The protagonist of Things Fall Apart (1958), Okonkwo, is a powerful and respected tribal leader in Umuofia. He is the son of a successful farmer and lives with his seven wives and three children. He is a violent man who does not hesitate to commit murder or use violence as a solution. He is difficult to control and has an inflexible mind. Okonkwo is known as a man of fierce pride, for his “strength was measured principally in terms of masculinity” ( Achebe 31).
At the beginning of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo had just returned from exile due to being found guilty for participating in the murder of Ezeudu, who had slighted him earlier. Ezeudu’s daughter also happened to be Okonkwo’s estranged lover. Yomoda, who held great influence over the village court system, questions whether he would have killed Ezeudu if emotions did not into his action. Okonkwo responds that if the situation presented itself again, he would not hesitate to kill Ezeudu a second time for what he had done.
As Things Fall Apart progresses, Okonkwo’s pride manifests in his fierce attitude and unwillingness to submit to any authority or control. He attacks one of the village leader elders simply because he was sitting under a tree during an important meeting (Achebe 26). The narrator points out that “a white man would have asked for an explanation; but it never occurred to Okonkwo that anyone should ask him why he had hit the messenger” (Achebe 42). The physical altercation escalated into Ezeudu’s son and others fighting with Okonkwo. It was not until his clansmen dragged him away that the fight ended (Achebe 42).
When Okonkwo is called to speak in court about a crime committed by one of his kinsmen, he refuses to bow, which was customary practice at the time (Achebe 49). The clan leader objects but Okonkwo defies him and says that “he would not bow to anyone except the Earth God himself” (49). At this point, it seems as though Okonkwo does not care what happens; he wants either exile or death because all of his power and influence has faded.
Only two days before Things Fall Apart ends, Okonkwo beats and kills Ikemefuna. This was the first time he had ever committed a crime against an innocent person and immediately after realizing what he had done, Okonkwo commits suicide because of his great shame (Achebe 169).
Okonkwo’s pride is evident throughout Things Fall Apart as it contributes to his actions that lead to exile and eventually suicide. At the beginning of Things Fall Apart, “he welcomed every new day with a passionate eagerness to live” (Achebe 21) but by the end he found no pleasure in life at all. This shows how much power pride has over Okonkwo to the point that he cannot bear living any longer.
Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart is a tragic hero because he has flaws that lead to his ruin. One of these flaws is hubris. Hubris can be defined as, “excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance. ” Okonkwo exhibits excessive pride throughout Things Fall Apart and this eventually contributes to his downfall. Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, is characterized as lazy and irresponsible. Things Fall Apart states that Unoka “had never shown any inclination for work. ” Things Fall Apart also describes him as a person who had drunk too much palm wine.
Later in the novel, Okonkwo reflects on his childhood where he remembers himself saying to Unoka, “You are not yet dead. Why do you sit about doing nothing? When I grow up I shall be a man like you. ” This reflects Okonkwo’s displeasure with his father’s unwillingness to provide for his family. Unoka ultimately dies when he commits suicide by hanging himself because of his inability to get out of debt. Upon discovering this act, Okonkwo decides to become a man like his father and “work harder than any other man.
Okonkwo works hard to provide for himself and his family. Things Fall Apart states, “He was always first in the farm and in the market; he never missed an occasion; he was strict with his wives and children, but just rather than otherwise. ” Okonkwo is also very harsh on his own mother because she tries to stop him from beating Ezinma after he found her playing with dolls. She says that Ezinma is sick and should not be beaten as harshly as she was being beaten.
Okonkwo responds by saying, “Let me hear no more of this foolishness…Women They are all alike – all fools. ” Things Fall Apart says that Okonkwo “looked like a man who could kill with his bare hands. ” Things Fall Apart also states, “He was considered the strongest and most fearless man in Mbanta and when he walked through it he would look straight before him as if all the women were not good enough for him; and when all the women laughed at him there was nothing like laughter. ”
When Ikemefuna is brought to live in Umuofia, Okonkwo’s village, Things Fall Apart describes Nwoye admiring him because of his strength and abilities to hunt animals. When they are out hunting together Nwoye tells Ikemefuna that if they are successful in the hunt he would like to invite him to eat with his family. Things Fall Apart states, “Okonkwo looked at them enviously. ” Okonkwo wished that he was as strong and skillful as Ikemefuna because he wanted to gain Nwoye’s respect and admiration. At the end of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna which ends up leading to his own downfall.
Things Fall Apart states: “And now for many moons life had been pleasant, and the locusts had not visited their fields…The omens were favourable; it seemed as if at last Okonkwo was to reap the reward of his labours. Death had gone out of his household. ” Things Fall Apart states that Okonkwo “could eat enough for four men. ” Additionally, Things Fall Apart mentions that Umuofia has never before had such a good harvest. Things Fall Apart also says, “Okonkwo looked forward with confidence to many more years of wealth and prosperity. Death had been banished from his household.