Things Fall Apart: Okonkwo Compared to Oedipus Rex Essay

Like Oedipus in Oedipus Rex, Okonkwo is a well respected warrior and figure among his peers. Oedipus conquers many on his way to becoming a king; Okonkwo is considered to be the strongest and toughest warrior in his tribal nation. Both fear weakness, which lead to their fall from greatness and their eventual deaths. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe uses Okonkwos predicament to represent males general concern of appearing weak and feminine to its peers, highlighting this concern through Okonkwos lifestyle as opposed to his fathers, the killing of Ikemefuna, and his relationships with his family.

Okonkwo despises his father and his fathers lifestyle. His father, Unoka, is a failure and always succeeds in borrowing more [money], and piling up his debts. Unoka has lost the respect of many in his tribe and Okonkwo wills himself to be a stronger and more successful person than his father. Unoka shows an artistic side with his talented musical skills, but Okonkwo sees these talents as weak and disgraceful to men. Okonkwos idea of happiness is to be successful and strong, much to the opposite extreme of Unoka who is poor and weak. Okonkwo is clearly cut out for great things and his fears of his fathers failure and weakness push him to a high status in the Igbo culture. Okonkwos father is agbala, meaning woman like. Okonkwo lives by a passion to hate everything Unoka loved.

Okonkwo adopts Ikemefuna into his family and respects Ikemefuna as a person although he never shows it because he fears that showing any affection is a sign of weakness. Ikemefuna begins to feel like a member of Okonkwos family and he and Nwoye become deeply attached to each other. Okonkwo is inwardly pleased with [Nwoye]s development due, in large part, to the time Nwoye spends with Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna turns Nwoye from many of his feminine ways. They no longer spend the evenings in mothers hut while she cooks, but now sit with Okonkwo in his obi. Okonkwo appreciates Ikemefuna but kills him because he is afraid of being though weak. Due to Okonkwos insecurity with looking tough and masculine, he takes the life of someone who has been a respected son to him for three years. Okonkwos act is shameful not only to himself but to the entire community.

Throughout the whole novel, there are constant relationship issues between Okonkwo and his family members because Okonkwo wants to enforce his authority. Okonkwo feels that any signs of weakness and emotion could bring into question whether or not he is the father and provider of his family. Okonkwo rules his household with a heavy hand and his wives live in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so do his little children. In his heard, Okonkwo may not be a cruel man but his whole life is dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. He beats his wives numerous times and shows his disappointment for his son Nwoye for acting feminine and weak. Even for those family members that he does respect, he refuses to acknowledge it because he sees it as a sign of weakness. Okonkwos ego strongly interferes with his family relationships as he refuses to show his true feelings and affection for people.

In all three scenarios throughout the novel, Okonkwos pride leads to selfish acts that reflect his true character. Okonkwo lets his need to be masculine control every aspect of his life which is parallel to many males today. Men become very concerned with how strong and manly they appear to be to their peers and often let these concerns dictate how they live their lives. Men will do all in their power to avoid appearing weak, much like Okonkwo does through his relationship with his father, the killing of Ikemefuna, and relationships with his family.

Much like Oedipus, Okonkwo is too prideful and arrogant to realize that he is ruining his whole life. Oedipus blinds himself and lives in exile until his death; Okonkwo enters exile and hangs himself soon after his return from exile. Achebe uses all these examples of Okonkwos fear of weakness to display males general concern of coming across as weak and feminine. Okonkwos fear of weakness makes him a weak person inside. This weakness leads to his own fall and the fall of his nations pride and customs as the white men take over.