Okonkwo is a character in Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” who endeavors to conform outwardly whilst questioning inwardly, although he definitely might not appear to be in the beginning. Okonkwo’s interior conflict due to the worries of conformity and personal questioning add to the job by displaying that in any culture, you will find customs which are not wholly accepted, proving, like being human, no contemporary society is perfect without rule will go unquestioned.
When Okonkwo adops the young young man Ikemefuna, Okonkwo becomes incredibly fond of him. Inwardly, Okonkwo enjoys Ikemefuna’s manliness great affect on his other son, Nwoye, because Nwoye looks up to Ikemefuna as a even more masculine determine and Nwoye attempts to live up to Ikemefuna as a gentleman, something Okonkwo can truly appreciate and openly are very proud of. Okonkwo party favors Ikemefuna, taking Ikemefuna upon journeys with him. Outwardly, however , Okonkwo believes love to be a weakness, and so displays probably none of this emotion. If the tribe requests they have chosen to kill Ikemefuna after 36 months of him living with Okonkwo and his family, Okonkwo is usually conflicted. He truly cares for Ikemefuna, although joins the party which carries out his killing out of sense the self-induced pressure of conformity to advertise his individual success plus the success from the tribe. Every time a party affiliate strikes the first blow and Ikemefuna calls out ‘father they may be killing me’ Okonkwo immediately jumps in and coatings Ikemefuna off with his hacha, terrified to be seen as weak.
While it appears at the moment Okonkwo totally agreed with all the elders decision, afterwards, Okonkwo cant consume or rest for nearly three days. He could be bedridden, his eyes are red, presumably from crying and dealing with intense emotional effects of his actions. Outwardly Okonkwo eagerly conforms for the tribes wants, even too enthusiastically. Discussing with his friend Obierika discloses Okonkwos internal questioning invisible by his swift, to the outside conformity. Eager to showcase his strength out of fear of inadequacy, Okonkwo questions how come Obierika has not been in the getting rid of party. Obierika tells Okonkwo he simply didnt need to, and counters by telling Okonkwo “If the spirits got ordered my son always be killed, We would not have disobeyed, but I would not have carried out it myself either. ” (57). Despite having a solid, masculine, wrestler of a child and a powerful suitor for his girl, (a incredibly outwardly conformist and powerful family) Obierika also after questions for what reason Okonkwo the tribe ordered be banned for eight years to get an accident that was out of Okonkwo’s control, in very similar vein while Okonkwo shateringly inwardly queries why he previously to be the that you strike the blow.
This encourages an interior questioning of not necessarily just the spirit’s wisdom or tribe’s wisdom, but why it had to be completed, and what makes the spirits so smart. These two instances of questioning by simply Obierika and Okonkwo prove that Okonkwo’s asking has found traction and part of the reason ‘things fall apart’ in the group was the large traditions set up were not past questioning, since these customs are not wholly explained and logically agreed upon in a way that appeared fair. Even though the killing of Ikemefuna is carried out relating to a tribe runling, the supposedly complete decision still left room intended for ambiguity by means of what actions Okonkwo should take, and thus his own imperfect actions still left him asking the flaws of the decision and his world as a whole. The ruinous masculinity that compels Okonkwo to commit the act is additionally a product of such an imperfect society as well as Okonkwo’s own inferiority complicated, stemming coming from his dad’s ‘failure’ in the tradition in the tribe, proving not everyone is able to conform. In some level perhaps Okonkwo had the wisdom to inwardly problem why his father would not succeed apart from his foolish laziness. Most likely another reason intended for Okonkwo’s dad’s failure was the society having been a part of not really offering him the path he needed to do well.
Okonkwo is outwardly a conformist to the traditions of the tribe he is an integral part of to the fatality. But inwardly, he concerns the quality of the tribal traditions he so fervently seeks to understand better than everyone else and contains sacred above all else. Okonkwo’s questing with other members of the tribe solidify the simple fact that simply no tradition, practice or custom made, no matter how almost holy, goes undisputed because zero no tradition, practice or perhaps custom is perfect. Any culture, no matter it is ethnicity or ‘development’ excellent, because we, as we simply cannot escape the imperfect human nature.
