Okonkwo is so hung up on his reputation and pride that he lets it get in the way of raising his own family. As soon as anybody in his odd, 3 wife having family does anything that would jeopardize the way his village views him, he beats them to an egregious extent. For example, when Okonkwo's youngest wife isn't home in time to make dinner, he beats her, even though it is against the sacred rules of Peace Week; he then tries to defend himself against Ezeani, who eventually disproves him by saying "The evil you have down can ruin the whole clan."(pg. 30)
Another interesting aspect of this book is the emphasize it puts on the cultural side of African tribe-life. After doing some research, I discovered that this story takes place around 1900. This surprised me because in 1900 the United States was emerging as a national power, revolutionizing technology, while these African Tribes seemed to be so far behind. One thing I noticed about this novel is that the characters in this story all seem to be very afraid of the spiritual side of life and evil, like when Ekwefi answers "Is that me?" (pg 41) instead of yes when her name is called, "for fear that it might be an evil spirit calling."(pg 41). In modern day America, we don't think twice about evil spirits corrupting our souls just because we said something out of line.
All of this leads to me not being very impressed with Okonkwo's actions. Yes, "His fame rested on personal achievements."(pg 1), but his actions behind the walls of his hut make him seem like a controlling father/husband, who is scared to death that he or one of his children will turn out to be lazy and unsuccessful like his father.
Okonkwo's character seems to continue to baffle me. He is known and we'll respected but upon further read, he isn't such a good man after all in my opinion. Maybe this will cause a conflict later in the story.
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo's character seems to continue to baffle me. He is known and we'll respected but upon further read, he isn't such a good man after all in my opinion. Maybe this will cause a conflict later in the story.
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo might seem like a bad character to most readers with him being a "controlling father/husband;" however, the people in Umuofia might approve of his behavior. In the Ibo society and culture, "a man is was judged according to his worth." (pg. 8) If Okonkwo wasn't as disciplined and aggressive, he would not be as successful or highly regarded. He wanted his son to end up like him instead of Unoka.
ReplyDeleteThat seems to be the whole idea of Okonkwo being so controlling, to ensure that his children dont follow the path that his father did. That shows how ashamed he is of his father and how he wants his children to follow in his footsteps and to accomplish many things, and to be successful like he is.
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