Who Is Responsible For Okonkwo's Downfall

Okonkwo life is “dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (Achebe 13). When Okonkwo was a boy, his playmates teased him calling, saying that his father was agbala. Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, was lazy. He did not work on his farm; he died in great debt. He did not acquire a single title. He did not have a barn to pass down to his son. Unoka is a type of man who is scorned in Umofia. He is seen as weak and effeminate. As Okonkwo grows older, he is determined not become a failure like his father. His father was weak; he will be strong. His father was lazy; he will be hard-working. Okonkwo earned his fame by defeating the reigning wrestling champion. Okonkwo diligently plants yam, building a successful farm. He builds himself an obi, has three wives and many children. His fame “rested on solid personal achievements” (Achebe 3). Okonkwo will not let one womanly trait sully his reputation. Therefore, he “hate[d] everything that his father Unoka had loved” (Achebe 13). One of these was gentleness. Okonkwo refuses to show any signs of emotion, except his temper. He

His tragic downfall truly begins when his is sent away because of an accidental murder of a boy. Okonkwo and his family are exiled from the tribe for seven years and Okonkwo is stripped of the fruits of his hard work. While he is away the white missionaries move into the village. They preach against the culture and its violent ways, causing Okonkwo to become saturated with rage. Seven years later, Okonkwo is able to return. He plans to reestablish himself and his position with the help of his family. However, Umofia is not as it once was. The white men have moved in and dismantled the tribe with their laws and government. Okonkwo wishes to fight, but the clan does not agree with his suggestion. After realizing the fate of the village, Okonkwo chooses to take his life. He would rather die than watch everything he had worked for fall apart because of weak people. His tragic flaw, a fear of weakness, is so strong it destroyed him.

In the Novel Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe tells the story of Okonkwo, The main character and leader of the Ibo tribe. He got to the top of the tribe by being driven to be nothing like his father. Although Okonkwo is the leader of the tribe, he is a tragic hero with flaws. Okonkwo’s life was in the colonization era. He was a great man, but he had major flaws that ended up being fatal.

“…His [Okonkwo’s] whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness…It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father” (13).

In the book, Okonkwo was the tribe leader in Umuofia and wants to carry on the traditions that have been in his tribe for years. While he is known as being a leader, the character struggles daily with not wanting to be like his father who is lazy, and weak. Therefore he avoids everything possible to not be like him. Which leads into more of a bigger issue that is not being weak in front of anyone.

First, Okonkwo starts off as a poor child, as shown when the book states, “Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had, he did not inherit a barn from his father. There was no barn to inherit” showing that Okonkwo and his family were penurious, compared to others in the Igbo tribe (Achebe 16). Eventually, through his hard work and effort, he became a noble leader, which emphasizes his role as a tragic hero. Throughout the story Okonkwo goes through many challenges, but “In the face of futility, however, he maintains his nobility of character”(Gaydosik).

Okonkwo’s dad was someone who was “incapable of living about tomorrow” (Achebe, 4). This means that his dad would often live like it was his last night. This became a problem for his family. Often, his family food supply was scarce. Also, his family became a laughing stock. They would often be humiliated because he wouldn’t make enough money. However, Okonkwo knew that “age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered (Achebe, 8). After, his dad died without no title and in a big amount of debt, Okonkwo achieved fame. He became a great farmer, married three wives, and took two titles while he was still young. From what his father was to what he became was a big difference. On the shield, the green butterfly represents his

Okonkwo, being a firm believer in this idea, worked relentlessly to not only provide for his family but to also earn the higher titles of the clan. Okonkwo wants to be embraced and revered by his fellow clansmen unlike his weak and lazy father who was not able to provide for his

Okonkwo is well-known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements (Onuemelukwe). The people in the surrounding villages see him as a hero. Okonkwo is respected for his hard work as an achieved warrior of the Umuofia clan. “Okonkwo worked daily on his farm from cock-crow until the chickens went to roost” (Achebe) and never seems to tire from his work. His three wives are not as strong and did not have the same amount of stamina; his children did not take after him either. Okonkwo uses techniques such as beating and nagging to try and change the poor work ethics of his family members (Achebe). “Okonkwo was not a cruel man, but his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness.” Okonkwo wanted to be completely opposite of what his father was and live his whole life being

He was afraid of being thought weak.” (Achebe 61) Okonkwo main fear in this book was being weak, and this is the root of all of his problems. Okonkwo also had some anger issues, and wasn't very pleasant with his family. When he saw that his banana tree had some leaves missing, he thought one of the women killed the tree.

Okonkwo’s actions show that he doesn’t think or empathize like a real person that can rule over people. Although his fear gives him more respect from his tribe, it only motivates him to be the best of his

“I shall give you twice four hundred yams. Go ahead prepare your farm,” (achebe, 20). Okonkwo shared his farm and his growth with the people who gave him seeds, he grow his respect and grow his wealth. Okonkwo wanted his children to be “A great farm and a great man.”(achebe, 29), like he was. As all men Okonkwo made mistakes that are harmful, deadly, and rude to not only his kind but the reader as well. “Everybody at the kindred meeting took sides with Osugo when Okonkwo called him a

Since his childhood in Umuofia, Okonkwo has worked to thrive and become wealthy because he hated his father’s failure to become a revered person. Achebe states: “Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered” (Achebe 8) revealing how important hard work and success was in Umuofia. The weak were viewed poorly, so there was a lot of competition to earn high

Okonkwo’s main goal in his life is to earn as many titles as he can throughout his lifetime. As a young adult, “Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things ... He was a wealthy farmer and he had two barn full of yams, and had just married his third wife. To crown it all he had taken two titles and had shown incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars” (8). Okonkwo believes that his great success at a young age will make him happy, but when another religion and culture is introduced to his tribe his hard work means nothing. When Okonkwo returns from being banished from his clan for seven years he is disgusted with the fact that, “He had lost the chance to lead his warlike clan against the new 3religion, which, he was told, had gained ground. He had lost the years in which he might have taken the highest titles in the clan” (171). Okonkwo is heartbroken after his return to his tribe because he knew that his religion is dying and there is nothing he can do about it. Okonkwo also knows that the death of his religion and culture means all of his hard work as a child meant nothing, and these thoughts lead Okonkwo to kill himself due to his immense fear of

The acknowledgement of the innate fear inside of Okonkwo proves that the fear is present, which drives his other actions. His fear, because it is a great and internal fear consumes him and causes him to commit acts based upon that anxiety. His fear of being weak, of resembling his father, causes him to worry excessively about being viewed as strong and causes him to be aggressive and violent, both of which are very involved in his downfall. His fear does not directly cause his descent, but it is the force that drives his actions and his character, which are the direct origins of his downfall. His fear of a semblance between himself and his father proves that fear can consume a person if unchecked. Okonkwo allowed the fear of becoming his father