How Does Okonkwo Change After Ikemafuna's Death

Okonkwo causes suffering unto his peers by killing his adopted son Ikemefuna, beating his family, and killing the messenger.     Okonkwo a man who is thought of as a raging fire, will do anything in his power to be  thought of as masculine. He will go as far to kill his adopted son than to be looked at as a women.  Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna which causes suffering for his actual son, Nwoye. “ Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down.

Okonkwo’s violent actions and the bad events he caused shows that he is disrespectful of both rank and privilege. As the article “Characteristics” states, “he rejects the values and moral codes of society and because of this he is often unrepentant by society’s standards”. This is shown when Achebe states, “But Okonkwo was not the mawn to stop beating somebody half-way through, not even for fear of a goddess” (25). This quotation from chapter four demonstrates that Okonkwo is someone that is going to finish his job, even if people from from a higher rank is trying to stop him. He shows this when he beats his wife during the week of peace. This trait is clarified by his motivation of not showing weakness like his father did. In conclusion, Okonkwo’s violent

He had no patience with his own father” (page 6). Okonkwo sees himself more powerful and more wise than any other man in the village could be. He often disrespects the clans gods by disobeying their commandments for peace. A great example of this is when Okonkwo beat his wife for little to no reason. Okonkwo was looking for any reason to beat his wife or disobey the religious rules “Okonkwo, with no work to do had been walking aimlessly in his compound in suppressed anger, found an outlet.” (page 37). Okonkwo will do anything to maintain his self molded figure of his character being characterized by strength of power. Okonkwo will go to any extent to keep his character. While reading Things Fall Apart the reader see Okonkwo going to extremes when he killed his son Ikemefuna. The reader can see he loved and cared for and had a strong connection to Ikemefuna and for him to to kill him without thinking twice shows the

Okonkwo took his struggles to the extreme. A boy called Ikemefuna came to stay with Okonkwo and his family. Okonkwo and his family grew close to Ikemefuna and so did he. Nwoye considered Okonkwo his father figure because Nwoye did not have a father. Nwoye became best friends with Okonkwo’s son Nwoye. One day a group of Village elders from all nine villages came to okonkwo’s house and let him know that Ikemefuna was to be killed. The next day they all went out together along with Ikemefuna and as they were walking, one of the men raised his machete and struck him down. “My father, they have killed me!” As he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak”(Achebe 61) Okonkwo throughout the whole book doesn’t act the way he wants to scared he might be though weak and not manly. Okonkwo blocks off his emotions quite a lot. Okonkwo feels disappointed with his son but he is very proud of his daughter, yet he doesn’t want to admit it to her so he takes it out on her mother. He had wished that his daughter were to be a boy so he can be proud of her and praise her but he does not want to acknowledge a female.

fter helping the murder of Ikemefuma. Okonkwo is unable to sleep at night. Although he tried not to think about him, thoughts occurred frequently of Ikemefuma. One time he tried to walk around his room. However, he was so weak he could not carry himself. Despite his tendency to act on impulse, his decision to aid in the murder of his foster son may tarnish the confidence Okonkwo had previously in the story. Okonkwo’s refusal to be seen as weak ultimately had made him weaker as the story

In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo starts off with so much strength and power. He is a leader in his village and, is always working towards more success.With many mistakes Okonkwo starts to lose everything including his respect and authority. He goes through some big changes, and his life completely turns around. His aggression and violence become out of hand, and he can not control himself. He has to face extreme punishments that change who is and how he feels. Okonkwo’s success decreases throughout Things Fall Apart.

Okonkwo has a tragic flaw, dark downfall, but does not recognize his flaw as the cause of his downfall. This conveys the theme that one’s insecurity will lead to their demise, regardless of their intent. First, Okonkwo’s flaw is his insecurity rooted in his need for masculinity. Okonkwo fears the idea that “he should be found to resemble his father” and was a “man of action, a man of war. Unlike his father he could stand the look of blood” (13, 10). Given how Okonkwo’s father was a man of no wealth or status, he was seen as feminine. Refusing to resemble his father, Okonkwo becomes a strong, masculine man. Additionally, Okonkwo’s downfall was the result of multiple events that threaten his masculinity. Okonkwo’s first major offense was killing Ikemefuna out of fear of weakness despite being told to “not bear a hand in his death” (57). Additionally, the crime that forced Okonkwo into exile is when his “gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy’s heart” (124). Furthermore, Okonkwo’s need for power causes him to kill a messenger as his “machete descended twice and the man’s head lay beside his uniformed body” (204). As a result of his need to appear masculine, Okonkwo makes one foolish decision after another that culminate to his downfall. His refusal to not kill Ikemefuna was done out of fear of seeming weak, his crime that sent him to exile was deemed

Okonkwo loved Ikemefuna and treated him well. He was proud that he had finally got himself a strong man as his son. Although Okonkwo treated Ikemefuna just like a son Okonkwo’s success has more importance and nothing would stop Okonkwo from having a high rank in the clan. The day came when the clan decided to kill Ikemefuna, and even though Okonkwo treated him as a son, Okonkwo “was afraid of being thought of as weak.”(Achebe 61) causing Okonkwo to draw “his machete and cut him down.” (Achebe 61). Because he could not be looked at as weak, he chooses to take part in the killing of

In the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, not only are pride and manliness central themes but they also contribute to the demise of the main character, Okonkwo. In his mind, he is fighting the downfalls of his father while pushing away the people in his life who actually love him. By fighting the past, Okonkwo’s insecurities result in a lifetime of failure. Okonkwo has a desire to be in control of the clan.

The brutal and abrupt killing of Ikemefuna quite obviously has large consequences, as well as a major affect on Okonkwo’s life. As the relationship between Okonkwo and

Okonkwo’s son named Ikemefuna had an huge impact in the determination of Okonkwo’s character development and emotions. “Later in the day he called Ikemefuna and told him that he was going to be taken home the next day.” “As for Ikemefuna, he was at a loss”(Achebe 50) Okonkwo knew that Ikemefuna was going to be killed because the old man told Okonkwo that told him that Umuofia has decided to kill him. “Why had Okonkwo withdrawn to the rear?” “As the man who had cleared his throat drew up and raised the machete, Okonkwo looked away. He heard the blow. The pot fell and broke in the sand. He heard Ikemefuna cry, ‘My father, they have killend me!’ as he rans toward him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid

Okonkwo his whole life strived to be the best in his clan and would never disrespect the culture and its Gods. In his clan he is seen as a strong and powerful figure, because he closely follows the religion. When The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves pronounced Ikemefuna was to be killed, Okonkwo became the most vulnerable. The decision to kill a child that refers to him as father, or show how strong he truly is and how he respects the culture of his clan. Okonkwo was more fearful of showing disrespect to the culture. “Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak.” 61. The fear in Okonkwo made him vulnerable in this situation. He knew he did not have to be at the killing, but the strongest of the clan were at this event and he wanted to show others how strong he truly is. Also, how he could kill someone even if inside he truly cared for them. After Ikemefuna’s killing,

When Ikemefuna came to Umuofia, Okonkwo “became very fond of the boy- inwardly of course… He therefore treated Ikemefuna as he treated everybody else- with the heavy hand. But there was no doubt that he liked the boy” (24). This establishes that Okonkwo loves Ikemefuna but because he wants to look strong and demonstrate power he shows little to no emotion of love towards him. Correspondingly, when Ikemefuna is facing his death, he runs to Okonkwo asking for help. As this happens Okonkwo, acting on impulse, slays Ikemefuna with his machete. Okonkwo try’s to act like he does not have affection for Ikemefuna, but the reader sees the reality when, after Ikemefuna’s death, “Okonkwo did not taste any food for two days…He drank palm-wine from morning till night…[and] did not sleep at night” (55). In other words, Okonkwo is mourning over the loss of Ikemefuna and. Though this is the case a close reader might see that Okonkwo’s impulse of killing Ikemefuna was because he wanted to seem strong but the evidence shows the reality of his emotion. One might conclude that Okonkwo can be loving and compassionate, but because of his need to look masculine his relationship with Ikemefuna is

Okonkwo's fear of being perceived as weak tragically leads to him to be unnecessarily violent and excessively prideful. These two fatal flaws lead to Okonkwo’s own emotional isolation, and his inevitable downfall. Driven by the fear of being seen as weak and emasculated, Okonkwo exhibits hyper masculinity and rage. Although this behavior initially leads to success in the patriarchal society of Umofia, rage is his greatest bane: it masks his compassion and pusillanimity. Onkonkwo’s obsession to never appear feminine is driven to the extreme. He denies affection even to his own family, “never show[ing] any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To [Okonkwo] show[ing] affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength.” (pg. 28). Okonkwo whose “whole life [is] dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness.” (pg. 13) suppress his compassion in order to appear important and manly. Ironically this creates a stark juxtaposition between his own fear and his position as an alpha male. Rather than being masculine and courageous, Okonkwo just creates tension within his family and within himself. The pinnacle of this extreme hypermasculinity is when Okonkwo ignores the wisdom of the elder Ezeudu, and violently kills his “son” Ikamafuna: “As the man who had cleared his throat drew up and raised his machete, Okonkwo looked away. He had heard Ikamafuna cry “My father, they have killed me!”

Okonkwo’s participation in the slaying of his adopted son, Ikemefuna is a pivotal moment in Things Fall Apart. It is a moment of horror that cannot please Ani, the great earth goddess, the center of community, the ultimate judge of morality for the clan. It is a moment that changes the course of events, a moment eerily paralleled in the death of Ezeudu’s son. It is a moment that ultimately causes Okonkwo’s son, Nwoye’s to abandon his ancestors and become a Christian. It is a moment when the center of community life, the need to honor blood ties and the need to respect the earth goddess, can no longer hold. It is a moment when things fall apart.