At first,
Okonkwo thinks he and other tribal leaders can stop the missionaries and oust them from the community
. … When Okonkwo returns from his seven years of exile, he is disappointed and angered by the progress that the Christian church and missionaries have made in Umuofia.
How does Okonkwo feel about Christianity?
Okonkwo, on the other hand,
has good reason to reject Christianity
. Should Mbanta not drive the missionaries away, his killing of Ikemefuna
How does Okonkwo react?
Okonkwo’s violent reaction to Nwoye’s conversion is typical;
he immediately wants to kill the Christians
. He recalls that he is popularly called the “Roaring Flame.” Then he blames the “effeminacy” of his son on his wife and his father and then on his own chi.
Why does Okonkwo kill the missionary?
Okonkwo kills the messenger
because he hates what the man represents: the end of his culture
.
How does Okonkwo react to the cultural collision?
Okonkwo clearly was unhappy of the change that was ensuing and his immediate reaction to the colonizers was
to simply chase them away violently
. Okonkwo’s reaction was one that the reader could expect after being able to see how his character is based around violence and this idea of hyper masculinity.
Is Okonkwo a hero or a villain?
Okonkwo is
a tragic hero
in the classical sense: although he is a superior character, his tragic flaw—the equation of manliness with rashness, anger, and violence—brings about his own destruction.
What Okonkwo fears most?
Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear,
the fear of failure and of weakness
. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw.
Who is to blame for Okonkwo’s death?
Okonkwo
is responsible for his death because he has remained stagnant while his village and family are changing. His entire life was measured against his father so he never established his own sense of identity — he just wanted to be opposite of his father.
How does Okonkwo kill himself?
Their leader orders the meeting to end. No sooner have the words left the messenger’s mouth than Okonkwo kills
him with two strokes of his machete
. … Understanding that his clan will not go to war, Okonkwo wipes his machete free of blood and departs. He had already chosen the title of the book . . .
What happens to Okonkwo after he kills the messenger?
When Okonkwo kills the court messenger,
his fellow clansmen almost back away from him in fear
; in fact, his violent action is questioned. When he realizes that no one supports him, Okonkwo finally knows that he can’t save his village and its traditions no matter how fiercely he tries.
How does Okonkwo’s identity change?
The upshot of all this is that although Okonkwo himself doesn’t really change, he is nonetheless
changed by the gradual undermining of traditional Igbo culture under the encroachments of British colonial rule
.
What was Okonkwo’s like before encountering Western influence?
Before encountering Western influence, Okonkwo was
a strong but insecure man who cared a lot about gaining titles and respect
. He immediately rejected the new culture and wanted to maintain their tribes’ original belief system, but unwillingness to change led him to end his own life.
How did nwoye respond to the new culture?
Nwoye changed from being very fearful in society, to being outgoing and confident. Nwoye had the strongest
response to Christianity coming into the tribe
. The Christian missionaries changed Nwoye’s way of thinking, and they helped him become a man in society….
Why is Okonkwo bad?
Although he admires his children, he does not often show them affection, because he believes showing affection is a sign of weakness. … However, regardless of the morals he instills in his children, Okonkwo’s
violence, threats
, and lack of attention and affection give grounds for him being labeled a “bad” father.
Why does Okonkwo hate his father?
As you can imagine, Okonkwo resents his father a great deal for the lack of work ethic when he was alive, as well as his overall
refusal to provide for his family
. He also fears becoming his father, because Unoka had no interest in wrestling, fighting, or general bloodshed.
Why does Okonkwo beat his wife?
Ikemefuna
