Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
Okonkwo: Overwhelmed By His Past - Online Term Papers

Okonkwo: Overwhelmed By His Past



In the novel, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe depicts the life of a struggling man, Okonkwo, who is torn between misfortunes from the past, dealing with his father, Unoka, and his ambitions in the present. Struggling to lead his life according to his ambitions, Okonkwo must first overcome his past, and because of forces beyond his control, he is obliged to live a life of inevitable fate.
The relationship that Okonkwo has with his father, Unoka, is that of animosity. Okonkwo bore “no patience with his father” (4). He was ashamed of Unoka, who was the village failure, and was afraid of seeming like his father.
It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father. ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

As time progresses, he becomes obsessed with the concept of being different from his father, beginning his life having nothing.
With a father like Unoka, Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men had. . . . But in spite of these disadvantages, he had begun even in his father’s lifetime to lay the foundations of a prosperous future. It was slow and painful. But he threw himself into it life one possessed. And indeed he was possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life and shameful death. (18)
Okonkwo will try whatever he can to be unlike Unoka. He is determined to gain respect and admiration by Umuofia, unlike his father. The strong passion that he owns will assist in outlining his future fate, which will eventually guide his life to ruin. Okonkwo is troubled with inner conflicts that will lead to actions that are beyond his control, and will eventually lead to his downfall.
In his efforts to live his life by acquiring his desires, Okonkwo strives ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.


Already a member? Login

over his family. He shows lack of concern with the Gods to maintain respect and uphold his status within the clan. In the fear of becoming like his father, Okonkwo believes that he must not show emotion. The conducts of his act are in conflict with the moral order. With this flaw, Okonkwo will be faced with forces beyond his control, which will eventually lead to his ruin. In order to maintain status in the clan, Okonkwo feels that it is nessessary to be included in the deed of killing Ikemefuna. Okonkwo was the man who gave Ikemefuna the final strike: “Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (61). Weakness was a sign of ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library.
Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports,
and research papers in 2 minutes or less.


CITE THIS PAGE:

Okonkwo: Overwhelmed By His Past. (2008, August 31). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Okonkwo-Overwhelmed-By-His-Past/89181
"Okonkwo: Overwhelmed By His Past." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 31 Aug. 2008. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Okonkwo-Overwhelmed-By-His-Past/89181>
"Okonkwo: Overwhelmed By His Past." Essayworld.com. August 31, 2008. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Okonkwo-Overwhelmed-By-His-Past/89181.
"Okonkwo: Overwhelmed By His Past." Essayworld.com. August 31, 2008. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Okonkwo-Overwhelmed-By-His-Past/89181.
JOIN NOW
Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays


PAPER DETAILS
Added: 8/31/2008 06:58:20 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1755
Pages: 7

Save | Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS
Save and find your favorite essays easier

SIMILAR ESSAYS
» Analysis Of Hayden's Tattooed M...
» Robert F Kennedy
» HIV/AIDS Seminar
» Effects Of Youth Crime
» Animal Farm
» The Invention Of The Telegram
» Roman Pantomime
» Kant: The Universal Law Formati...
» Thomas Jefferson
» Affirmative Action
Copyright | Cancel | Contact Us

Copyright © 2024 Essayworld. All rights reserved