Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart Fandom Page)
In life, pride can make a person feel strong, but it can also quietly control their decisions and end up ruining their life. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe shows that pride and fear control Okonkwo’s identity. Like J. Cole says in his song Pride Is The Devil, pride takes hold on a person’s life, ultimately destroying their family, relationships, and future.
Okonkwo worries that his weaknesses will later make him lose respect. Pride begins to control his choices and drives him to prove his strength, control, and aggression. He exhibits this pride in the murder of Ikemefuna. This was caused by Okonkwo’s fear that he would be seen as weak by all of his clan.
In the end, he killed the boy who referred to him as father.
Earlier in the book, Okonkwo shows his dominance by beating his third wife, Ekwefi. He chooses violence over respect. This happens because his pride makes him believe that control equals power. Even during the Week of Peace, Okonkwo continues to not be the loving husband that his wife Ekewfi truly deserves. He decides to abuse her just because it is seen as a benefit for him.
In the process of trying to become the opposite of his father and turn his life around, he makes his life much worse. Early in the book, Okonkwo was a poor, caring, and generous man who was respected for his purity and kindness. However, he turned into a man who can’t even treat his wife with the respect she deserves. For example, when Okonkwo first got well known by beating Amalinze The Cat, he was less hungry for power. But later, he turns into a person who cares about money more than family.
If Okonkwo didn’t get caught up in fame, he would still be a respected man. This goes to show that it’s better to be a man who has nothing in wealth but everything in love. If a woman marries a man who has all the money and power in the world, but no love, life will be full of sorrow. Meanwhile, a man with no money who’s able to love will fill the woman’s life with joy.
The lessons from Okonkwo’s actions directly connect to the current state of a community that’s chosen division over unity.
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