The Role Of Okonkwo's Fear In Things Fall Apart

In “Things Fall Apart” by Achebe, the main character Okonkwo is driven throughout his entire life by fear, which in the end becomes his undoing. This fear is grounded on becoming like his father. Now unlike most men, Okonkwo’s fear was not living up to his father’s expectations or even gaining the respect of his father. Okonkwo’s fear was that he would indeed grow into a man that resembled his father. This fear began in his childhood when Okonkwo was hungry, hungry because his father was lazy and did not work to provide food for him or his mother or siblings. Okonkwo grew up seeing his father drink away the small amount of income that came his way, and saw him die as a man who had nothing to his name, nothing to pass leave to his children, …show more content…
Perhaps the best example of this is when Okonkwo decides to join the party of men that parades the refuge Ikemefuna out into the jungle to kill him despite the explicit warning not to do just that by one of the clans elders. Ogbuefi Ezeudu, one of the clans eldest members came to Okonkwo explicitly telling him, “that boy calls you father. Do not bear hand in his death.” (p.57) Okonkwo had taken care of Ikemefuna for three years and had raised him right beside his biological son Nwoye. In fact Nwoye and Ikemefuna had become close friends and even considered eachother as brothers. Ezeudu know that nothing positive would come of Okonkwo have a hand in the death of Ikemefuna. However, as was stated before Okonkwo was driven by one thing alone in life, and that was not becoming like his father. To Okonkwo not have a hand in the execution of Ikemefuna would have been perceived as being idle, which is one quality that he highly associated with his father and therefore would go beyond any boundary set in order to defy. This again leads us to the fact that this not only would differentiate Okonkwo from being like his father, but also differentiate him from fellow clansman. In Okonkwo’s tribe age was respected, …show more content…
This was helped by his early accomplishment of “throwing the cat” in fact the book tells us that he was well known in more than just his own village (p.3), “Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested upon solid personal achievements. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat. Amalinze was the great wrestler who for seven years, from Umuofia to Mbino. He was called the Cat because his back would never touch the earth. It was this man that Okonkwo threw in a fight which the old men agreed was one of the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of