Character Analysis of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart
Summary:
In his novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe' portrays Okonkwo as a respected and determined individual with one fatal flaw -- the desire not to be like his father. This flaw leads him to go into exile, after which he discovers fundamental changes in the village; the village has converted from Islam to Christianity, and white colonists had taken over power from the local clansmen. This eventually leads to Okonwo's downfall and suicide.
In the novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected and determined individual whose fatal flaw eventually works against him. Throughout the novel the readers are shown that Okonkwo has many of these Characteristics because he is obsessed with the idea of becoming just like his father. This becomes his flaw in the novel that puts him into exile and makes it hard for him to adjust to the changes that were made with in his village.
Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected individual in many ways. He was a well known person through out the 9 villages and beyond. His successes were based wholly on his personal achievements. For example, he was a warrior and wrestler who gained respect through his athletics. Manliness was a characteristic that was greatly valued by the people of the village. Since Okonkwo was a wrestler and a warrior this showed that he was a fierce fear-free individual. And because he hadn't lost one fight or any battles this was more reason for the people of the village to love him. He was also respected because of his wealth. Okonkwo had three wives and many children. When people saw this they realized that he was able to take care of his wives and children. He wanted to show that he was not like his father in any way. His father was a poor, lazy, man whom he didn't respect at all. Okonkwo gained respect through being a clansman. The clansmen were the law making body of the village, which everyone had obeyed. They enforced rules and laid down punishment.
Determination is one of Okonkwo's most outstanding characteristics. Because of his undying obsession to be unlike his father, Okonkwo is determined to be exactly what is father is not. Since childhood, Okonkwo has been ashamed of his father, because according to the clansmen Okonkwo's father did not meet the standards that the men of that time should have met. Unoka, Okonkwo's father, never had a real job/title. He didn't become a warrior because he hated the sight of blood, which according to their society made him a coward. He often borrowed money from the clan, and hardly repaid them the loan. However, he was not a complete waste of a person, he was talented in music and conversation, and was also thought to be a gentle person. As we see in the novel, Okonkwo was very much the opposite of his father. He had a job/title, he had a large family, he was a warrior, and he never needed to borrow excessive amounts of money from the clan. All of Unoka's Characteristics, even the good ones, Okonkwo didn't want to possess them. It was his ignorance along with his flaw that led him to his ultimate fall.
Okonkwo's flaw eventually worked against him. When Okonkwo returned to the village after his exile, he was expecting things to be the same. He was expecting to return to, reclaim his position and pick-up where he left off. But to his surprise the whole village underwent drastic changes. The first was the change that was made was the change from Muslim beliefs to Christian beliefs. And the second change that Okonkwo was most astonished about was the whites and their system of government. The system that was set up was harsh and the people of the village were unhappy with it. The white men set up trading post throughout the village and frequently had large sums of money flowing in and out of their community. Okonkwo couldn't understand why his clansmen didn't drive the white man out when he first came. Since the church and system of government was weak it was easier for the white to take over. At this time most of the clansmen if not all had aligned themselves with the white man because they feared him. Okonkwo was reluctant to succumb to the new way of life like his fellow villagers and clansmen. Because Okonkwo couldn't function is this type of society because of his fear and unwillingness to change, he ended his life.
Okonkwo was a perfect example of a tragic hero because he under went each stage. He was loved by all, he had a flaw (which was the obsession of not being just like his father), he took a physical journey (he was exiled from the village), and experienced his down fall (religion had changed in the village and he committed suicide).
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