An Analysis Of Okonkwo In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
At the beginning of the book, Okonkwo, to me, seemed like the best of his culture; the Ibo culture. As I kept reading the book, I came to realize that my initial thought about Okonkwo was false. All of Okonkwo’s beatings to his wives and children and his extreme sexist acts and views against women made him a morally terrible person. As a result of being extremley disrespectful towards the Ibo gods and ancestors, he became the worst of the Ibo from an Ibo point of view as well. Not only was Okonkwo the worst of the Ibo from the readers standpoint, but also from the Ibo culture standpoint. Evidentley, Okonkwo caused a lot of trouble in the Ibo culture like killing the 16 year-old kid with his gun or by beating his wife in the week of peace and
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I can understand why many think this because at the beginning he is described as the hero of the clan. On page 27 the author states, “At the most one could say that his chi or personal god was good. But the Ibo have a proverb that when a man says yes his chi says yes also. Okonkwo said yes very strongly; so his chi agreed. And not only his chi but his clan too, because it judged a man by the work of his hands.” This quote from the author helps us understand how the Ibo culture admired him. By saying that the clan said yes after he did, shows how the clan trusts him and holds him up to a high class like a leader. On page 3, Achebe states, “As a young man of eighteen he brought honor to his village by throwing ‘Amalinze the Cat.’” This quote can help the reader comprehend how Okonkwo brought pride to the village and was worthy of representing them, which can explain how some people can see him as the best of the Ibo culture. Although in the beginning Okonkwo seemed like the best of his culture, by the end, that changed. Him being the worst of the Ibo outweighs him being the best becuase when the culture saw him as the best, the readers saw him as the worst. And at the end when the culture saw him as the worst, the readers did as well. There was no point in the book were the reader and the Ibo culture simultaneously saw him as the best. The right things Okonkwo did during his life where not enough to cancel all of the wrong things he did, also making him the worst of the Ibo
I can understand why many think this because at the beginning he is described as the hero of the clan. On page 27 the author states, “At the most one could say that his chi or personal god was good. But the Ibo have a proverb that when a man says yes his chi says yes also. Okonkwo said yes very strongly; so his chi agreed. And not only his chi but his clan too, because it judged a man by the work of his hands.” This quote from the author helps us understand how the Ibo culture admired him. By saying that the clan said yes after he did, shows how the clan trusts him and holds him up to a high class like a leader. On page 3, Achebe states, “As a young man of eighteen he brought honor to his village by throwing ‘Amalinze the Cat.’” This quote can help the reader comprehend how Okonkwo brought pride to the village and was worthy of representing them, which can explain how some people can see him as the best of the Ibo culture. Although in the beginning Okonkwo seemed like the best of his culture, by the end, that changed. Him being the worst of the Ibo outweighs him being the best becuase when the culture saw him as the best, the readers saw him as the worst. And at the end when the culture saw him as the worst, the readers did as well. There was no point in the book were the reader and the Ibo culture simultaneously saw him as the best. The right things Okonkwo did during his life where not enough to cancel all of the wrong things he did, also making him the worst of the Ibo