The Negative Consequences of Okonkwo’s actions in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, he writes about the Igbo and their culture. For instance, the Europeans and their forces of colonialism and Christianity invaded the Igbo. The novel also speaks about the life of a man named Okonkwo. With the characteristics of a hardworking member of the Igbo community, he is a leader whose tragic flaw is his greatest fear of weakness and failure. His fear drives him to become famous and wealthy among the nine villages of Umuofia. On the other hand, it also causes damage in Okonkwo’s life and keeps him from being the person he had aspired to be. Because Okonkwo is afraid of being weak like his father, be behaves
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Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, in his day was “lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow” (4). Continuing to when he is an adult, Unoka was poor. He could not give food for his wife and children. Because he had been a failure, people had “… laughed at him because he was a loafer, and they swore never to lend him any more money because he never paid back (5). So, Unoka died with no title and ended up in huge debt causing Okonkwo to be ashamed of him. Thus, Okonkwo worked daily, all day, every day feeling no fatigue. During the planting season, Okonkwo’s 12 year old son, Nwoye, and his other wives and children helped out. Unfortunately, they weren’t as strong, and so they suffered, but dared not complain openly. Achebe said, “…Nwoye …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” (#). Achebe then said, “… so Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced youth” (#). Then according to Okonkwo, he believed that his youngest wife was lazy when she had not prepared his afternoon meal. Achebe said that Okonkwo was “...waiting vain for her dish…nobody in the hut and the fireplace was cold...anger welled up within him…he beat her heavily” (#). His actions had not only caused his wife harm, but as well as himself when he realized it was the Week of Peace. This week was important because it was sacred and there was to be no conflict or violence to show respect for the gods and ancestors. Such abuse from Okonkwo demonstrates his fear of being lazy.
Secondly, Okonkwo’s fear of being powerless and womanly like his father causes him to demonstrate inappropriate insensitivity and violence towards his adopted son, Ikemefuna. Fearing
Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, in his day was “lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow” (4). Continuing to when he is an adult, Unoka was poor. He could not give food for his wife and children. Because he had been a failure, people had “… laughed at him because he was a loafer, and they swore never to lend him any more money because he never paid back (5). So, Unoka died with no title and ended up in huge debt causing Okonkwo to be ashamed of him. Thus, Okonkwo worked daily, all day, every day feeling no fatigue. During the planting season, Okonkwo’s 12 year old son, Nwoye, and his other wives and children helped out. Unfortunately, they weren’t as strong, and so they suffered, but dared not complain openly. Achebe said, “…Nwoye …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” (#). Achebe then said, “… so Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced youth” (#). Then according to Okonkwo, he believed that his youngest wife was lazy when she had not prepared his afternoon meal. Achebe said that Okonkwo was “...waiting vain for her dish…nobody in the hut and the fireplace was cold...anger welled up within him…he beat her heavily” (#). His actions had not only caused his wife harm, but as well as himself when he realized it was the Week of Peace. This week was important because it was sacred and there was to be no conflict or violence to show respect for the gods and ancestors. Such abuse from Okonkwo demonstrates his fear of being lazy.
Secondly, Okonkwo’s fear of being powerless and womanly like his father causes him to demonstrate inappropriate insensitivity and violence towards his adopted son, Ikemefuna. Fearing