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.
It was a sign of hopelessness and despair. The times were so tragic that they lacked any remanence of emotion. Although Things Fall Apart is technically fiction novel, Achebe captured the essence of disparity the two clashing communities had, trying to find a way to cope in this paramount time in history. The strength that the Igbo clan held, and the clans of Umuofia held close to them didn’t matter because with time, things fall
Biff then decides that he is not going to finish school and therefore does not become successful, which was his Father’s big dream. Aristotle also states that a tragic hero cannot be completely good or completely evil, this is true of Willy. He cannot be considered completely good because he is an adulterer, but he feels guilt for his actions, so he also can’t be considered completely evil. Even though his actions didn’t always support it, he tried very hard to provide the best for his family. Willy also possesses a flaw, schizophrenia, which fits the fourth of Aristotle’s five distinctions.
It is not the son’s fault the house has fallen down. The builder’s son has no control over the quality of work his father does or the effort he puts into it. Of course it’s upsetting and heart-breaking to lose a son, but that is no reason to kill someone else’s child. After the situation is over with there will be two despaired families mourning the death of their son. Killing an innocent child is the wrong way to solve an issue.
Rowan was seen weak, useless and a disappointment by many of the villagers. Rowan had never been capable of fitting into his father’s shoes; a man who was independent, trustworthy and respected. Now his village was in trouble the water the they was depending on, had ran out and now they needed him, because of the prophecy rowan had been forced to go on a journey, which gave him physical and mental hardship along the way. Yet he returns from the mountain a hero. Firstly, Rowan is the keeper of the Bukshah.
Okonkwo’s father Unoka, “was a debtor”, “lazy and improvident” and when he “died, he had taken no title at all and was heavily in debt”. Okonkwo’s father left him to fend for himself with accumulated debts and he started off life with little possessions and lowly status in society. He worked as if he was “possessed” and persevered to rise through the ranks to become one of the “egwugwu”, or leaders of the tribe. Although it may be argued that Okonkwo eventually built his status, it is undeniable that without a noble birth, it would be extremely difficult to be a tragic hero or
The Wise Men do not believe that they have achieved all of their goals in life, they resist death because they have yet to achieve all of their desired goals and aspirations in life. The Wild Men resist death because they have celebrated their life but realize that death is inevitable. They realized that they were actually mourning their death. The Good Men resist death because they wish they could have utilized their life in a particular way, to do better things and achieved goals that they wished they could have attained. The Grave Men resist death because they are smart people who realize that death is inevitable but want to end their life with a bang, hence the quote “Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay”.
In the beginning of the story, it is expressed that Okonkwo did not like his father Uknoka because he viewed Uknoka as weak and unsuccessful: “And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion-to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved”(13). Even though Unoka contained some good qualities, Okonkwo refuses to respect his own father, which portrays his close-minded personality. In fact, the narrator explains, “Unoka loved the good fare and the good fellowship”(5). However, when society changes Okonkwo refuses to accept the fact that he needs good fare and fellowship to get along with the new conquerors. He refuses these qualities because he associates them with his father.
Okonkwo’s fear Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, is a story of a man whose life is dominated by his fears. There are many subtle themes throughout this book. One theme that cries out over the rest is Okonkwo’s, the main character, fear of weakness as seen through his childhood, his oldest son, and eventually his death. Since his childhood, Okonkwo was ashamed of his father, “In his day he (Unoka) was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow”(p.4). By the standard of his clan, Unoka was a coward and squanderer.
As an ordinary man, Strickland is so bad. He is both a heartless husband and an irresponsible father. It is unthinkable that after 17 years of married life with everything he has gone through with his wife and children, he has the heart to leave them behind without a penny. He used to be a good husband a good father. He now cold-heartedly turns his back to them.