The character, Okonkwo in a story analysis
Slide One
Okonkwo, as the main protagonist in this story, shapes his character opposite of his father’s character. While his father was lazy, cowardly and had lived a debt-filled life, Okonkwo was brave and respected. He was also very hard-working and found success in farming, in war and in wealth. He was able to alienate himself from his father’s character, which he related to weakness. He was renowned for his might and his success in war. Violence was one of the ways he differentiated himself from his father, who could not stand the sight of blood.
Slide Two
Okonkwo was respected in his village and on this occasion had been sent to collect damages from a neighboring village on behalf of his village. The damages were payable after a woman from Okonkwo’s village was killed by someone from another village. The villagers from Mbaino knew that they had no option but to pay the requested damages if they were to avert war. They, therefore, had to send a girl from their village to replace the wife who had been killed and a young boy as well. The young boy Ikemefuena was taken in by Okonkwo who learned to love him just as his own son.
Slide 3
Ikemefuena’s was ill-fated since the Oracle had decided that the boy had to be killed for the benefit of the clan. When the information was revealed to Okonkwo, who was just like a father to the boy, he was warned not to engage in the killing of the boy. Okonkwo’s greatest fear was to appear weak, which is the reason he ruled his family with an iron fist and engaged in violent acts. He felt that if he did not participate in killing Ikemefuena, it would reflect on his weakness. Even his love for the boy could not deter his mind. They took the boys into the woods, and Okonkwo took part in killing him.
Slide 4
Nyowe was the real son to Okonkwo, and he had grown very fond of Ikemefuena. During the period that the boy lived with them, Okonkwo had come to love Ikemefuena more than his real son because he was not lazy. However, the boy had influenced Nyowe to become a better person hence the strong bond they shared. When his father returned on that day, he could tell that they had already killed him and their relationship began to dwindle. Nyowe could not see his father the same way, and this was the breaking point for their relationship.
Slide 5
Okonkwo’s life took a major turn at the funeral of one of the clansmen. The events that followed might have been repercussions of not needing the warning against getting involved with Ikemefuena’s death. During the funeral and in the chaos that surrounded the ceremony, Okonkwo’s gun accidentally went off and killed the deceased man’s son. The village was enraged, and this crime was so grave that there was no option but for Okonkwo to go into exile. The villagers destroyed Okonkwo’s homestead and his property, and all his hard-earned wealth went to the drain.
Slide 6
Okonkwo and his family were exiled and had to seek refuge in his mother’s village. In his mother’s homeland, Okonkwo was received with open arms by his uncle. He was given a piece of land where he could build a shelter for his family and engage in farming. At this point, his life was greatly shattered, and he could not understand how all his efforts had suddenly disappeared. His life in exile was nothing compared to what he had in the village. He had been respected and even titled in his village while in exile, he was just a nobody.
Slide 7
One of his friends from the village visited him in exile to bring him proceeds from the farm he had left behind. In one of his visits, he explained to him about the white missionaries who had invaded the village. I’m his description he explained how these missionaries were fair-skinned and that some of the villagers had killed one of them. The repercussions of the murder involved more white men attacking and murdering the villagers I’m revenge. The onset of the white man’s invasion soon reached Okonkwo in exile as more missionaries found their way into his mother’s homeland.
Slide 8
The relationship between Okonkwo and his son had for long been strained. Even in exile, things had not changed for the better. Okonkwo ruled his family by an iron fist, and his son was no stranger to his violence. In this situation, Okonkwo was about to beat him up because he had not been around. The strained relationship may have been one of the factors that pushed him towards Christianity. Okonkwo’s son was one of the people who had taken up the white man’s religion and converted to Christianity. He, therefore, left his father’s home to go to the missionary school.
Slide 9
After seven years in exile, Okonkwo was finally able to return to Umuofia. Things had, however, changed in his village, and nothing seemed as he has left it. The influence of the missionaries was highly felt in the village, especially because most people had converted to Christianity. Okonkwo could not believe that even men with titles had been converted. He felt that the white men had come to disrupt their structure, customs and beliefs. Even though he felt strongly against the changes happening in the village, he did not have many people to back him up.
Slide 10
The perception of the white missionaries as bad people was not supported by all villager. The reason behind this was that the character of Mr Brown, one of the missionaries defied these claims. Mr.Brown was a good man who respected the villagers’ culture and customs. Even though he was a missionary, he took an interest in learning people’s culture. His character exceeded him, and he made many friends in the village and across. A neighboring village even offered him an elephants tusk as a sign of dignity. His successor was, however, different and did not share a similar character. He was a rash man who was keen on enforcing his beliefs on the villager.
Slide 11
During Mr Smith’s reign, the villagers were subjected to a lot of suffering. At one time, Okonkwo and other villagers who opposed the missionaries and their Christianity influence were arrested and tortured. Their families were exploited and expected to pay high random amounts to have them returned home. The alternative was that these villagers would be murdered. When one of the messengers for the missionaries, therefore, intercepted a traditional meeting demanding that it be stopped, his message was not accepted kindly. Without contemplating that the messenger was only passing Mr Smith’s instructions, Okonkwo murdered the messenger on the spot but noticed the reluctance in his fellow members after his actions.
Slide 12
After murdering the messenger, Okonkwo had realized that things had changed too much to go back to normal. The reaction from his fellow villagers made it clear to him that they were not willing to fight against the missionaries. At this point, life held no meaning, and he realized that everything had fallen apart. All the ideals he held close had no meaning in this new world. The village he had left behind was far gone, and he doubted his place in the new world. He, therefore, decided to end his life and was found hanging by a tree. According to tradition, he could not be buried by his fellow villagers since he had committed suicide.