It was not external, but lay deep within him. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father. Even as a little boy he had resented his father’s failure and weakness, and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala. That was how Okonkwo first came to know that agbala was not only another name for a woman, it could also mean a man who had taken to title. And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion – to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved.
In the story, “Talking Back”, by Bell Hooks, she states how brave and risk taking it was to take a stand by talking back to an authority figure which was usually a male individual. This has become a trend that has been passed on through many generations. It is usually the case because the woman’s role is to stay home to raise the children, cook, and clean while the man goes off to work to provide for the family. Therefore, the man of the house is excused for all of his bad habits. Like, complaining about his meals not the way he wants them to be, clothes not clean or ironed the way he feels they should be, and the house not maintained the way he feels it should be.
Su-Jen’s father, Hing-Wun, sacrifices everything for his family, and he struggles at the same time; these struggles continue in his whole life. Hing-Wun works so hard in the Dragon café to make money for his family, and he does not spend a single penny on himself; but his great efforts do not acquire a better future for himself. Even though he keeps working like a horse in his seventies for his family, his wife still complains about him and does not appreciate his attitudes towards life. Hing-Wun is such a kind man who always considers about his wife and he tells Su-Jen to think of and understand her mother’s situation. Therefore, Hing-Wun’s struggle against his hard work for his family is in vain.
During the Week of Peace Okonkwo beats his wife, Oljiugo, not wanting to show any sign of weakness. He is unhappy with the lack of progression being shown by women in the community. He after is
After spending a month in the Weedpatch camp, the Joad men have been unable to find any sort of work. The family is running out of food, and Rose of Sharon's baby is due soon. Ma decides that they need to leave the camp to search for work.Her assumption of leadership angers Pa, but Ma continues to goad him. Her sassing is calculated to rile him up, figuring that if a man has something to get angry at, he'll be okay. The Joads leave the government camp early the next morning.
Tom Robinson is later seen as guilty. Even though it is very obvious that Bob Ewell is guilty, mainly because Tom’s left hand is useless. Because of Tom’s race, the people who see him as innocent will be looked down upon. Racism killed Tom.
Okonkwo and Macbeth are both heavily influenced by other characters, fuelled by the expectations of their societies, and driven to act based on their tragic flaw. The reason behind all the actions Okonkwo takes can be traced back to one person; his father. Okonkwo grew up hating Unoka’s laziness and he “was ruled by one passion- to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved” (Achebe 13). This led him to rule “his household with a heavy hand” (Achebe 13), and treat his family poorly. He is afraid to show affection, as seen with Ezinma and Ikemefuna.
Though Cholly was humiliated by the white men, “he hated the one who had created the situation, the one who bore witness to his failure, his impotence” (151). Cholly’s hatred with himself for being emasculated is channeled towards Darlene, and throughout the rest of his life, women in general. His hatred is openly exhibited towards his daughter, Pecola, as he mistreats her and exploits her because of his own self-loathing. After raping Pecola, Cholly notices that, “again the hatred mixed with tenderness. The hatred would not let him pick her up” (163).
Superficially, all seems well because his family lives a comfortable existence. Emotionally, however, his family has missed his emotional support for years. His wife, Helen, gave up “trying to compete with his work years ago.” All of his children grew up in a so-called normal family with a father and mother. At his funeral, though, they do not have enough memories about him to say a proper eulogy. Phil himself was “overweight” and unhealthy, obsessed with work and negligent with his personal life.
Wesley lives under the shadow of his brother Frank and as the story progresses he is slowly escaping it. However, despite Wesley’s wilted physique and lack of superiority in the Hayden family hierarchy, he possesses a great deal of moral virtue and mental strengths. First of all, Wesley’s leg injury leads to other factors to develop Wesley as a better and stronger man. In his life he goes through many obstacles, such as his failure to go to war, and thus becoming the underdog of the Hayden family. This is discovered when the patriarch, Julian Hayden, says to his son Wesley “Ever since the war…Ever since Frank came home in a uniform and you stayed home, you’ve been jealous” (118).