Okonkwo

OKONKWO  

  (1)   Tragic Hero, afraid of appearing weak:
  * Fear of looking weak.
  * He has a strong obsession with manliness.
  * He doesn’t want to be like his father who showed weakness, idleness and gentleness.
  * “His whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness”.
  * He hated his father because he was unsuccessful and was a failure.
  * He killed Ikemefuna because he wanted people to look at him with manliness.
  * He liked Ikemefuna a lot.
  * He does not want to show his personal emotions as this would reflect himself as a weak man which he does not want to be.

  (2)   Very strict:
  * He is afraid that people may consider him weak.
  * Ruled his household with a stern hand and fierce voice.
  * Causing everyone to fear him.
  * The way he handles the household, everyone is fearful of him.
  * “Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand”.
  * He beats up family members just to display his manliness to others.
  * That he may not be like his father, weak, idle and gentle.

  (3) Very violent:
•     He has a need to express his anger through violence.
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  (4) Strong Determination:
• He has a strong determination to succeed.
• A growing season on a particular year, suffered a great drought and then unending floods.
• Farmers crops were destroyed, so is Okonkwo’s crops.
• He was deeply discouraged but he knew that he would survive because of his determination to succeed.
  * He knew that he was a “fierce fighter”.

  (5) Dutiful father:
• When Ezinma was sick, he immediately “went into the bush to collect the leaves, grass and barks of trees that went into making the medicine for Iba”.
• He rarely shows his emotions outward.
• Most of the time, he showed his emotions inwardly for fear of being seen weak.
• And now, upon hearing that Ezinma is sick, he went to look for medicine for her who shows that he loves Ezinma a lot and is very caring towards her.... [continues]

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