ipl-logo

Okonkwo's Fear

650 Words3 Pages

In Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart, the protagonist Okonkwo is portrayed as a strong, proud, and ambitious man who is driven by fear rather than malice. Throughout the novel, Okonkwo's actions and thoughts reveal that his fear of failure, rejection, and weakness motivates him to become a successful leader in his community. However, some may argue that Okonkwo's actions are motivated by malice, as he is often violent and harsh towards those around him. One example of Okonkwo's fear-driven behavior is his constant need to prove himself as a successful and powerful leader in his community. He gained much respect for his tribe and himself for wrestlng. Okonkwo has also gained respect by working hard to become a very successful yam farmer. …show more content…

Okonkwo's violence is a physical manifestation of his fear of being seen as weak and inadequate, and he uses it as a way to assert his power and authority over others. Okonkwo's violence is not a desire to harm or hurt others, but rather a way to assert his power and authority. In addition, Okonkwo's fear of failure and rejection also drives his violent behavior. He is constantly worried about losing his status and prestige in the community, and this fear motivates him to be a strong leader. The narrator says, "He had a great burning ambition to be one of the lords of the clan" (Achebe, 12). This quote highlights Okonkwo's fear of failure and rejection, which motivates him to be a strong leader and assert his power and authority over others. In conclusion, Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart is driven more by fear than malice. His fear of failure, rejection, and weakness motivates him to become a successful leader in his community. His actions and thoughts reveal that his fear of being seen as weak and inadequate, and of losing his status and prestige in the community, motivates him to be a strong leader. While some may argue that Okonkwo's actions are motivated by malice, it is important to note that his violence is not a desire to harm or hurt others, but rather to protect himself from his

Show More
Related

Is Okonkwo Sympathetic Or Sympathetic

636 Words | 3 Pages

Okonkwo is known throughout all nine villages for his self-wealth, strength but most of all his anger and temper. He is irrational and does not think logically, but thinks through his fists. He is incapable of showing remorse or emotion, and due to this lack of emotion, when someone starts to agitate him he immediately fights. Whether it be domestic violence towards his wife and children or picking fights with neighbors challenging him. Okonkwo’s family relationships make him a sympathetic character because he provides for his family which is what his father could not do and an unsympathetic character because of the constant domestic violence when something is not done to his expectations.

Read More

Pride In Things Fall Apart

1119 Words | 5 Pages

Okonkwo is the protagonist, so it makes sense for him to demonstrate a lot of pride which he undeniably does. Okonkwo is constantly bragging and boastful talking about how many men he or Umuofia has killed and is constantly scared to be perceived as weak. An early example of this is in chapter 7 when Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna. He is advised by his elders not to go and just stay at home. But Okonkwo goes anyway, which leads to him killing Ikemefuna because "He was afraid of being thought weak.

Read More

Okonkwo Dialectical Journal

387 Words | 2 Pages

Prompt 2 Okonkwo is driven by his hatred of his father and the fear he will become like him. Okonkwo saw his father, Unoka, as a coward and is ashamed to be his son. Everything that Okonkwo does is meant to set him apart from the legacy of his father. First, this is evident in his beating of his wives and even his aggression with his children. He is trying to show his strength and ensure he is not portrayed to be like his father: powerless and incapable.

Read More

Okonkwo's Father Quotes

511 Words | 3 Pages

Having the reputation of being “poor and his wife and children barely ate”. Okonkwo feels that anything that reminded him of his father was weak and unnecessary. Another example would be beating his wife during peace week because she didn’t cook but got her hair done during peace.

Read More

Essay On Things Fall Apart And The Poisonwood Bible

1026 Words | 5 Pages

One of the main factors is his past. Okonkwo 's motivation to be a better man than his dad is what truly shapes him to be who he really is. Okonkwo has a love for his village like the love they have for him. But out of fear that he would be like his father, he started becoming very irresponsible and did things without thinking. He was feared by many and loved by many as well which made him become a very respected member in his tribe.

Read More

Things Fall Apart Essay

756 Words | 4 Pages

Achebe said Okonkwo’s “whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (13). Everything Okonkwo does is because he is in fear of being like his father. Sometimes, he tries too hard and fails. Okonkwo does not want to look weak. As the clan killed Ikemefuna, “Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down.

Read More

Okonkwo's Conflict In Things Fall Apart

1359 Words | 6 Pages

When Okonkwo was “angry and could not get his words quickly out enough, he would use his fists” (Achebe 2). Okonkwo’s violent personality traits cause him to make very irrational decisions that would later have future consequences. Despite that, his less than perfect tendencies did help him to achieve many goals throughout his life. However, the instances where they worked against him outweigh all other factors. Okonkwo is seen as a very painfully structured man and when something doesn't go according to his structure, it causes him to make irrational decisions.

Read More

Gender Roles In Things Fall Apart

1012 Words | 5 Pages

As a child, Okonkwo was taught the ways of the world around him, which he still follows as an adult. Along with that, the dominance he is asserting over his wives gives him a sense of accomplishment that he is not

Read More

Things Fall Apart Character Analysis

1218 Words | 5 Pages

He put forth a bad image of his family and especially of Okonkwo. In the story Okonkwo has to work extremely hard to get out of the position that his dad left him in. He, Okonkwo, is presented at the beginning of the story as a leader in the village and clan. Very influential and powerful, not only with his respected wealth from farming, but with his physicality as well. He was known as a very good wrestler who had beaten “Amalinze the Cat”, who at that time was the best fighter in the area.

Read More

How Okonkwo's Change In 'Things Fall Apart'

965 Words | 4 Pages

In the book “Things Fall Apart“ Okonkwo is a very strong man and from time to time he starts showing his true self. He has a lot of responsibilities and other things he has to do around the living environment and interact with lots of people. Okonkwo changes from being that strong man, to a man who feels like his tribe is not with him when he wants to go to war with the missionaries. For someone like Okonkwo a lot of people looks up to him and while in the tribe Okonkwo beats his wives and children. Not good behavior for someone who is supposedly looked at as strong.

Read More

Okonkwo's Hatred In Things Fall Apart

1774 Words | 8 Pages

The hatred that he had for his father he carried with him throughout his whole life. That hatred turned into him killing Ikemefuna and the messenger. Ikemefuna was thought of as a son and he killed him in fear of being considered weak in front of his clan members. That weakness was thought of his weakness which was considered a failure. At the end of the story Okonkwo ends up being just like his father which is ironic because he strived to be nothing like him.

Read More

Things Fall Apart Fear Analysis

955 Words | 4 Pages

The writer clearly mentioned this idea in the book as following, “Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. ... Okonkwo’s fear was greater than these. It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.

Read More

Okonkwo's Relationship Essay

817 Words | 4 Pages

In the book are several quotes to support this, but one seems to be the more straightforward quote. “Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness….. It was fear of himself lest he should be

Read More

Essay On Okonkwo

769 Words | 4 Pages

Okonkwo can have pride in the important aspects of his life, such as Ezinma, and also be strong and prepared to fight when

Read More

Father Son Relationships In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

1330 Words | 6 Pages

The inability for Okonkwo to be weak makes him solely cruel and with a weak father like Unoka he felt forced to adapt opposite ideals. Chinua Achebe shows how Okonkwo had to make a life for himself as his father had not allowed for many opportunities for him to come in play. Later the author of the article, Psychology & Behavioral Health Vol.2 the author talks about the motivation that it takes to overcome and cope with the fears that prohibit him from growing and being he optimal version of himself. Fight or flight is described as a physiological

Read More

More about Okonkwo's Fear

Related Topics

Open Document