But what the villagers do not know is that he never wanted to kills his son. In fact, he feels horrible about it. Okonkwo falls into a deep depression some days after Ikemefuna’s death. Okonkwo and Unoka are truly polar opposites. However, just like his father, Okonkwo is always at odds with the values of the people of the village.
No one wants to be seen as weak or a failure and be taken advantage of, that’s why people have their guards up. Things Fall Apart tells a story of a stubborn man (Okonkwo) responding to change. In Chinua Achebe’s book Things Fall Apart, he reveals Okonkwo’s fear of failure and of weakness. Okonkwo, with a deep insecurity of being like his father, known to be a poor, unsuccessful man and a failure in his society, gives his best to be successful and nothing else. Okonkwo passionately works hard to be at the top as a respected man (which he achieves) and the complete opposite of his disappointing father.
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.
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.
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. Okonkwo is also driven by the need to conform and live up to the expectations of males in Igbo culture. Igbo culture closely associates masculinity with strength and courage, and this gender role is stressed upon boys from a very young age. Due to this,
Manhood is more likely portrayed through Bolo, with his stick fighting skill, his manner with the ladies and readiness to battle with all comers. Bolo is the village hero, “champion stick fighter, the king, leading the village in battles down the length and breadth of the island” (page 20). His reputation as a stick fighter is legendary, as he enjoys a prestige in the village that is demonstrated by his popularity among the women. He represents the spirit of “lend-hand” which characterizes the community. Bolo believes that being a man entails that he should be strong, brawny, and use brute force to solve his problems.
2. Scout gets into three altercations One: Scout usually gets along well with her Uncle Jack, but when he arrives in Maycomb, she begins cursing in front of him. Jack is Atticus’s brother therefore Scout should respect him and make him feel at home, but recently she has picked up the bad habit of cursing which relates back to the disease of Maycomb. Two: Scout attacks Jem because she got angry when Jem started to lecture her on why she shouldn’t annoy Alexandra, Atticus’s sister. In the previous chapters (1-5) Atticus is always telling Scout to relax and to avoid fighting with others therefore Jem is trying to help Scout realise her mistake and change her actions.
This is shown in chapter one which describes how ‘Unoka, the grown up, was a failure. He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat.’ This deep contextual evidence of the father that represented everything Okonkwo despises shows his shallow view of acceptance in society, disregarding the values of family. This individual assertion of belief from Okonkwo contrasts with Salem’s need for collective strength to gain results. Achebe consistently refers to Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, throughout the text as a recurring image contrasting with Okonkwo’s aspirations in order to remind the reader of Okonkwo’s motivation of venturing to belong in a heavily masculine
As the boy grows older with this point of view, he comes to know the world as predominantly evil. The isolation of the father and son from the rest of the world because of their being ‘good guys’ and the overt maliciousness of everyone else they come into contact with enforces this view point. The father’s alienation is different. He becomes consumed with the boy’s survival and well-being, not his own. This causes him to make decisions that the boy views as wrong in order to survive.
He constantly feared that others would have negative emotions towards him because of what his father did. His father, Unoka, was a lazy man who did not think of the future. In his day he was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of think about tomorrow. Due to the lifestyle that Okonkwo witnessed he despises a lazy lifestyle. His life was all about hard work and never failing.