Okonkwo In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Okonkwo was the son of a lazy man who died as an abomination to their clan. He was a man in debt who not only did not work, but was also useless in battle, being as he could not stand the sight of blood. All his father had done was sit around playing his flute which disappointed Okonkwo. Okonkwo had different views on how men should live, and in turn he grew up despising his father for his actions. Okonkwo’s fear of being like his father ruled his life as though there was never enough he could do to prove otherwise; this progressively becomes clearer when he shows he can not live with the failure and downfall of his people. Achebe shows how determined Okonkwo was to be more of a man than his father when he says, “And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion- to hate everything his father had loved”. (Achebe 5). From this we can see how scared Okonkwo is of

(Achebe 10). No matter Okonkwo’s emotion, it was concealed unless it portrayed strength. An example of this was his feelings towards Ikemefuna. He was “very fond of the boy” (Achebe 10), yet he treated Ikemefuna how he would anyone else. Even though “there was no doubt that he liked the boy” (Achebe 10), he forced his emotions for Ikemefuna aside to show his strength when “Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down”. (Achebe 22). However, maybe in that moment he did not force his emotions for the boy aside intentionally. Achebe tells us that before the great act of violence that Okonkwo is not in his right mind: “He ran towards him. Dazed with fear”. (Achebe 22). One could then conclude that this wasn’t truly what Okonkwo had wished to do. Perhaps in the rush he acted upon what he had known best, possibly without giving his actions much consideration. He had taught his mind the ways of violence and brutality and only thoughts of such ways were produced in the moment of