And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion – to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was gentleness and another was idleness (Chapter 2 Pg 3).” This quote shows the truth of how Oknonkwo was not really this cruel, tyrannical man. He lives his life in constant fear of being a failure the same as his dad. Who was very weak and considered lazy by his tribe. Even his father’s death has brought shame to Okonkwo.
Confirmation to support this is when David reveals "did I wonder what might happen if I killed my uncle". David managed to see some good in people including his father. Watson demonstrates the life of David Hayden growing up, and realizing later what a great role model he had in his father. David saw his father as a weak man and he thought his perfect role model was Frank, which is seen as he said "not manly figure like uncle Frank". He felt let down in his father, as he didn't arrest anyone or carry a gun, "And that disappointed me at times".
At this point I think Brother is trying to be a good brother. The death aspect of pride is bad for example “…and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.” This shows that Brother is acting selfish. At this point Brother seems selfish. This idea still exists in the world today. For example of the life aspect is giving someone money after being asked.
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.
Through dialogue and tone we understand that Homer is quite distant from his father. After his father saves the miner’s life Homer proudly says, “That’s my dad,” but as his dad starts to yell at the miner, he again says, “That’s my dad” but this time with an embarrassed tone. Through this technique we are able to see that while Homer wants to be proud of his dad because of his lack of compassion he feels uncomfortable and uneasy around him. This scene is also shown in a very dark and dull colour, which reflects how Homer feels coldness towards his father compared to the rest of his bright life. When John Hickam sees his son and enquires to how the football training went, close camera angles show us the disappointment that Homer experiences on his face and as the camera cuts back to John we see how he thinks his son is weak.
Because of his position rather than his brother’s, he experiences jealousy and is a victim of favoritism. His brother is a veteran, and to his father this means a lot. This meant that Frank could get away with everything while Wes was scolded. Wes reveals this jealousy when he says, “I wonder if he was supposed to stay at the hospital.”(p.36) When Wes
The joy they had stemmed from a new belief that they were not just waiting for Doodle to die but to live a full life. It was in that moment that Doodle became a brother rather than an invalid. If Brother had not been afraid of embarrassment at school doodle would have never left the wagon. This story shows the effective of pride as positive and negative ways. It’s a sad story between the life of brother’s pride and the death of his brother.
It was a reflex, a “survival of the fittest” reaction that Gene did out of anger, fear, and confusion. He is already the “odd one out” and Finny seems to be his only real friend. This secret would destroy Gene’s rekindled friendship with Finny that has reached a happy, placid level. Gene recalls, “I shoved my foot against the rung of his chair and kicked,” (145). He loses himself in his emotions, but he struggles to control himself while “evolving the right way” (125) in order to survive.
Although his father was looked upon as a failure in society, in the eyes of the tribe, and by his own son, he contained something that Okonkwo never had: humility and happiness in the smallest things. He thought that those were the reasons that made his father a failure. His son, Nwoye, was more like Okonkwo’s father and this leads them to drift off in different directions. Okonkwo had grown up to reject anything that resembled his father, humility or happiness, and this leads him to live his life dominated by fear. Okonkwo's tragic flaw is that he fears looking weak and letting emotions get the best of him is what lead him to his ultimate downfall.
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). This favoritism shows what little respect Julian holds for his younger son that stems from Franks dominance between the Hayden siblings. Wes is constantly put down because of his brother’s achievements; these situations can either make or break Wesley. In all families, there is a member who thrives on ‘power trips’, and in this specific situation, it was Julian, “He wanted, he needed, power…he was a dominating man who drew sustenance and strength from controlling others” (20). Julian acquires his power through putting others down, especially Wes; this causes Wesley to have a lot of animosity towards his father.