Masculinity In Okonkwo

“He was a man of action, a man of war. Unlike his father, he could stand the look of blood. In Umuofia's latest war he was the first to bring home a human head. On great occasions such as the funeral of a village celebrity he drank his palm-wine from his first human head.” (Page 10). Okonkwo’s clanmates celebrated his bravery, strength, and power and as a result, Okonkwo associated these qualities as what it means to be masculine. Although Okonkwo demonstrates many masculine qualities such his strength and work ethic, he fails to exhibit compassion and understanding towards others; in fear of appearing weak like his father. Despite his high status among the tribe, Okonkwo failed to develop and maintain healthy relationships because of his
Okonkwo placed high expectations of Nwoye and he didn’t live up to many of them. Okonkwo characterized his son as inept because Nwoye displayed compassion; a clear direction to failure in Okonkwo’s mind. An example of Nwoye’s behaviour is shown on page 53, “So Okonkwo encouraged the boys to sit with him in his obi, and he told them stories of the land -- masculine stories of violence and bloodshed. Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell…” This quote demonstrates that unlike Okonkwo, Nwoye does not fit the Igbo ideal of masculinity. On page 13-14, Okonkwo describes his disappointment in Nwoye as he exhibits similar negative qualities as Unoka, especially laziness. “Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness. At any rate, that was how it looked to his father, and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating. And so Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced youth.” (Page 13-14). Not only is Nwoye burdened by his father’s expectations, but he also struggles to match Okonkwo’s success. Nwoye grows distant from his father, developing hatred towards him, and desired to carve out his own path, without meeting the expectations of his father. After years of being scrutinized by his
In addition to Okonkwo hating his father and as well as Nwoye, the relationship between Okonkwo and Ikemefuna was a lot different. Ikemefuna was the first son in which Okonkwo saw potential. He thought he saw himself in Ikemefuna and loved everything about his masculinity. Initially, Okonkwo started seeing growth in Nwoye due to Ikemefuna, “Okonkwo was inwardly pleased at his son's development, and he knew it was due to Ikemefuna.” (Page 52). This shows how Ikemefuna made a “positive” impact on Nwoye and Okonkwo was happy to see that things will become routine . But Okonkwo was wrong because a few years later it was time for the killing of Ikemefuna. On page 57 it states, “When [Okonkwo and Ezeudu] were out of earshot, he said to Okonkwo: "That boy calls you father. Do not bear a hand in his death.” Also on page 61, it says, “As the man who had cleared his throat drew up and raised his machete, Okonkwo looked away. He heard the blow. The pot fell and broke in the sand. He heard Ikemefuna cry, "My father, they have killed me!" as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down.” This shows something huge in Okonkwo’s personality. He sacrificed his love for the son which he loved, in order to preserve his ideal of masculinity.he wishes he could keep, for a small anecdote in which he could say he was strong. This shows us the exact opposite. Okonkwo’s perception of