Okonkwo In Things Fall Apart

In the novel, Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo was a fearless and strong Nigerian leader who made impactful decisions which affected his relationships with his village, family, caused positive and negative outcomes to occur and cultimated in him being characterized as a tragic character throughout novel. During the novel, Okonkwo, a main character in the story, continuously showed to his tribe that he was a superior and manly figure that was the opposite to who his father was as a leader of the tribe. Additionally by being a manly figure in the novel he has proven to his people that he could be a powerful leader and more impactful. Finally, all of the characteristics that Okonkwo possesses and decisions that he has made has led him to be characterized

He felt that his father was looked at as very weak and powerless individual who was not taken serious. Okonkwo desired to be everything but how his father was and did everything in how power to not be looked at as weak. Therefore he showed no affection because he believed that “to show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength” (Achebe 28). He chose not to show this affection and weakness because he fears rejection, failure, and having the people of the tribe not take him serious. The desire to not be seen as a weak individual is so strong that Okonkwo goes to great extremes to prove to society that he is powerful. He was greatly impacted by the Igbo cultures societal standards of being a powerful man, which additionally lead to him being a leader in society. Later in the novel however, when Ikemefuna is killed Okonkwo becomes very depressed and upset. He is very distraught by the death of him, because of this he drinks endlessly and does not eat for a few days. Achebe is characterizing Okonkwo as a weak, drunk who cannot handle the death that has just occurred in his life. The death is not only affecting his physical state but also his emotional and mental state. This is the first time that we are aware of any emotional side of Okonkwo. This is the beginning of when his actions as a leader lead to his tragic