his meal because she is at a friend’s house, Okonkwo beats her heavily despite his other wives’ protests that it is the week of peace. Because of this Okonkwo is shamed and punished because during the week of peace everyone must refrain from violence. Okonkwo still protests and tries to defend his actions, but all the other clansmen agree that what he did was harsh and unnecessary. This shows that the clansmen think Okonkwo uses violence in situations where it is not needed. Okonkwo is also sometimes harsh to his male counterparts. For instance, when Osugo disagrees with Okonkwo during a meeting, Okonkwo says, “‘This meeting is for men.’ The man who had contradicted him had no titles. That was why he called him a woman” (Achebe 26). Okonkwo attacked a Osugo’s masculinity and pride because he disagreed with him. This shows how cruel Okonkwo is. It also shows that he believes a man without titles isn’t a man. This belief stems from his fear of becoming like his father Unoka, who had no titles and who is Okonkwo’s greatest shame. Okonkwo thinks that rejecting those similar to his father makes him more of a man, but his harshness is criticized by his clansmen. For instance, “Everybody at the kindred meeting took sides with Osugo when Okonkwo called him a woman” (Achebe 26). This shows the clansmen's ideas of manliness differs from Okonkwo’s. It also shows that the Igbo people still respect men without titles, since they took Osugo’s side over Okonkwo’s. This point of view differs drastically from Okonkwo’s. Overall, Okonkwo uses violence and harshness to appear masculine, but he often takes it too
He gained respect solely from being a warrior and defeating an undefeated wrestler known as “Amalinze the Cat”. All he wants to make certain is him being seen as a man with both strength and pride, along with no correspondences of his father (Unoka). Similar to Goneril, Okonkwo also doesn’t have a good relationship with his father. In fact, he actually disgusts his father due to the simple fact that he was lazy, a coward, and extremely feminine. This is evident when Achebe states: “In his day he was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow” (Achebe, 3). His father also borrowed money several times from others and left debts when he died, “Unoka was, of course, a debtor, and he owed every neighbour some money” (Achebe, 3). Due to Unoka’s failures, Okonkwo had to suffer to ensure he wasn’t following his father’s footsteps, although, that caused him to make some rash decisions which effected his
He was a very cold man with little feelings but always showed the utmost respect and class to the other members of his tribe. He had a bit of trouble with listening to the words of wise men but always tried to make up for it. Okonkwo never showed empathy towards his children or wives. His most common emotion towards them was anger or disappointment. This was only on the outside though. Deep down he was very proud of some of the thing his children accomplished and often favored his daughter, Enzima. For the other member of the tribe, he was seen as fearless and
Okonkwo is a self-made man. He achieves greatness through his own hard work and determination. Okonkwo started his life without the benefits that other young men had. His father, Unoka, was a lazy man. He had acquired no honorary titles. When Unoka died, Okonkwo did not inherit any barn, title, or young wife. He merely acquired his father’s debts. Therefore, Okonkwo sets about to make a name for himself and to achieve greatness in his community. He diligently plants and harvests his yams, building a farm from scratch. He builds a large commune for his family. He marries three wives; one of them was the village beauty. He acquires two titles. Okonkwo is not a failure, like is father was. In Umuofia, “achievement was revered”, and Okonkwo’s achievement was immense (8). He was “clearly cut out for great things” (8). To the Igbo people, Okonkwo epitomizes greatness and success.
Though Okonkwo is a respected leader in the Umuofia ethnic group of the Igbo people, he lives in fear of becoming his father – a man known for his laziness and cowardice. He views his father named Unoka as effeminate so he rejects everything his father believed in or stood for. He was ashamed of his father since childhood. His father was a talented musician and gentle with people. His father brought shame to his family because of his irresponsibleness and falling into debts. He was not suited to the chauvinistic standards of the ethnic group. Okonkwo’s behavior is a result of his determination to be unlike his father. He is productive, wealthy, brave, violent, and is opposed to music. Okonkwo becomes well known as a wrestler and farmer. Okonkwo traits led him to achieve greatness financially and socially. He marries three women and has several children. He works hard to provide for his family because he did not have that growing up. He ends up adopting Ikemefuna from another village and raising him like a son. Okonokwo actually treated Ikemefuna better than his biological son. Okonokwo thought that his adoptive son had a lot of potential. The elders ordered to be killed Ikemefuna after three years with Okon...