Okonkwo And Ezinma, An Unxpressed Love In Things Fall Apart

Ikemefuna’s character and tremendous effect on the clan illuminate the central concept of opposing views of masculinity throughout different generations present in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. To begin, Ikemefuna helps Nwoye realize how proud his father becomes when he no longer cares for women’s stories. Nwoye understands the notion that as a man in Umuofia he should be masculine and violent, yet he still prefers the feminine stories that his mother tells (Achebe 53). In addition, Nwoye even fakes his interest in masculine stories to impress Okonkwo: who in return stops beating Nwoye (Achebe 54). The generation gap proves that Okonkwo values a man’s strength but Nwoye sees staying true to himself and interests as more important.

The novel “things fall apart” is about the fatal demise of Okonkwo and the igbo culture of Umuofia. Okonkwo is well known and respected leader in his community, who is successful in everything he does, such as wrestling and farming. He is quick with his hands and takes pride in his accomplishments. Okonkwo’s family relationship makes him a sympathetic character because of his support and an unsympathetic character because of his cruelty. In many ways Okonkwo showed that he had no sympathy for others , However at times he could be sympathetic.

ENG 220 Assignment Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe 1.2 Discuss Okonkwo as the tragic hero of the novel Things Fall Apart Shawné Anderson 13012909 11 September 2014 (Groenkloof Campus)   A tragic hero is a man of noble stature. He is not an ordinary man, but a man with outstanding quality and greatness about him. He is a person who is seen to be "better than we are" (Abrams & Harpham, 2012)

Okonkwo was specially fond of Ezinma” (44). Ezinma is told by her father to leave the hard work for the boys even though she wants to do it. Ezinma wants Okonkwo to like her and she wants to impress him by being manly because Okonkwo values manliness. Okonkwo believes that Ezinma’s willingness to do so much for her father is very admirable and he likes Ezinma the most out of all of his children. When Okonkwo is talking about how much he likes Ezinma he says,”He never stopped regretting that Ezinma was a girl.

Okonkwo’s aggressive ways caused Nwoye to rely on Ikemefuna, A boy given to Okonkwo by a neighboring village, as an older brother who teaches him a more gentle form of masculinity. The bond between Nwoye and Ikemefuna was stronger than the bond between Nwoye and Okonkwo ever was because of Okonkwo’s refusal to demonstrate affection towards his son as it could make him appear weak. However, because of the death of Ikemefuna, Nwoye fears having to return to the harsh values of his father. Okonkwo’s stubborn ideas of masculinity ruined his relationship with his son beyond repair. Okonkwo’s refusal to show emotion towards his family pushed them apart which shows that Okonkwo is not willing to give up his stern values and reputation to be emotionally committed to his family.

The central theme of Things Fall Apart, is that Okonkwo strives to be the most successful man in Umuofia. Although it is not bad to strive for success, Okonkwo took this yearning too far. He let this dominant his life and he feared notwithstanding his respected public image, leading to domestic violence, and many apparent physiological insecurities. If Christianity’s ideas were practiced by Okonkwo, he would have understood that it is not right to let goals become idols, consuming all his attention within his personal

The prose, “Things Fall Apart,” written by Chinua Achebe, follows the life of Okonkwo, the leader of a local tribe, who faces internal conflict everyday that could only stem from his childhood. Okonkwo’s life was destined for success, however, in the end his life had a miserable end. His fate had been decided because of the problems Okonkwo had faced throughout his life which Achebe expertly highlights. This novel introduces Okonkwo as a very successful man, for the first quote of the book is, “Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond.”

In the beginning of the story, Okonkwo was a very vigorous man who everyone loves. One day a killing happened leaving Okonkwo with a wife and a son, Ikemefuna. He grew to like the young boy, where he is different from his other children, On a fateful day, Okonkwo murders Ikemefuna. Okonkwo had a load of guilt for killing his adoptive son, Ikemefuna.

In the book “Things Fall Apart“ Okonkwo is a very strong man and from time to time he starts showing his true self. He has a lot of responsibilities and other things he has to do around the living environment and interact with lots of people. Okonkwo changes from being that strong man, to a man who feels like his tribe is not with him when he wants to go to war with the missionaries. For someone like Okonkwo a lot of people looks up to him and while in the tribe Okonkwo beats his wives and children. Not good behavior for someone who is supposedly looked at as strong.

Okonkwo’s sense of identity is challenged by the relationship of his father, Unoka, and his adopted son, Ikemefuna. Unoka is not the typical role model for anyone because “when Unoka died he had taken no titles at all and he was heavily in debt” (8). Unoka’s death did not bring good to his name due to his debt and the lack of titles. This shows why Okonkwo doesn’t want to be like his father, who in the ibo culture has no dignity due to the lack of titles. This makes Okonkwo become tough and respected because “he was not afraid of war.

Things Fall Apart -Chinua Achebe Okonkwo is a man whose fame is spread throughout the nine villages as he wins a competition with ‘Amalinze the Cat’. Okonkwo is a man who fears weakness and failure. He hated everything his father, Unoka, did which by the way was being gentle and idle, so he tended to be harsh just to not appear like his father. He, on the other hand, is a very respected warrior and has a great family, but he tends to get too overconfident in his way of thinking and beliefs.

Fear is the core cause of the dramatic shift of lifestyle for both Okonkwo and Nwoye. Through the management of reputation and the avoidance of their father’s likeness, Okonkwo and Nwoye built new lives for themselves. Okonkwo sought power and authority to prove his masculinity and make up for Unoka’s reputation as a weak man. He did this to the point where manliness became his character. Fearlessness and violence were masculine qualities that in Igbo culture signifies strength and influence.

Chinua Achebe, the author of Things Fall Apart, demonstrates Okonkwo’s internal struggle through his failed relationships. Throughout the novel, Okonkwo fears that if he lets himself care for something, he will automatically be assumed weak. This is shown through his relationship with his son Nwoye. For example, Nwoye says to Obierika “I don’t know. He is not my father,” (Achebe 144).

In the Ibo hierarchal society, women are the subject of unequal treatment and patronization. They are considered weak and are not given any power. As the novel, Things Fall Apart unravels, the author, Chinua Achebe reveals the distinct attributes of femininity. Feminine traits are also viewed with disdain in Umuofian society, especially by the protagonist of the novel, Okonkwo. His past experiences shape his disposition and give rise to his stereotypical mentality; however, several events contradict the prevalent perspective of women, leading to Okonkwo facing conflicts within himself.

From being nothing in his village he rises to be a great, honorable, successful leader of umuofia. He also has a tragic flaw of being weak, failure and having fear that leads him to fail at things several times because of his fears. All of these failures then lead him to his suicide. Finally, he finds his own tragic fate because of his murder of the missionaries court messenger during his villages meeting. Though Okonkwo's life started out as one of the most successful and leading men of Umuofia but because of his violent and impulsive characteristics, even the most successful and well-respected man can fall from his