The Fall of a Character
The fact that the Ibo word for woman, agbala, is also used of a man who has no title is by no means a coincidence. In the Umuofia clan prestige is measured in titles, and sinces titles are reserved for men, you are considered to be ”nothing more” than a woman without one; hence the twofold meaning of the word. Having grown up with Unoka, an indolent, gentle and spendthrift father, bereft of titles, Okonkwo – protagonist of the novel Things Fall Apart, written by the Nigerian author Chinua Achebe – believes to have experienced the nadir of dignity, and thus, strives to dissociate from his legacy by adopting traits that fit into his perception of masculinity. In his equating manliness with rashness, aggression and lack
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But rather than gaining any real respect, these measures lead to nothing but sheer fear of the family father. In the society of Umuofia, manliness is valued highly, and Okonkwo consequently feels compelled to eliminate any and every sign of effeminacy, that is, figuratively speaking, any gesture of tenderness.
Deep down however – although incapable of admitting it – Okonkwo proves to be an emotional creature. For instance, when Ezinma is carried away on the back of the priestess of Agbala, he resists sleep and stays up all night anxiously wandering hither and thither awaiting her return, which is an obvious sign of affection. Nonetheless, Okonkwo seldom heeds his feelings and never explicitly shows that they affect him, lest he be labelled as cowardly.
Perplexing as it may sound, Okonkwo’s ardent endeavours to be as masculine and opposite of his father as can be are nevertheless precisely what induces his failure in realising these ideals. Since Okonkwo actively suppresses any attempt of resolving situations of crisis by reasoning, he finds himself facing no other option than suicide at the end of the novel. Okonkwo dies in disgrace just like his father, and therefore, his act of martyrdom is a