Okonkwo Characteristics

The Nigerian culture, full of richness and charisma around its citizens and leaders. The novel written by Chinua Achebe puts its focus on the rituals and customs of nine Nigerian villages, among them the most important one Umuofia. Umuofia is home to the bravest warrior of all nine villages, Okonkwo a strong leader with few weaknesses, but one that impacts his whole life driving him into physical and mental misery. Life is never perfect, and Okonkwo served as a tragic her. Okonkwo’s traits and qualities make of him a key character with a high status in his own village after a slow and painful childhood. Okonkwo earned the high status of the best wrestler in all the nine villages and beyond by defeating Amalinze. Beyond anything, Amalinze the Cat is regarded as the most prolific wrestler for 7 years straight until Okonkwo comes to “achieve fame as the greatest wrestler in the land” (27). Okonkwo’s skills and abilities make him a character that matters a lot because war is common in between tribes and strength is needed to be regarded as an icon. In that moment when Okonkwo ends Amalinze’s seven-year streak, fame grows around Okonkwo to become a future leader. Okonkwo’s life status in the clan would go on to rise “so suddenly from poverty and misfortune to be one of the lords of the clan” (26). Okonkwo

Okonkwo’s world is filled with downfalls flaws throughout his life as he is shown to be a man of strength. Indeed, Okonkwo is a man that is shown to fear failure and weakness, especially among him and others. Okonkwo’s hamartia is the dominance “by fear, the fear of failure and weakness” (13). In fact, Okonkwo’s fear of failure brought him to have little patience for others, and immediately take action if anything seemed out of the ordinary. As white men came to Umofia, Okonkwo realized that no one was going to stand up and go towar, unless Egonwanne changed the next day. Therefore, Okonkwo’s desperation to act diminished into a world of loneliness to