Okonkwo shows his expectation throughout his household but when it is disobeyed there will be a harsh and brutal punishment. Het gets physical to people in his household to get his point proven. He wants to make his saying clear so that they understand and won’t make the same mistake. By doing this it is letting them know that he is doesn’t tolerate this kind of behavior in his house. His ways of making his point proven are harsh to his family that lives in his house. Although Okonkwo treats Nwoye and Ikemefuna with a heavy hand, this doesn’t mean it’s for his enjoyment, he is showing what he expect for their own benefit.
To begin, Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, is expected to follow his father’s footstep and be like him. A man who isn’t lazy at doing his job. In this case, Nwoye is a lazy kid who gets in trouble because he is not doing his job the way that his father want it done. Therefore, he gets punished by his father when his behavior of laziness is shown. In the novel page 13 it states, “ He was
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The punishment that Okonkwo is giving them is a punishment that they deserved. It is a way of showing the consequences for their action. On page 27 states, “ When Okonkwo heard that he not eat any food he came into the hut with a big stick in his hand and stood over him while he swallowed his yams.”(Achebe) This shows that Okonkwo is only giving them punishment so that they learn from it and never make it again. Another example was stated on page 13,”Okonkwo 's first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness.”(Achebe) Both kids was treated the same when it came to giving punishment for their mistakes. This was to show that Okonkwo doesn’t tolerate their behavior and wants them to act better. Okonkwo is trying to set an example for them to follow. Okonkwo is trying to show them that behavior like that will get them into