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FATHERHOOD

How might the problems between Okonkwo and his father, Unoka, influence the later struggles Okonkwo has raising his son Nwoye is but always to prove he is strong and not weak like his father was. Okonkwo's father was a lazy man who did nothing for his village. Okonkwo hated how his father was so weak and does everything he can to be nothing like him. He is hard-working and shows no weakness or emotional to anyone. Since early childhood Okonkwo’s embarrassment about his lazy father, Unoka, has made him want to work even harder and the man he is today. Okonkwo’s is terrified of being weak or "womanly" like his father. For the reason he behaves meanly and rough to his son nwoye to make him man up. Okonkwo doesn’t show emotion or shows he even cares about nwoye. Okonkwo continually beats Nwoye, hoping to change him and make him a man.”Okonkwo first son nwoye, was twelve years old but was already causing his father’s great anxiety for his incipient laziness. At any rate, that was how it looked to his father, and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating”.(Achebe 13).Okonkwo didn’t have a father and son relationship with nwoye because Okonkwo believes that Nwoye haves the same genes and weaknesses that his father Unoka haves.

WOMEN’S RIGHT

In traditional ibo culture women have no rights or liberties. They always end up taking the men side, the men have all the privileges. For example in chapter ten when the wife family rescued her from her abusive husband, they had a right too she was constantly getting beaten to the point where the neighbors heard and even tried to intervene. Also the night when she was ill and he beat her to death. “Last year my sister was recovering from an illness, he beat her again so that if the neighbors had not gone in to save her she would have been killed”(Achebe 92) . He was beating her for years and she a right to leave. But in the end the evil forest took the husband side and all he had to do was bring a pot of wine and beg his wife for return. He did not get no punishment instead he got a reward, he got his wife back. His wife had no say in nothing, her family and her husband was debating where she should go no one really asked her for her opinion.

THE ENDING

Okonkwo commits suicide because he loses his place as a man in his culture, a place are now by the Church and Christian values.  From the beginning of the story, he worries about his manhood because of his father who was weak and lazy because he had no titles. Throughout the whole story, Okonkwo struggles with the changes taking place in his tribe. He is one of the strongest, most honorable men, but as the white man begins coming in and other tribal members begins to change and even his own son who converts to Christianity. Okonkwo can’t believe what is happening.  He sees these other clansmen as weak, like he saw his father was weak. What Okonkwo fears the most is weakness. Through everything Okonkwo has tried to remain strong against all the changes. Okonkwo kills the colonial official in the end, to show his way show the weakness and white man. No one have his back they all just stand there shocked. So Okonkwo kills himself rather than to be alive and the white man take over him, he already knew what was going to happen that’s why he killed himself. I don’t think it was an admirable choice because in the end he couldn’t even be buried with I don’t think it was an admirable choice because in the end he couldn’t even be buried with his clansman. “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 clansman”(Achebe 207) I also believe for killing himself he showed everyone what he always feared to be and that is weak.