Father And Son In Achebe's Things Fall Apart

The relationship between a father and son is crucial in the development of the son as he prepares to take on the role of being a father himself someday. A father must influence his son so that he is able to achieve success, providing and protecting his own family in the future. In the novel Things Fall Apart, written by Achebe Chinua, Unoka and his son Okonkwo are unsuccessful in living up to the societal norms, causing their lives to unravel at the same time that the tribe is falling apart. Okonkwo was well-respected by his tribe, the Igbo, as he helped provide for his family through farming and tried to conform with the norms of the community, whereas Unoka, was not respected since he failed to provide food for his family which was the duty …show more content…
Okonkwo, through his resentment, is determined to not be like his father. Unoka demonstrates every aspect that Okonkwo hates such as his lack of ambition, apathy towards his village, and his nature in general. Unoka is seen as ‘feminine’, which is one of the main reasons as to why Okonkwo resents him. The men must provide food and wealth for the family, but Unoka does not embrace this. Instead, he likes to play the flute and is only truly happy when making music, or when drinking palm wine. This could be a result of his status within the tribe, as this may lead him to feeling isolated, resulting in him drinking. Furthermore, the tribe rejects him for his perceived laziness. Unoka constantly borrowed money with no intention to repay his depts. Since he does not plant crops and provide the food for his family, this leaves his son Okonkwo to assume the fatherly duties. Tribal customs hold no interest for him, since Unoka “was never happy when it came to wars. He was in fact a coward and could not bear the sight of blood.” (Achebe 6). Unoka’s aversion to blood and war in general is detrimental to the village’s needs thus reducing his contribution to society. As a result, he dies in shame. This ultimate humiliation drives Okonkwo to overcompensate for his father 's weaknesses by abandoning his feminine side and enhancing his more aggressive and abusive …show more content…
Unoka only cares about enjoying his life and being happy doing what he loves as stated “He was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow. If any money came his way, and it seldom did, he immediately bought gourds of palm-wine, called round his neighbors and made merry.” (Achebe 4). Unoka only cares about being happy and stays away from his family because he does not want to be accountable for taking care of any of them and just wants to enjoy them. Consequently, the village hates him for not wanting to own up to providing for the family, including Okonkwo. Another example of a person who is like Unoka and does not want to follow the societal norms, is Nwoye, Okonkwo’s son. Nwoye as well does not like to fight, hunt, or work the farm. Everything his father tells him to do, Nwoye disobeys it, as he does not want to be responsible for the lives of others. Like Unoka, Nwoye wants to enjoy his life and when his family ends up getting exiled, he decides not to go with them but instead goes his own happy way and stays behind to become a missionary with the Catholics that arrive. “‘What are you doing here?’ Obierika had asked when after many difficulties the missionaries had allowed him to speak to the boy. ‘I am one of them,’ replied Nwoye. ‘How is your father?’ Obierika asked, not knowing what else to say. ‘I don’t know. He is not my