Okonkwo's Hatred In Things Fall Apart

Okonkwo’s greatest fear was to be perceived weak like his father, and he revolved his entire life around separating him from his father 's attitude and legacy. The quote “... In his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness.” (5) summarizes Okonkwo’s motivation in his life. This quote supports the theme because Okonkwo’s fear of weakness lead to his irrational actions such as killing Ikemefuna, which turned some of the Ibo clan against him, including his own son.

Okonkwo just wants to be respected by his clan but being like his father isn’t going to get him respect. When Okonkwo killed Ikemefuna he felt bad and had a guilty conscious from that day on. He wouldn’t eat nor drink he would be too depressed to do anything. All he has been doing is worrying about Ikemefuna and how he felt bad. All he could do was to think about Ikemefuna , he couldn’t sleep nor walk.

Basically stating that he dislike his father in every single way. No matter what the subject was he didn’t like him.

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.

From the beginning of the novel to the end, Okonkwo’s fear of becoming his father turns irrational. “But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (13). Rather than facing his fear head on Okonkwo allows it to dominate him. As the story

He thought that it was because of his father why he never gets out to the Ruby Pier. The reason why he was stuck in a life that he had. He never grew because of his hatred. His anger disappeared, when he found out what his father really is. The stone hearted man was a forgiving man.

“A tragic hero is a person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities. This person is fated by the Gods or by some supernatural force to doom and destruction or at least to great suffering.” Okonkwo in the book, “Things Fall Apart” is the character we follow though the whole story. His biggest fear is being looked upon like his father, who was a failure in everyone 's eyes and lived a life of hardship. Okonkwo is a tragic hero because he is important in Igbo society and ultimately led to his own downfall due to his fear of being weak.

Neil Perry had so much pressure from his dad, Mr.Perry, because he wanted him to achieve more than him and his family ever did. Mr. Perry cared about his son, he just expressed it through conformity and discipline. He sets standard for Neil such as, being a doctor. He does not let him follow his dreams to be an actor, because he chose his path already. Neil loved acting and his dad did not approve and acted like his dreams were not important.

Okonkwo, yearning to do for his son what his father never did for him, makes Nwoye feel the pressure of a false identity being pushed upon him. Sensitive, compassionate, and an overall peaceful

Typically, the father is the one who has to save the son. In this case, however, the son is the one who has to save the father, disappointing the son because the elder has more experience and should know better. Therefore, with that experience, the father should have avoided any problems that need a third party to interfere. The difference is, for The Kite Runner Baba’s disappointment towards who Amir has become and for “Forgiving Our Fathers,” Lourie’s father disappoints his son by setting a bad example. A similarity between Baba and Lourie’s father is making their sons feel disappointed in both the fathers and the sons.

Ikemefuna’s part in the first seven chapters of Things Fall Apart portrays the complexity of family traits by stirring internal conflict within Okonkwo that causes him to question the value of family. Okonkwo did not have grounded qualities to take from his lazy, irresponsible father, Unoka. This forces him to build up the masculine traits that he values strongly for his family, especially strength and independence. When discussing the boy, Ikemefuna, who he is forced to care for, Okonkwo says, “I will not have a son [Ikemefuna] who cannot hold up his head in the gathering of the clan” (Achebe 29). Okonkwo believes that without these traits, a man could not participate fully in society.

Okonkwo is the main character in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo has done many questionable things and he has a very unique mindset and there is no doubt that he is a flawed man. But there is evidence that he is also a good man. So I think that Okonkwo is both a flawed man and a good man. In chapter four of Things Fall Apart Okonkwo’s youngest wife Ojiugo went to a friends house to plait her hair and did not return early enough to cook the afternoon meal so when she got home he beat her very viciously.

The Russian author Leo Tolstoy once said “everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart the main character, Okonkwo, struggles with a sense of identity. He wishes to change those around him to be his ideal version of manly: emotionless, strong, and unafraid to fight. He does not think about changing his own ideals in response to the changes brought about by the introduction of the white men in Umuofia, which ultimately led to his downfall.