What character in Things Fall Apart makes mistakes and what are the consequences?
In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the main character Okonkwo was a man who lived in the village of Umuofia and was an important part of the Ibo clan. In the novel he makes a mistake. He lived his whole life trying so hard not to be like his shameful father that he got bundled up in his thoughts and made careless mistakes. His father, Unoka, was unsuccessful with no titles and “was heavily in debt” (8).
He was a beggar who asked people for money and then wouldn’t pay them back. He died a shameful death when he got sick and his body was thrown into the Evil Forrest.
Okonkwo is a strong successful man and farmer despite his father’s failure. He has his own house and three wives. He took the wrestling title at a young age and he is respected throughout his village, “as the elders said, if a child washes his hands he could eat with kings” (8).
Throughout his life he had gained respect and titles and he is a great farmer who harvested yams. Okonkwo is the leader of the spirits of the village called egwugwu. He’s part of a society of successful men called the Ozo. He is determined that all of his children will be successful as him and sometimes he gets out of control. On the other hand, his father Unoka did none of those things and was a total failure that compelled Okonkwo to be so successful.
The Essay on Character Analysis of Okonkwo in “Things Fall Apart”
Okonkwo is portrayed as a tragic hero, in the novel Things Fall Apart. To uncover the source of Okonkwo's tragic flaw, a glimpse into his past is essential. At first, we see Okonkwo as an arrogant, hardworking, warrior. This is his cultures vision of a great citizen. His father, Unoka was thought of as a failure. He is lazy and does not provide for his family. His culture views him as an ...
Okonkwo let out his anger from his father’s failure on other people and his surroundings. When he gets angry he has a very hard time controlling himself, specifically his family and wives. During the Week of Peace he beat his wife Ekwefi, Okonkwo’s second wife. As punishment, he must bring “to the shrine of Ani…one she-goat, one hen, a length of cloth and a hundred cowries” (31).
This shows that his uncontrolled anger can back fire on him. When the Christians came to the Ibo villages Nwoye became interested in their religion, and when Okonkwo beat him after coming home late one day that was the last straw and Nwoye converted to Christianity. Okonkwo expected a lot out of Nwoye and it made him angry that he was betrayed and that Nwoye became like Okonkwo’s father Unoka. He didn’t understand why his people didn’t fight back and stay with their own religion. Okonkwo was put into prison by the white people for burning down the church and when he came back he was very angry at the white people and didn’t want to deal with them anymore. He chopped a messenger’s head off and no one supported him. He had no hope in his society and had given up and he hanged himself, a shameful death among the Ibo people.
Okonkwo tried so hard not to be like his father that he was getting himself in more trouble which led him to his shameful death, like Unoka. He thought the whole Ibo community was becoming soft and unlike his war related childhood. Okonkwo became so bundled up in his thoughts of his Unoka’s failure that it brought him down and caused Okonkwo to be a failure more than him being successful.
Okonkwo lived his whole life trying so hard not to be like his shameful father that he got bundled up in his thoughts and made careless mistakes, and dug his own grave. Over all the years of his life despite all of his progress he got in trouble a lot and driving away his own son. Living your life only focusing on someone else’s mistakes is worse for you in the long run, Okonkwo clearly demonstrates.