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.
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.
During the course of the novel of ‘Deadly Unna?’ the readers are exposed to the negativity between the father and his son. This affects Blacky in way that his self-esteem is almost non-existent, and the negativity is prominent throughout the novel. Examples of the neglect shown by his father are that of the time when Bob refers to Blacky as a ‘gutless wonder’, and the journey we take through the story of Blacky’s deteriorating respect for him. The ‘gutless wonder’ incident was a influential part of the novel, as Blacky realises that his Dad isn’t one to take advice of someone he feels is inferior than him, thus saying, ‘My own son, a gutless wonder. A gutless fucking wonder!’ When Blacky explains to his father about the storm, Bob insults him rather than swallow his pride and takes his son’s advice on board.
Leeann Kolher/Meier Theme Period 1 13 December 2011 Character Analyst: Okonkwo All people have defining characterizes about themselves. The book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe follows Okonkwo, a village leader who one of the most powerful men in Umuofia. Okonkwo’s defining characterizes are that he is diligent, stubborn and narcissistic. Okonkwo shows this though his words and actions in the novel. Okonkwo feels ashamed of his father, Unoka and, fears becoming like him.
He is afraid to show affection, as seen with Ezinma and Ikemefuna. In fact, he is so “possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life” (Achebe 18), that he does not heed Ezeudu’s advice regarding the death of Ikemefuna. Okonkwo is afraid of looking weak, so he kills Ikemefuna himself. His deep seated fear of resembling his father is stronger than even love for his adopted son. Okonkwo’s “whole life was dominated by […] fear of failure and of weakness” (Achebe 13), and while this initially aids him in his success, it is also the precise reason for all his immoral actions.
MANLIER THAN THE OLD MAN AFTERALL In Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner,” Amir’s father, Baba, was a well respected, self-oriented man who never got to understand his 12 year old son Amir. This lead him to not being able to satisfy the needs of his son as a father should. This affected Amir’s character horribly. Amir began to stop believing in himself and started to make the wrong decisions, which made the rest of his adult life a living hell. Through out the novel Amir failed to stand up for himself, and Hassan, who later we discovered was his half brother.
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".
Daniel Arrants Things Fall Apart Draft English Honors Pr.6 Intolerance has negatively impacted people in today’s society as well as in the past. Things Fall Apart is written to follow the life of Okonkwo and his fall from greatness in his community. He has 3 wives, many crops, and is a strong warrior, all traits of a typical wealthy man in the Ibo Tribe. Okonwko’s main goal in life is to not gain the characteristics of his father, who was weak and considered a failure to those around him. He lives in a society where men rule, and it is hard for him to show love or affection towards his family.
This made the reader wondering about what white people did to Baldwin’s father until he hated all white people. At that time, Baldwin did not get along with his father. He only realized when his father died. Baldwin never believed his white friends would betray him as his father taught him. Rejection, treated badly, and alienation had played a significant role in Baldwin’s life.
Baba had been a thief, he not only stole from Amir, he stole from Ali and Hassan. Hassan was Baba’s true son, underprivileged, uninitiated, and sacred. Amir is tired of all the lies; he has carried around the guilt from the sin’s he committed as a child. Finding out that Hassan was his half brother, was hard for him knowing what all he had done. Even though Sohrab is a Hazara decent, he is Amir’s nephew and he will be treated as family.