Logan Willis
Mrs. Cartier
Honors English 2
9-12-11
Okonkwo’s Struggle
Okonkwo is a very complicated man with a very complicated personality. He is hardworking and strong, but his motives for being as such are sown from the seeds of hatred. As Okonkwo grew up, he started to develop a hatred for his father and the way his father behaved, as he was lazy, distrustful, and free spirited to an unhealthy extent. Soon, Okonkwo’s hatred for these things branched into fear. “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 magic, the fear of the forest, and the fear of the forces of nature, red in tooth and claw.” (13) It was because of this fear that Okonkwo strived to be the opposite of his father. More importantly, it was this desire to be the opposite that lead to problems with other people throughout his life. His relationships with others was a bit rocky, to say the least. “He had a slight stammer, and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out fast enough, he would use his fists. He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience for his father.” (4) In fact, if Okonkwo had not become famous for his strength and endurance in the wrestling ring, he would probably not be very popular among the other villagers. This later proves to be an issue toward the end of Okonkwo’s journey, for, after the Christians invaded Umuofia, Okonkwo wants to rid his hometown of them. However, the other villagers don’t share his opinion and Okonkwo humiliates himself. “Okonkwo’s machete descended twice and the man’s head lay beside his uniformed body…The waiting backcloth jumped into tumultuous life and the meeting was stopped…He discerned fright in that tumult.” (205) After making this mistake, Okonkwo returns home and hangs himself, which just shows that, throughout all his hatred for his father and his actions, he still shared a common weakness with his dad. All this proves that Okonkwo’s personality is very complicated and very difficult to understand.