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Okonkwo In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

844 Words4 Pages

“You can have pride in what you do each day, but not arrogance in what you are born with,” (Amy Tan). In the novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is a respected leader in Umuofia. He lets his pride get in the way of his life and does not make the best decisions. Okonkwo’s motivations, interactions, and development as a character all suggest that he is a Byronic hero.
Okonkwo had to leave everything behind in Umuofia and take his whole family to his motherland in Mbanta for his exile. “An exile, an outcast, or an outlaw” (Byronic hero). “ The only course open to Okonkwo was to flee from the clan, he could return to the clan after seven years.” (Achebe 110). This quotation from chapter 13 demonstrates that Okonkwo had to leave …show more content…

“Emotionally conflicted, bipolar tendencies, or moodiness” (Byronic hero). “Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down, he did not taste any food for two days after the death of Ikemefuna.” (Achebe 55). This quotation from chapter 8 demonstrates that Okonkwo is depressed that he killed Ikemefuna. Okonkwo does not want to seem weak so that's why he killed him. Inside Okonkwo is grieving but does not want anyone to know. This trait is developed by the masculine elders of Umuofia told Okonkwo that they were going to kill Ikemefuna. Okonkwo did not know how to feel about it. He did not want to be looked at as weak so he cut Ikemefuna down. Therefore Okonkwo was depressed and upset with …show more content…

“Troubled past” (Byronic hero). “With a father like Unoka, Okonkwo did not have a start in life which many young men had,” (Achebe 13). This quotation from chapter 3 demonstrates that unlike most young people, Okonkwo did not get anything handed to him. Okonkwo had to work for his things because his father was a piece of junk. Okonkwo did not want to be anything like his father. This trait is developed by his father because he was a drunk. Okonkwo could not do anything about it. Okonkwo had to start from nothing. His father was the reason for the troubled past. Furthermore he could not change what his father laid out for

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Okonkwo Dialectical Journal

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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.

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Byronic Hero Quotes

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“Fear is a darkroom where negatives develop”. This quote said by Usman B. Asif describes the negative effects of fear. In the novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo lives a life in constant fear of becoming like Unoka. This fear was fueled by the failures of his father and the drive to be completely different than his father. Okonkwo,s motivations, interactions and development as a character all suggest that he is a Byronic hero.

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Things Fall Apart Fatherhood Quotes

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His reasoning for hurting his family is tell himself that he is not like his father. He is a warrior and that he can hurt and kill people. 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.

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Okonkwo's Identity

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Okonkwo’s sense of identity is challenged by the relationship of his father, Unoka, and his adopted son, Ikemefuna. Unoka is not the typical role model for anyone because “when Unoka died he had taken no titles at all and he was heavily in debt” (8). Unoka’s death did not bring good to his name due to his debt and the lack of titles. This shows why Okonkwo doesn’t want to be like his father, who in the ibo culture has no dignity due to the lack of titles. This makes Okonkwo become tough and respected because “he was not afraid of war.

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Okonkwo's Change In Things Fall Apart

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Rick Godwin once said, “One reason people resist change is because they focus on what they have to give up, instead of what they have to gain”. In the novel “Things Fall Apart”, by Chinua Achebe Okonkwo resists changes when the british missionaries arrive and it causes conflicts throughout the novel. His defiance, warrior-like, manliness behavior leads him to his suicide when he realizes change sometimes can not be controlled. Okonkwo’s nobility and prosperity is revealed through his success and leadership within the clan. Aristotle stated in “On Tragedy” that “He must be one who is highly renowned and prosperous.”.

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How Is Okonkwo A Sympathetic Character

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The novel “things fall apart” is about the fatal demise of Okonkwo and the igbo culture of Umuofia. Okonkwo is well known and respected leader in his community, who is successful in everything he does, such as wrestling and farming. He is quick with his hands and takes pride in his accomplishments. Okonkwo’s family relationship makes him a sympathetic character because of his support and an unsympathetic character because of his cruelty. In many ways Okonkwo showed that he had no sympathy for others , However at times he could be sympathetic.

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Theme Of Masculinity In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

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Killing Ikemefuna shows that Okonkwo does not have absolute control over his emotions. As he sits in his obi afterward he is sad and defeated: “Okonkwo did not taste any food for two days after the death of Ikemefuna” (Achebe 63). Killing someone close to him causes Okonkwo to fall into a deep state of depression. Starving himself because of his grief reveals that he has succumbed to his fear. Okonkwo has committed his life to avoid a situation that causes him to appear weak, but refusing to eat outwardly demonstrates his pain and sorrow of killing the boy that called him father.

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Okonkwo Kills Quotes

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In the text, “ The only course open to Okonkwo was the flee from the clan. It was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman, and a man who committed it must flee from the land. The crime was two kinds, male or female, Okonkwo had committed a female. He could return to the clan after seven years” (Achebe 124). If Okonkwo was not there , the young boy would still be alive and Okonkwo would still be in Umuofia , his fatherland and had all of his items.

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Pride In Things Fall Apart

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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.

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Why Is Okonkwo A Tragic Hero

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From being nothing in his village he rises to be a great, honorable, successful leader of umuofia. He also has a tragic flaw of being weak, failure and having fear that leads him to fail at things several times because of his fears. All of these failures then lead him to his suicide. Finally, he finds his own tragic fate because of his murder of the missionaries court messenger during his villages meeting. Though Okonkwo's life started out as one of the most successful and leading men of Umuofia but because of his violent and impulsive characteristics, even the most successful and well-respected man can fall from his

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Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

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Okonkwo is portrayed as “well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements”(Achebe 1). This quote demonstrates how just like many people Okonkwo's fundamental objectives was to be well respected and successful. Additionally it represents the objectives of the culture one of which is to be

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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.

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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.

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Theme Of Fear In Things Fall Apart

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He was afraid of being thought weak.”(61). Earlier in this paragraph Ikemefuna thought of Okonkwo as his father yet he still killed him. The thought of being weak in front of others or being thought as weak drives some to

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Byronic Hero In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

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In the article titled “Byronic hero” the author States one of the traits of a Byronic hero “ an Exile an outcast or an outlaw”. Achebe explains, “ the only course open to Okonkwo was to flee from the clan”(110). This quotation from chapter thirteen demonstrates that Okonkwo, when he killed another clan member was exiled because of it. He would lose everything except the things he would bring with him. The trait is supported by the crime against the Earth goddess that Okonkwo committed which is very contrasted from society.

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