The Causes and Efforts of Okonkwo Downfall in Things Fall Apart Essay

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe:

The Causes and Efforts of Okonkwo Downfall

Most parents have good intentions when they are raising their child. Every parent use different methods of parenting each with the common goal of protecting their children and preventing them of making the same mistakes they did. Unfortunately, some parents are too strict which unintentionally pushes the child to do that same things their parents tried to prevent. Children doesnt necessarily turn out how every parent imagines them to be and parents arent always perfect. Authors often use literary devices like themes and tones to portray a deep meaning or lesson. Author Chinua Achebe of Things Fall Apart uses the literary element of irony to convey how resentment and hatred can lead to a characters downfall.

Unoka is the father of Okonkwo. He is a person that is frowned upon because he had nothing to show for himself except his musician expertise. He continuously borrowed money from his fellow clansmen causing him to have a huge debt that was left for the village after his death. Unoka wasnt successful at growing yams. He had no title in the village and he was far from a warrior because he feared the sight of blood. Unoka isnt portrayed to be much of the ideal father figure. To the readers eyes Unoka is depicted as a failure in life; but even though he had nothing he seemed to enjoy his life and died happier than Okonkwo. He died being known as a poor coward and a imprudent spender, but most importantly a disgrace to his son.

Okonkwo acquired a vast amount of wealth from farming which allowed him to be able to provide for his three wives and four children. He worked his way up to achieve one of the highest titles as the clan leader for Umofia. Okonkwo conveys his manliness through rashness, anger, and violence. He believed strongly in the values and morals of his village traditions. Thus, he had a certain kind of commitment to his community. Although Okonkwo is known to have a tough guy demeanor, he did express concern as he followed Ekwefi (one of his wives) into to the forest in pursuit of their ill daughter Ezinma. Okonkwo lived an unhappy life from his childhood to his death. Since his childhood he has been ashamed of his father and decided he didnt want to be anything like him. But, in his attempt to be different, he ends up making drastic mistakes leading to his downfall. Okonkwo severely beats his wife Ojiugo during the week of peace because of her negligence, he murdered Ikemefuna, he killed Ogbuefis sixteen year old son hence was exiled from Umofia for seven years and lastly he kills himself.

Okonkwos goal to not be weak like his father ultimately leads him to his downfall. Instead, of showing emotions (which is considered a feminine feature), he behaves foolishly through anger to promote his manliness. This issue of never showing weakness effects his judgments which causes him to make irrational decisions. The villages oracle tells Okonkwo the his son Ikemefuna must be killed. Okonkwo leads him into the forest and as the clansmen began to murder Ikemefuna, he called to Okonkwo for help. To prevent himself from looking weak, Okonkwo helped murder Ikemefuna. In the end of the book, Okonkwo takes his own life because be wasnt able to cope with adapting to the white men moving into Umofia and the rapidly changing traditions. He felt alone because none of the other clansmen sided with him and everything he had worked for (his status) was now gone. Suicide to Okonkwo seemed like the most rational way of escaping reality.

Okonkwo struggled to be different than his father in everyway possible. Unoka was described to be weak, poor, lazy, and feminine. Therefore, Okonkwo endeavor to be his opposite: strong, masculine, wealthy and respected. He used his disappointment in his father as determination and motivation to attempt to achieve success. Okonkwo was vigorous and his hard work led him to become someone to be proud of; a well respected clan leader of Umofia. Okonkwo's whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness, and the fear that he will resemble his father. Ironically, in all his efforts not to end up like his father, he commits suicide causing him to become an abomination to the Earth and rebuked by the tribe just like his father Unoka.

Nwoye is Okonkwo oldest son. Okonkwo isnt please with his son because to him Nwoye reminds him of his father Unoka; weak and lazy. Nwoye enjoys listening to stories told by his mother instead of the masculine stories about war from Okonkwo which angers him. Okonkwo believes that if he beats Nwoye, he could beat him into a strong man that worthy of his honor. When Ikemefuna comes into Nwoyes life, he teaches him a more gentler way of being masculine. Nwoye started to disdain feminine things in other to please his father. However, after Ikemefunas murder, Nwoye changes and became more to himself, despising Okonkwo yet again. Okonkwo disowned Nwoye. Therefore, when the white missionaries came to Mbanta, Nwoye defies his father and converts to Christianity where he became at peace away from his father. Most father's want their son to be just like them, as did Okonkwo . "Okonkwo wanted his son to be a great farmer and a great man. He would stamp out the disquieting signs of laziness which he thought he already saw in him." (Achebe, 33). Ironically, Nwoye didnt want to be like his father; he wanted to be opposite of everything his father stood for. In Nwoyes eyes, Okonkwo was trying to make him into a miserable person, which he decided to choose a different path.

Author Chinua Achebe uses the literary device of irony to drastically portray a theme of manliness. Unoka, Okonkwos father lived a life of borrowed debt and weakness which was deemed unmanly in Okonkwos eyes. Okonkwo resented his father greatly and thus, became the exact opposite of him. He believe that strength, war, anger, and prosperity was the key foundations of all men and tried his best to obtain this. In doing so, this lead to his downfall as Okonkwo was always irrational even to his family. Nwoye, Okonkwos son was constantly mistreated by his father and ironically he too resented his dad for his inhumane characteristics. Nwoye grew up to be the opposite of Okonkwo turning against him when the white imperialist arrived.