Okonkwo is renowned as
a wrestler, a fierce warrior, and a successful farmer of yams
(a “manly” crop). He has three wives and many children who live in huts on his compound. Throughout his life, he wages a never ending battle for status; his life is dominated by the fear of weakness and failure.
What is Okonkwo character traits?
Okonkwo
consciously adopts opposite ideals
and becomes productive, wealthy, thrifty, brave, violent, and adamantly opposed to music and anything else that he perceives to be “soft,” such as conversation and emotion. He is stoic to a fault. Okonkwo achieves great social and financial success by embracing these ideals.
What best describes Okonkwo?
Describe Okonkwo.
Okonkwo is huge with bushy eyebrows and a wide nose. He breathes heavily and seems to walk on springs as
if he is about to pounce on someone. He has no patience with unsuccessful men like his father.
How would you describe Okonkwo’s household?
Describe how Okonkwo runs his household and explain his reasons for acting this way.
Okonkwo ruled his house with a heavy hand, his wives and kids were afraid of his temper.
… He wanted his children to grow up to be like him and not like his father.
How is Okonkwo a good person?
Okonkwo is
a good father
in that he is an extremely hard-working man that is able to financially provide for his family. He is a respected member of the community, and he embraces his leadership roles. Okonkwo also recognizes traits in his own father that he doesn’t like, and he works at not emulating those behaviors.
What best describes Okonkwo’s personality and character?
Okonkwo is renowned as
a wrestler, a fierce warrior, and a successful farmer of yams
(a “manly” crop). He has three wives and many children who live in huts on his compound. Throughout his life, he wages a never ending battle for status; his life is dominated by the fear of weakness and failure.
What most motivates Okonkwo?
Likely Okonkwo’s biggest motivation is that
of trying not to be seen as his father was, a weakling or a failure
. This drives him to work incredibly hard, to fight like a lion and acquire two titles and become the veritable big man on campus in Umuofia.
Why didnt Okonkwo test positive emotions?
Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly
, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength. He therefore treated Ikemefuna as he treated everybody else—with a heavy hand. But there was no doubt that he liked the boy.
Who is Okonkwo’s favorite child?
Ezinma
is also Okonkwo’s favorite child, for she understands him better than any of his other children and reminds him of Ekwefi when Ekwefi was the village beauty. Okonkwo rarely demonstrates his affection, however, because he fears that doing so would make him look weak.
What type of person is Okonkwo?
Okonkwo is
a self-made, well-respected member of the Umuofia clan
. Though outwardly stern and powerful, much of his life is dictated by internal fear. His greatest, overwhelming worry is that he will become like his father – lazy, unable to support his family, and cowardly.
Does Okonkwo have good intentions?
Okonkwo is flawed by his excessive pride and need for everything to be perfect, but
he has good intentions
. As the white men come and spread Christianity amongst his people he faces them making him the protagonist. He earns tribal titles and commands authority, power, and wealth.
What does Okonkwo fear?
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
. As a man who cleared his throat drew up and raised his machete, Okonkwo looked away, he heard the blow.
Why is Okonkwo so aggressive?
Although he feels betrayed by everyone in his community, Okonkwo may be his own worst enemy.
His inflexible understanding of traditional Igbo masculinity leads him
to develop an aggressive and unforgiving personality. Okonkwo’s personality allows no room for nuance or change, and alienates others.
Is Okonkwo an epic hero?
Achebe’s work, Things Fall Apart, is an epic; it resembles stories about heroes found in many cultures. They become heroes by accomplishing great things for themselves and their communities, winning much fame as a result. …
Why is Okonkwo exiled?
Because
killing a clansman is a crime against the earth goddess
, Okonkwo must take his family into exile for seven years in order to atone. He gathers his most valuable belongings and takes his family to his mother’s natal village, Mbanta.
What are Okonkwo’s strengths and weaknesses?
Western heroes lead from confidence, not from fear of failure. The weakness of Okonkwo is reacting first, and then thinking. Okonkwo’s
weakness is lack of foresight
. While his strength was that he knew how to be what his culture wanted, so that he’d have followers.
