Okonkwo Character Analysis

Okonkwo is the protagonist of Things Fall Apart, which directly defines the significance of his character in the novel. In addition to that, Okonkwo has been characterized by Achebe as a heroic figure who possesses tragic flaws brought by his fear of failure and weakness, which has led to his downfall. Initially, he is a well respected man within the Igbo community, and was in fact one of the leaders of Umuofia due to his fierce character and his numerous successes. However, his status gradually shifts throughout the plot after events such as his exile, the arrival of the white missionaries, etc. He is also significant to the reader as it allows readers to relate to Okonkwo's character, his strengths and weaknesses, providing them with guidance for them to live a better lifestyle. This also acts as the purpose of Okonkwo's character in the novel. His fear of failure and weakness like his father has caused his masculinity to overtake him, making him an abusive and impulsive character who strives for success. His fear has consumed him which has led to his tragic death. With that in mind, it allows the reader to avoid a lifestyle that Okonkwo has lived in to prevent a tragic outcome in their own lives. Okonkwo acts as a subject for Achebe to demonstrate this human nature. In my opinion, Okonkwo is a symbolic figure of the purest Igbo culture which includes the traditional lifestyle of the Igbo, its masculinity, values and beliefs This is because even since the beginning of the novel, various aspects of the Igbo culture has been demonstrated by Okonkwo, both positive and negative aspects. For instance, Okonkwo beating Amalinze the Cat as seen in quote "As a young man of eighteen he had brought honour to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat." shows the values of the Igbo culture, that hobbies like these contribute to the power and fame of an individual in the Igbo society. Another example is Okonkwo's continuous strive for status which demonstrates the Igbo's Cynical Nature of Status Seeking in order to gain power within the society. Okonkwo consulting the Oracle also demonstrates the Igbo's concept of the relationship between the World of Man and the World of Spirits. At the end of the novel, after everything that has happened with the arrival of the missionaries and the growth of Christianity within the Igbo community, Okonkwo has remained rebellious against the change in his society and once he has had an epiphany that everything in his community has been changed and he no longer has hope for restoration, he ended up killing himself, which symbolizes the death of the Igbo culture, as if the purest Igbo culture had died within Okonkwo. Even until his death, the Igbo culture is still demonstrated. When Okonkwo committed suicide, none of the Igbo people are allowed to touch his body as suicide is a serious crime in their culture, as seen in quote "It is against our custom," said one of the men. "It is an abomination for a man to take his own life. It is an offense against the Earth, and a man who commits it will not be buried by his clansmen. His body is evil, and only strangers may touch it." It demonstrates Igbo cosmology and the the Igbo's perspectives and relationship with spiritual beings. Okonkwo's character in the novel symbolizes the Igbo culture and after he killed himself, it is like as if all of that has died with him. Okonkwo's character is essentially the embodiment of an entire claim, cultures, religious ideas and beliefs. The Igbo people has initially lived under a civil order but at the same time, it also has its own flaws, just like how Okonkwo has his own flaws. His flaws are also what has contributed to his own tragic death and the Igbo's defeat by the colonials and the missionaries.