Okonkwo Fatherhood Quotes

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The importance of fatherhood in this novel is that a father is the provider, defender and teacher for their children. Okonkwo is also a warrior, leader and farmer which are opposite of his father, Unoka. Unoka is known for his laziness, cowardness and in debt with all the people in his village. Okonkwo is afraid that Nwoye becoming like his father. Okonkwo abused his wives and beat Nwoye. His reasoning for hurting his family is tells that he is not like his father.
Okonkwo’s family loved Ikemefuna, the adopted son. He feels guilty for killing him, but he can’t say no to their “god”. “The earth cannot punish me for obeying her messenger,” Okonkwo said. “A child’s fingers are not scalded by a piece of hot yam which its mother puts into its palm.”(Chapter 8, page 67). Okonkwo did not eat for two days because he feels bad for killing Ikemefuna. Okonkwo will do everything for their “god” even to kill his family. Nwoye fears for his life. If Okonkwo can kill his adopted son, then there will be no hesitation to kill him. …show more content…

When the oracle ordered Okonkwo to kill Ikemefuna, Okonkwo followed the order and he killed his adopted son with his own hands. Nwoye’s got mad with his father and that lead him to convert to Christianity. Nwoye’s questions his faith and his father’s views, values and beliefs. “And so Obierika went to Mbanta to see his friend. And he found that Okonkwo did not wish to speak about Nwoye. It was only from Nwoye’s mother that he heard scraps of the story” (Chapter 18, pages 144). This only shows that the relationship between a father and son is gone. Nwoye hated his father for killing his brother because the oracle told him so. Okonkwo hated Nwoye when he acknowledged new religion and leave the beliefs that he is accustom

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