An Analysis of the Characterization of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebes Novel Things Fall Apart

In the book, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo’s character is portrayed as a leader, a fighter, successful, conceited, and very well-known in his village. He, like other Ibo men, beats his wives, is misogynistic toward women, and always proves his masculinity through different acts of opportunity in his lifetime. Okonkwo represents an angry man, running from the shadows of his father because he does not want to be like him. He is serious, conceited, and cold-hearted almost all the time, unless something hits home for him then he does not know why he feels that way.

Okonkwo compensated for his father’s weakness by becoming strong, feared, and successful; his whole life passion was to hate everything his father loved. His culture was presented as him ruling his house with a heavy hand. He had his own hut, and his 3 wives had their own hut which formed a half moon, and he had 8 children. Of his 8 children, he dislikes his son Nwoye because “He caused his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness.” Okonkwo’s virtues are to be the best warrior and become the greatest man of the clan. His faults are he does everything to the book and code of the clan. This causes him to have strong tunnel-vision and no consideration for others and his family.

After taking this journey with Okonkwo, I feel we as readers are taken through all his emotions and tribulations, then cut off at the discovery of his suicide. You would think that him being as masculine as he is that cracking under pressure or stress is very unlikely. But it has happened once or twice throughout the book. For example when he killed Ikemefuna, even though he did not want to. This was the biggest emotional downfall. He wanted to prove his manliness and that he had to do it, but in the end for several weeks he fell into a state of depression. Or when Ezinma became ill, he showed a compassionate, caring side to her and her mother, his second wife, Ekwefi. He really became vulnerable for them.

Okonkwo has emotions, he just does not show them. He is living a fake life by not showing his true feelings because his culture is all about masculinity. He was the role model, the Ibo culture on steroids. If he broke that masculine persona, he would be seen as weak and kicked out of the clan. He learns to control his soft side, until it gets the best of him and he cannot quite understand what is wrong with him. He is so used to hiding his emotions so that when they do creep up on him, he tries to convince himself that it is all in his head and there is nothing wrong.

Okonkwo’s fall represents the beginning of the Second Coming. The Second Coming marks the end of the probation of earth. The wicked will be removed (the Ibo spirits, good and bad) and the saved and ones who believe in god will go the heaven; warning signs of this coming appear as well. The number 7 is used to indicate the Second Coming: Amalinze the Cat was undefeated for 7 years, locusts come once in a generation and come back every year for 7 years, and Okonkwo is banished for 7 years.

As he returns from his homeland Mbanta after 7 years, everything in Umuofia has changed, the people included. The white men moved into the villages and are spreading the word of God, Christianity. This does not sit well with Okonkwo, and he is set on not being a coward and fighting back. He believes that they must not bow down to the white men, but stand up and protect their village. This causes Okonkwo to feel no remorse or fool around because he does not want to get caught off guard and have his village disappear in the blink of an eye, just like his son Nwoye. The Christian faith caught his attention and he soon became a member of his church, and was disowned by Okonkwo.

In the Ibo culture, they believe that there is one god who created their personal gods, which is who they go to. Mr. Brown, one of the missionaries, wants to convert the Ibo to worship only one god, God himself. In response, Okonkwo refuses to convert to the Christian faith, and kills one of the messengers. The next day Okonkwo has committed the ultimate sin by taking his own life. His fall is very unexpected, but keeps you reading in order to find out what happens in the end. The fact that the clansmen and missionaries stopped dead in their tracks and his great friend Obierika was calm about the suicide of Okonkwo was surprising as well, because as Obierika said, “That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia…” In the end, Okonkwo died a sick man, just like his father. This goes to show that even the greatest of their culture falls to the bottom.