Okonkwo's Fear Of Being Weak

Okonkwo utilizes his fear of being thought of as weak as motivation to hide his care for his daughter, which keeps their close relationship hidden from the rest of society. Okonkwo’s fear of being thought of as weak causes him to conceal his close relationship with Ezinma. In the beginning of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo describes how he treats the members of his family. He argues, “To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength” (28). Okonkwo believes that the only emotions he needs are those that make him stronger and more powerful. Affection is considered weak and therefore Okonkwo cannot express it towards Ezinma, which forces him to hide their relationship. In addition to his personal

In the novel, Okonkwo and Ezinma develop a special relationship. As Okonkwo shares his thoughts about his children, he argues that Ezinma should have been a boy. Immediately after he shares his thoughts, he calls Ezinma to his hut to fetch him some food and water (64). Okonkwo loves and cares for Ezinma so much that he wants her as a son. In other words, Ezinma is so important to Okonkwo that he wants her to carry on the family name. However, Okonkwo demands Ezinma to get him food and water in order to hide his love and care for her. In addition to using demands, Okonkwo also puts the spotlight on other characters in order to protect his relationship with his daughter from being exposed. Later in the novel, Okonkwo discovered Ezinma’s sickness and immediately insisted on following the medicine man and Okagbue all the way to Ezinma’s rock that would heal her. Okonkwo then made Ekwefi create the medicine that would cure Ezinma (82). Instead of being upfront, Okonkwo hid his concerns for Ezinma by forcing Ekwefi to take care of her. Okonkwo is extremely invested in Ezinma’s health and wanted anything that would make her feel better to happen, but did not want society to see that he cares about Ezinma or their