Okonkwo is the protagonist of Things Fall Apart. His personality, demonstrated behavior, and decision making is all influenced by his unchanging resolve. His resolve to be nothing like his father. Okonkwo rejects any compassion or friendly traits that could be associated with any hint of femininity from his lifestyle. This all stems from his father's way of living. Okonkwo's father is described as a failure who was very lazy. This fear of failure and laziness eventually are comprehended by Okonkwo as a rejection of any feminine behavior in order to be a successful man. In this way, though Okonkwo did not inherit his father's values, his values still come from his father.
The entirety of Okonkwo's character arc builds upon this major contribution to his life choices which lead to both his success and his flaws. Okonkwo, opposite to his father, was extremely successful and respected by everyone in his village. He had three wives, each of which had their own hut. Striving agriculture and land under his name. He had even proven his worth as a warrior by defeating "The Cat" who was the best wrestler in the tribe. However, his drive to succeed also leads him to face many hardships as Okonkwo is the creator of his own hardships. Okonkwo desires victory and refuses to change. His stubborn resolve to be as manly as possible often puts him into conflict. Okonkwo would much rather fight than talk as a man does not back down from a fight. When his adopted son Ikemefuna runs to him for protection he cuts him down, fearing that if he didn't, he may be less of a man. This also causes a great inner-struggle that Okonkwo faces when he goes into a depressive state afterwards. Almost resembling his father as he sits around drinking. When his friend Obierika tells him he shouldn't have come with them to kill his son, Okonkwo refuses to admit his contribution to his situation. Instead he says that he had to go. He claims he couldn't run like a coward and claims that "If everyone feared blood on their hands, who else would have done it".
Though Okonkwo doesn't inherit his father's values directly, his personality and decisions are all directly influenced by his father's way of life and values.
The entirety of Okonkwo's character arc builds upon this major contribution to his life choices which lead to both his success and his flaws. Okonkwo, opposite to his father, was extremely successful and respected by everyone in his village. He had three wives, each of which had their own hut. Striving agriculture and land under his name. He had even proven his worth as a warrior by defeating "The Cat" who was the best wrestler in the tribe. However, his drive to succeed also leads him to face many hardships as Okonkwo is the creator of his own hardships. Okonkwo desires victory and refuses to change. His stubborn resolve to be as manly as possible often puts him into conflict. Okonkwo would much rather fight than talk as a man does not back down from a fight. When his adopted son Ikemefuna runs to him for protection he cuts him down, fearing that if he didn't, he may be less of a man. This also causes a great inner-struggle that Okonkwo faces when he goes into a depressive state afterwards. Almost resembling his father as he sits around drinking. When his friend Obierika tells him he shouldn't have come with them to kill his son, Okonkwo refuses to admit his contribution to his situation. Instead he says that he had to go. He claims he couldn't run like a coward and claims that "If everyone feared blood on their hands, who else would have done it".
Though Okonkwo doesn't inherit his father's values directly, his personality and decisions are all directly influenced by his father's way of life and values.
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